With so many people job hunting these days, it's harder than ever to make your resume stand out from the crowd. As co-founder at Grasshopper, I look at tons of resumes each week. While occasionally I'll find a diamond in the rough, more often than not, candidates stand out for the wrong reasons--there are typographical errors in their cover letters or resumes, or they promise a certain level of design work and then their portfolio tells a different story. I'm not a recruiter, of course, but since resumes often cross my desk (or more accurately, my computer screen), I thought I'd offer up some pointers to prospective candidates. Keep in mind the following is what makes me really consider a candidate--it's not intended to be an exhaustive, one-size-fits all list.
- Don't make your cover letter a personal manifesto. I want to see you've taken the time to personalize your cover letter, but I don't want to read a thesis before I get to your resume. If I see you've provided a lot of words for something you should've just said in a few, I have to assume that you don't value my time (or yours). My personal limit for cover letters is about three concise paragraphs.
- Stand out--for the right reasons. If you're a graphic designer and on your resume you claim to have tons of design experience, I expect your portfolio and website to reflect that. It's also good if your resume has a small design element that sets it apart from the rest, but nothing crazy.
- Find out if you'll fit in. Be realistic about whether or not you'll be a good fit for the company. How do you do this? Reading about Grasshopper before you apply/get an interview is a good start. You could also read this blog, since I post about Grasshopper quite a bit. However, you'll really have an advantage in the hiring process if you check out our core ideologies and think about what they mean to you. One of the most successful interviews ever at Grasshopper was a candidate--and now employee--who took the time to learn all of the core values and then described how she exhibited each one as a prospective candidate during the interview process. She was hired.
- Tell me about your passion. At Grasshopper, we look for people who are passionate about what they do every day at work, but also in their personal lives. If you're passionate about cycling, blogging, or you're a budding oenophile, tell me about it somewhere on your resume or cover letter (in a subtle and tasteful way, of course). I like to see that you know how to balance your passion with your work responsibilities, too, so if you get to the interview stage, be prepared to tell me how you've done this in the past.
- Show me how you're engaged with social media. What's your social media profile? Are you on Twitter? Facebook? LinkedIn? If you're using social media and you think it's relevant to your position, include the info somewhere on your resume. It's another way for me to find out if you're the right fit for Grasshopper, and checking out your profiles can really provide extra details about you as a person and as a candidate. This might not be necessary for all job applicants, but it's helpful for many, especially if you're applying for a marketing role, or any other position that requires heavy interaction with people. That being said, if your Facebook or Twitter accounts showcase a plethora of unnecessary details about you (e.g., you post on Twitter: "Eating a bowl of cereal."), then you shouldn't tell me about it. Simple as that.
- Use your personality. A little personality goes a long way in my book. People in creative fields like advertising and art direction have known this for years, and always seem to have the most innovative "cover letters", resumes, and portfolios. While submitting a resume that's over the top won't work for a software development position, take a lesson from the creatives out there and add something special to your resume to make it stand out--like a short video cover letter or an inventive resume format (that doesn't obscure your credentials). While it may not work if you're applying for a position at Deloitte, when executed properly, it'll get you noticed at Grasshopper.
How to hire the correct people:
I know, from experience, that reviewing resumes and the whole hiring process greatly differs from how an organization actually works, operates and creates profits. I have found that the hiring process seems to become a college level exam rather than a process of finding the correct person for the job.
My ears always perk up when I hear statements like, 'I have to assume that you don't value my time (or yours)', 'cover these X number of items', 'format a certain way'. These are key indicators that the process is less concerned about finding the right person and more concerned about grammar, design and requirements.
I find it interesting the 'value time' statement comes up a lot. It is almost a cliche. At the same time none of us value time the way the statement comes across. For instance socializing within an organization is a huge 'waste of time' from a operational perspective. Yet it represents your corporate culture.
'I wish you luck in your future endeavors.' - I put that on all of my rejection letters.
SD
Thanks for the comment and good thoughts. You make some good points about hiring the right people. It is important to understand this post is about the first step only. No one would ever be hired based on their resume or cover letter but you need to get to the next step. We screen for culture and core values before we even look at skills. From that stage there are interviews and it continues from there.
In terms of wasting time I am talking about the ability to write something meaningful in the right amount of space, be concise.
Culture is super important to us and we put a Wii in all of our offices to allow people to socialize and add to the culture.