Your resume will be scanned for 6-12 seconds by a human reader. Recruiters may have several open positions and lists of 10-200 electronically qualified candidates for each one. The most efficient way for them to process all this is to look quickly at each resume to find obviously matching candidates.
Remember, a recruiter is not there to find you a job. They are there to fill client positions. They don't screen out candidates, but rather look for the best candidates for the positions they have open. Many candidates misunderstand a recruiters role and are surprised when recruiters don't spend time to understand their resume, and hunt for a job for them.
Is your resume set up to identify you, in 6-12 seconds, as a matching candidate for positions which match your skills? Your goal as a candidate is to set up the top 1/2 to 2/3 of the first page to answer a recruiter's key questions.
This is what recruiters are looking for in a 6-12 second scan.
- What locations are you in range of?
- What roles are you qualified to work in?
- What is your value (length of time and context of your experience) in your most important skill areas: Role titles, technologies, industries, leadership, and personal interaction?
- Does the resume make a good overall impression? i.e. is it at least neat and tidy?
Make it as easy as possible for your customer (the company you are applying to) to understand what positions you are qualified to fill. Note: this is a completely different goal from tailoring your resume to fit a job description.
By learning how to present your value effectively in 6-12 seconds you can begin to think about the do-able goal of making your resume rank in the top 1-3% among your peers.