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2024-09-05 5 Resume Improvements in Less Than 5 Minutes

Sep 14, 20244 min read

Part of 2024-09-05 HireReady Workshop Speaker: Bogdan Zlatkov: Get Started | Growth Hack Your Career Link: HireReady Resume Workshop

Speaker Background

  • Bogdan switched from film/tv to startups/tech

    • Longest job search: 14 months
    • Asked recruiters and career coaches for tips

  • Recruiters only spend 10-30 seconds on average scanning resumes

    • Resumes should be glanceble

  • On average, job receive 250 applications, and interview 4-5 applicants

  • a Resume that isn’t scannable is 60% less likely to receive an interview

    • must be scannable by ATS and human recruiter

  • On average, recruiters review about 100-200 applications per day.

  • A successful resume has 11 components

    • today we’ll talk about 5 of them.

  • the #1 mistake of resumes

    • the recruiter problem: Recruiters don’t have much time
      • A day in the life of a recruiter:
        • Recruiters attend meetings, phone screen applicants etc.
        • They actually have very little time to read resumes.
        • Often overworked and underpaid.
      • Have a new mindset: “It’s not about me. It’s about them”
      • Be concise

  • Balancing your bullet points

    • 5 types of bullet points
      • Built
      • Lead
      • Managed
      • Collaborated
      • Improved
    • Try color coding bullet points

  • New mindset: “Show your full range of experience, not your entire experience”

  • the Bullet Point formula

    • Power verb:
      • e.g. built, improved, led
    • Method/Skill:
    • Result:
      • What if my accomplishments are not measurable? If I don’t have metrics.
        • It is okay to estimate. It doesn’t have to be exact.
        • Try to regularly write measurable results while you have the job (before you forget).

  • The And Technique:

    • A technique to write more concisely
    • Cmd+F and look for and.
    • The rule is you should only have one and per sentence
      • If you have more, then it means you are trying to say too much in one sentence of bullet point.

  • Word Count:

    • Forget page count. Use word count instead
    • The ideal word count for a resume is 500 words
      • early to mid career: 350-500 words
      • 15+ years experience: 500-600 words
    • When you increase word count, you are decreasing the probability that they will see your best assets.

  • New mindset: “Your resume is the movie trailer, not the entire movie. Less is more.”

  • Resume Summary: Adding Personality

    • Challenge #3; Being human on paper
    • A resume is a dual purpose document
      • Helps get an interview
      • Once you’ve gotten the interview, the resume helps create a connection with the hiring manager / interviewer
    • Resume summary
        1. Original: Be unique. Not many people could write this.
        1. Add value: Don’t just be a synopsis of the rest of the summary
        1. Informal:
      • Example:
        • beat Mark Zuckerberg at hockey was a conversation starter and interesting ice-breaker.

  • Takeaway: Human beings hire human beings.

  • This talk is not about

  • Growth Hack Your Career:

  • ATS issues

  • It should be possible to customize a resume and cover letter to a job in under 5 minutes.

    • Try to be modular

  • Entry-level resumes:

  • Volunteer experience:

    • List it on LinkedIn
    • Only put on resume if it’s relevant

  • Career gap:

    • Address the career gap.
      • Make sure you mention it. Not mentioning it forces the recruiter to guess.
      • add a one line explanation

  • Career change:

    • These tend to be much more complicated than.

Actionable Next Steps:

  1. Update Your Resume:

    • Implement the five resume tweaks discussed in the session.
    • Use the bullet point formula to enhance your accomplishments.
    • Ensure your resume is concise (350-500 words) and scannable.

  2. Address Employment Gaps: Include a brief explanation for any career breaks directly on your resume.

  3. Leverage Volunteer Experience: If relevant, include volunteer work on your resume to showcase skills and experience.

  4. Utilize ChatGPT: Use AI tools to generate ideas for bullet points and skills, but customize the output to fit your experience.

  5. Book a Free Strategy Call: If you’re struggling with your job search or considering a career change, schedule a free strategy call with Bogdan.

  6. Practice the 10-Second Test: Share your resume with a friend for 10 seconds and ask them what they remember to gauge its effectiveness.

  7. Prepare for the Next Session: Attend the upcoming LinkedIn profile audit workshop to optimize your online presence.

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