KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 2018 college graduates looking for their first job in the real world are in luck, this is the strongest hiring outlook for recent college graduates in more than a decade, according to a CareerBuilder report.
But, there are a few things job seekers might want to do to guarantee their resume makes it to the top of the pile.
With online job sites like Indeed and Simply Hired, companies are getting hundreds of resumes for a single job posting. We talked to some experts about how to make your resume stand out.
"As a job seeker, a lot of the feedback I'm getting is that they're submitting resumes and it’s almost like a black hole to different places that they're submitting,” said Marie Phelan, Recruiter with Staffing Kansas City.
Staffing agencies like Staffing Kansas City help candidates figure out why they might be struggling to find a job.
"We are saying, 'Okay, let’s see what these roadblocks might be. Let's see what does your resume look like. Do we have any issues there?'” said Phelan.
More than 60 percent of recruiters will automatically dismiss a candidate if their resume has typos.
Professionals suggest using bullet points on your resume as opposed to descriptive paragraphs, this makes it easier for recruiters to quickly see if you have the right skills for the job.
Recruiters also say you should be tailoring your resume for each individual company you apply for.
"Sometimes we get an online application and they don't even attach a resume,” said Michelle Cormack, Senior Technical Recruiter at Garmin.
While some companies use computer-generated algorithms to weed out candidates, Garmin recruiters read each resume they receive.
"We do have human eyes that are looking at every single resume that comes through,” said Cormack.
For entry-level jobs the competition is stiff, Cormack says they receive hundreds and hundreds of applications.
Which is why it’s so important to stand out from the very start.
"Every recruiter has about 10 seconds that they look at every resume. If I don't see what I want in that amount of time than its going to be let’s move to the next candidate because we have plenty to look at,” said Cormack.
Cormack said you need to do your homework and make sure you know about the company. She suggests talking about why you are so interested at the top of the resume.
"If they're saying something in their resume that shows a passion for our company and maybe a match between their skills and our company, those are the things that are going to get noticed,” said Cormack.
Recruiters also say you shouldn’t discount job fairs.
"It's just a great way to get in front of people outside of the applicant tracking system and the 1,400 other resumes that I have in the software requisition,” said Sara Slocum, University Relations Recruiting Team Lead at Garmin.
Larger companies like Garmin often choose candidates that have taken an internship.
"You have someone who worked at Jason's deli or you have someone who was a software engineering intern at Garmin, I'm going to take the Garmin intern more seriously. Not that, this other person doesn't have opportunity or can't be there, they just don't have the same experience,” said Slocum.
Staffing Kansas City says for their clients, internships are not as important, it’s more about the right fit.
"With our clients being small to mid-size companies often they are looking for a great personality fit within their office so often we recruit on kind of that culture fit as opposed to how many internships did you have,” said Phelan.
While getting your foot in the door is key, recruiters say candidates need to also prepare for the actual interview.
They suggest doing your research on the company beforehand, show up on time, don’t check your phone during the interview and always follow up with a thank you note.
Recruiters say when you are on the hunt for a job, you also want to be mindful of what you are posting on social media.
