Are Headhunters Calling You. . . Or Ignoring You?

In my former life as a recruiter (or “headhunter”) I received hundreds of resumes a week. The statement that each resume gets a 15 second read is not far from the truth. In fact, 15 seconds is a generous assumption.

In reality, a resume must capture the recruiter’s attention in the first five seconds. Candidates can greatly improve their chance of catching the recruiter’s attention by following these simple rules.

by Deborah Walker CCMC

1. Correct resume format

Recruiters do not have time or patience to figure out the complexities of a poor resume . To recruiters, time is money. Recruiters are trained from the start to pick up on any possible “red flags” that identify the job seeker as an undesirable candidate.

2. Quantifiable accomplishment statements

You will only capture a headhunter’s attention when he sees you in terms of commission potential. A professional resume with accomplishment statements that prove bottom-line results will give the recruiter selling points to market you to their clients and put you in front of employers faster.

3. Use of resume keywords

At any given time a recruiter may have 10 to 100 positions to fill. Recruiters categorize those positions using keywords. The recruiter may be so tuned into finding those words that he is oblivious to anything else. Candidate-tracking databases also sort on keywords. Your resume should be filled with those industry-specific keywords.

4. Email your information to recruiters

Recruiters spend 80% of their time proactively calling prospective candidates and employers. They do not appreciate spending phone time with unsolicited callers. Once a recruiter has your resume he will call you if he is interested. Calling to ask if he has received your resume can risk ticking him off permanently.

5. Use the correct attachment format

When emailing your resume to recruiters, it is best to send it as both a Word attachment (to send to clients) and as a plain text attachment (to add to the database) in the body of the email. This allows the recruiter to access your information in the fastest manner and contact you sooner.

Recruiters and headhunters can be a tremendous resource in your job search. Designing your resume with recruiters in mind is an important first step toward building relationships with influential recruiters who have the power to introduce you to your next boss.

About the Author

Deborah Walker, CCMC

Certified Career Management Coach

Deborah Walker, President of Alpha Advantage, Inc., is a nationally respected career coach with extensive experience as a former headhunter and corporate recruiter. Her clients include top executives at Pepsi, Ford, Motorola, Target, Sun Microsystems and AT&T.

Her resume and career advice is featured on more than 3,000 websites and published in professional association newsletters nationwide, including the American Marketing Association, APICS, National Black MBA, and Women in Technology International.

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