Resume Preferences Straight From the Mouths of Recruiters

Resume Preferences Straight From the Mouths of Recruiters Last week when I was in Annapolis at the NRWA conference, I listened to a panel discussion with five recruiters representing the corporate, not-for-profit, and government sectors who shared their preferences regarding resumes. Their preferences are consistent with those of other recruiters I talk to. Here are the key takeaways:1. Include both months and years of employment for any positions that you held for less than 2 years. 2. Use bulleted lists to show accomplishments rather than blocky paragraphs of text. 3. Create a brief paragraph under each job title to explain the position responsibilities. 4. If listing multiple roles in one company, only list the company name and full employment dates once and list the individual position titles underneath. 5. Include embedded links such as LinkedIn url or other links if relevant. 6. Keep the resume to one or two pages unless applying for a federal job where a longer resume may be needed. 7. Explain any employment gaps on the resume. 8. Pa ste your cover letter into the body of the email rather than as a separate attachment. 9. Make sure all company names, job titles, and keywords are easy to spot on a quick scan. 10. Use a chronological format whenever possible; alternative formats can raise suspicion with some recruiters.