Your Resume Has 30 Seconds — Fact or Fiction?

By Jennifer Anthony
www.execresumeservice.com

Recently, a question was asked on LinkedIn Answers that had some very interesting responses. The question posed was:

Quite often I hear – “… a resume has less than 30 seconds to make an impact to a recruiter – independent or corporate HR..” WHY?

Why would any recruiter spend less than 30 seconds to review a resume for any opening they are trying to fill?It takes me more time reviewing junk mail that I normally throw away… just so that I don’t accidentally discard something of value hidden in between. So why would a person whose job “IS” to review, analyze, and read resumes to unearth talent not spend more time on resumes they solicit themselves?

I know this statistic of having anywhere from 5 seconds to 30 seconds to make a first impression is published all over the web.

But is it true?

Well, here are some eye-opening direct quotes from the people that decide your career fate:

“Because HR people are the equivalent of soccer goalies–their job is not to let anyone in but to keep just about everyone out.”

“Am I potentially missing qualified people who fail to effectively and concisely communicate their qualifications? Surely. Do I care? Not at all, because there are dozens of other people who are just as qualified and who can actually articulate that fact effectively.”

“While it may seem unfair to the job seeker, a good recruiter can easily scan a resume within 30 seconds to find the basic information that they are looking for.”

“…they often have so many resumes to sort through that one of their goals is to get rid of as many resumes as possible.”

“…they have a ton of resumes, and the first job is to screen out some…”

“Let me first correct you: It takes 3-10 seconds to review a resume to verify if it meets qualifications for a majority of positions. If it was 30 seconds, I would never get any work done.”

“Because time is money.”

“Candidates MUST hook me (us) with something applicable and of value…and they have less than 30 seconds to do it.”

“Recruiters and HR professionals are the gatekeepers and the ones that have to find the needle in the haystack.”

“…I have heard that it’s only 15 seconds.”

“It’s not practical or necessary to spend a great deal of time on each and every resume because some clearly don’t match the basic job requirements…”

“…the quality of many resumes received does not justify any more than 30 seconds.”

So what’s the take away here? What do you, as a jobseeker, need to know?

1. You absolutely must target your resume. These folks are busy (maybe even overworked and slightly jaded) so you have to make it as obvious as possible that YOU are the exact match to what their company is looking for.

2. You have to have a resume that stands out or they won’t be interested enough to pause and give it more than a few seconds. Don’t use templates or copy examples, you’ll just look bad.

3. It’s not personal. They have a need they are trying to fill. It may be as specific as trying to find cobalt blue 100% organic wool socks. They don’t want tube socks. They don’t want trouser socks. They have a specific set of skills/abilities/talents they need for whatever reason and you can’t be all things to all people.

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© Jennifer Anthony, Nationally Published Resume Expert & Career Strategist

Disclaimer: Advice offered in this article is not comprehensive and is intended for a wide-range of readers. Individual results may vary based on geographic location, local economies, market saturation for a particular industry, academic background, adaptability to workforce changes, and/or continued motivation. Contact a professional resume writer to discuss your unique situation.

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