“Recruiters need to look beyond a resume!” I sometimes hear, or rather read this comment from applicants whose experience does not appear to match the requirements of a job posting.

Your resume must demonstrate that you have the basic experience needed to do the job. If your resume shows you meet the minimum requirements, I will call you, so together we can go deeper and look beyond your resume.

What Do Recruiters Look For?

Recruiters will typically take a job requisition from their client and break it into “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.” If you read a job posting written by a specialist recruiter, the key requirements of the role should be obvious.

If you don’t meet the requirements of the job, or if your resume doesn’t demonstrate that you meet those requirements, you shouldn’t expect a call.

However, if your resume shows you possess all the “must-haves” for the role, even if it’s not a great resume, a good recruiter will call you to explore your background further.

What Do Hiring Managers Look For?

Hiring managers and HR Professionals are typically more selective than recruiters about which applicants they contact. Many employers think a poorly written resume indicates a lack of attention to detail. And if they don’t see accomplishments and achievements on your resume they may assume you have none.

Recent and Relevant

Keep in mind that your related experience will need to be recent. If we have to go back more than 10 years to find the background we’re looking for, we normally cannot consider that experience to be relevant.

A Recruiter’s Database

Another reason a resume is important is so a recruiter can find you in their database. When I have a new job opening, the first place I look is our internal database, not LinkedIn. Our database is set up in a way that we can find candidates and quickly match them with opportunities. But if we don’t have a resume for you it’s much less likely you will pop up on a search of our database.

How to Write a Good Resume

With the vast amount of resources available online, creating a resume is not that difficult, so if you’re looking for a new job please do some basic research, and put in the effort to do it right. When a recruiter receives a poorly written resume, we may take it as an indication that you’re not serious about looking for a new job. Click here for some basic tips about resume writing.

What If I Don’t Get A Call?

I have specialized in logistics recruitment for nearly 15 years, but I’m not perfect. I screen hundreds of applications every day. And sometimes in my haste, I may not see a match if it’s not obvious. If you apply to a job that you KNOW is a fit for your background but you don’t hear from me, please call me to follow up.

Contact Us

Looking for more resume writing or interview tips? Check SCLSearch.com for ideas, or take a look at our jobs page to see what opportunities we have available. Connect with us on LinkedIn. And let’s see if we can help you find that perfect opportunity in supply chain and logistics.