This 1 resume writing tip could lead to a significant salary boost, recruiters say
If you're hoping to one day make six figures in the Big Apple — or beyond — then you may want to consider hiring a professional to craft your resume.
Job applicants who hire resume writers are better perceived than those who do not, according to a new study by talent company TopResume and Brooklyn-based consulting firm zhaus. Last year, between November and December, the service asked 157 talent acquisition professionals with five or more years of experience to review three prospective employee resumes: two were self-written and one was professionally done.
Overall, recruiters deemed those with professionally written resumes worth 7 percent more. In New York City, for example, they believed job seekers with a polished resume would be more likely to earn six-figure salaries.
"This means that candidates who use a professionally written resume are more likely to be offered more money for the job than if they used the original, self-written version of their resume — before the interview process begins," explained TopResume in its recent report.
The recruiters also overwhelmingly agreed that professionally edited resumes made job candidates appear more polished, results-focused and confident.
"I’m always looking for resumes that are results-focused … the ones that seek to quantify and monetize their achievements are always the best," Dave Barner, president of Barndog Staffing, said in the report. It was unclear if he participated in the study.
It's worth noting a separate survey — of more than 350 hiring managers — conducted by TopResume in February 2018 showed most recruiters agreed that "failure to demonstrate and quantify results" was one of their biggest deal-breakers in a candidate.
"I’m always looking for resumes that are results-focused … the ones that seek to quantify and monetize their achievements are always the best."
Amanda Augustine, a certified professional resume writer at TopResume, said it's important to have keywords that stick out to computerized systems that are typically first to scan your document.
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"Your resume should never be a laundry list of everything you’ve ever done or are capable of doing," she told CNBC on Monday. "[These systems are] better at weeding out the least qualified and not necessarily finding the best."
In recruiters' eyes, no more than two pages is key and that page shouldn't have a ton of white space, Augustine explained to the news station.
Another study of 132 job seekers who received resume critiques from TopResume reported finding a job at a 32 percent higher rate than those who tackled the one-pager solo, according to TopResume.
Ultimately, according to TopResume, a resume should achieve three goals: visual appeal, a compelling career narrative and quantifiable results that highlight a job seeker's value.