Recruiters tips - resume and cover letter
How to write an exceptional resume and cover letter – from a recruiter’s perspective
Are you looking for a new job and maybe a challenge at PayEx? We are receving a lot of applications and your resume and cover letter might be the difference between getting an interview or not. As recruiters we see a lot of good applications but also a lot of bad ones. Here are our best tips on how to make your resume and cover letter stand out from the crowd.
Do your research
Your resume should continuously be updated and tailored to the job you are applying for. Before you start - read up on the company and its culture and what skills and experience needed for the available position.
Rewrite history
With that we mean that you should tell your background backwards. Structure your resume by putting the most recent job experience first and work your way backwards. Make sure you have clear headings. This way the recruiter will see the most relevant information first.
If you have had a longer career it might also be a good idea to sort some of the positions. It’s most likely not very interesting to include the job you had as a part-time employee when you were 15 years old.
Be creative
But not too creative. To make it stand out you can put your personal touch on it but do it gracefully and always choose readable fonts and fonts size before great design. The important thing is to make it easy for the recruiter to read and understand. Stay away from disturbing design elements but make it stand out. Easy right!
Gaps and Job hopping
During a long career it’s expected to some degree that the candidate will have some gaps. But be aware that big gaps or job hopping may raise some questions from the recruiter. A good idea can be to explain these gaps already in the resume or cover letter.
How long should a cover letter be?
Firstly, every cover letter should be tailored to the job role or company you’re applying for. Your opening paragraph should be short, use key words from the job ad and tell the recruiter what motivated you to apply for this job. A cover letter should be no longer than an A4 page. Recruiters are simply not interested in reading long essay’s or more likely - not have the time.
How to structure the cover letter
The cover letter should be an extension of the resume and not a repetition. Explain what skills you have gained from your experiences. For example “I have understood that this position involves dealing with different types of customers and I believe that my years as a waitress have given me the baseline for this as it has thought me to be patient but at the same time efficient.
Final tip
Assume that the recruiter is in a hurry and put the most important thing first. Keep it simple and keep your sentences short and relevant.
Don’t forget to go over your spelling and make sure you have a nice structure and that you have an easy to read font. It might be a good idea to let someone else read your application before sending your application.
Good Luck!