Get your resume noticed
Resume tips for getting past recruiters and automated screening. Kristi DePaul explains why a generic resume rarely survives, and a former HR leader shares five ways to attract recruiters on LinkedIn. Resume Worded and Kickresume are the tools covered for feedback and templates. 8 picks from the Bez Tytułu newsletter, in reading order.
The picks
Three LinkedIn tricks for job seekers
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #221
Three LinkedIn tricks help job seekers: toggle the open-to-work badge, search 'we're hiring' posts, and narrow posting age.
Three LinkedIn tricks for job seekers. Switching the open to work badge off over the weekend and back on Monday can push a profile up recruiters' searches, since it shows as newly available. Searching "we're hiring" plus a role keyword surfaces posts from employers recruiting for that job. Editing the seconds value in the job search URL lets you filter for postings from just the last few hours.
Key points- Turn off the open-to-work badge over the weekend, then back on Monday, to appear newly available
- Search 'we're hiring' plus your role keyword to find posts from hiring teams
- Edit the seconds value in the job search URL to show posts from just the last few hours
Tips for attracting recruiters on LinkedIn
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #66
Recruiters respond to candidates who look responsive, so skip the open-to-work photo banner and keep your profile keyword-rich.
The speaker, a former HR leader, gives five tips for attracting recruiters on LinkedIn. Instead of an Open to Work banner on the photo, which some hiring managers see as a sign a candidate is easy to source, the speaker suggests limiting the open status to recruiters. Other tips are a keyword-rich headline, signing in daily, and always responding to recruiter InMails.
Key points- Choose who sees your open-to-work setting, such as recruiters only, instead of a photo banner
- Use a keyword-optimized headline and keywords that match the role you want
- Sign in daily and answer recruiters' paid messages, since replying saves them money
How to Get Your Resume Noticed and Out of the Trash Bin
Read · hbr.org · Issue #10
Kristi DePaul writes that recruiters skim resumes quickly and companies use automated screening, so a generic resume rarely earns an interview. Eye-tracking research finds hiring managers spend about seven seconds on a resume. Her five recommendations are to get past automated screening, show skills, count unpaid experience, use numbers to show results, and keep the cover letter personal.
Resume Worded: AI Resume and LinkedIn Feedback
Tool · resumeworded.com · Issue #138
Resume Worded is an AI-powered platform that gives feedback on resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Its tools include a resume score out of 100, AutoFix rewrites of weak lines that the user approves, Smart Target keyword matching against a job description, a cover letter generator and LinkedIn review. It is free to start, with a paid Pro tier.
Kickresume: AI Resume and Cover Letter Builder
Tool · kickresume.com · Issue #160
Kickresume is an online resume and cover letter builder with recruiter-approved templates, AI writing tools for work experience bullets and cover letters, an ATS resume checker, and job-tailoring features. The free plan includes basic templates and unlimited downloads, and the paid plan costs 18 euros a month, or 54 euros billed every three months, for more templates and unlimited AI features.
AI can tailor a resume and LinkedIn message
Short · instagram.com · Issue #178
An AI assistant can check your resume against a job, then draft a tailored LinkedIn message to the hiring manager.
The speaker outlines a resume workflow using an AI assistant called Genius Agent. Upload your resume and a job description, and it says whether you are ready to apply and which changes to make. Export the hiring manager's LinkedIn profile as a PDF to draft a connection message. He also recommends You.com for interview prep, which returns company research, practice questions and sample answers.
Key points- Upload the resume and job description, and ask whether you are ready to apply
- Export the hiring manager's profile to PDF and ask for a tailored LinkedIn message
- Ask for company research, practice questions and sample answers before interviews
Become a specialist to stand out
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #40
Job seekers lose because they look like a commodity, so they must become specialists with tools like a skimmable resume.
The speaker argues job seekers struggle because they look like everyone else in a crowded market, where studies cite only about 3 percent of applicants getting a call. The fix is becoming a specialist through a short, skimmable resume, a keyword-optimized LinkedIn profile, a storytelling cover letter, and a proactive search that goes around applicant tracking systems.
Key points- Over 40 million people quit jobs in 2021, and the best jobs still get flooded with applicants
- Studies show only about 3 percent of applicants get a phone call
- Specialists build a six-second resume and a keyword-optimized LinkedIn profile
Three signs of a scam job
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #198
Three signs point to a scam job, and the speaker wishes he had dug deeper before the interview.
A creator says a job interview left them suspicious that the company was a scam, and lists three warning signs. The first is a posting that keeps reappearing with no one hired, possibly to look in demand or meet a quota. The second is a technical test or unpaid work. The third is an offer too good to be true, such as $10,000 a week from home with no experience.
Key points- The posting keeps being reposted while nobody gets hired
- It requires a technical test or free work without compensation
- It is too good to be true, like $10,000 a week with no experience