The CV It is your letter of introduction with the contracting company, so it is important to recognize what to do and what not to optimize this resource that with the same speed that it opens doors, unfortunately it can also close them.

Before starting with our recommendations, it is important that you know how the process works for the recruiter. Hundreds of resumes can apply to a vacancy and, if the company is recognized, even thousands of resumes. What does this mean? That the people in charge of the selection process can never read so many documents in their lives, which is why they resort to tools that allow them to filter and segment.

Chief among these tools are Applicant Tracking Systems (application tracking systems), better known as ATS. These are designed to search for keywords, with a combination of criteria. This is how your resume will be "read", or better scanned by software to discover whether or not you meet certain requirements.

“In the processes, the recruiter does not read all the resumes, but he does tend to filter by company. For example, they look for peer or related companies or for similar positions. Likewise, they look for roles below the position, to promote it to the position. With all these criteria, he pre-selects and even then he is not 100% sure that this candidate complies without calling him first”, says Catalina Sáenz, recruitment expert and founding partner of LHR Americas.

The first thing that recruiters do then is a sweep to identify who complies and then they call and confirm that that person does have the experience. Among the information that recruiters prioritize are years of experience, which are counted month by month. Likewise, the companies in which you have worked, the positions you have held, and technical words related to the position they are seeking.

Hence, the main advice is to take into account what the job offer asks for, as a candidate you must build your resume based on each offer, even if you apply to the same sector always. If those keywords that are expressed in the requirements that are sought are not on your resume, there will be no ATS that will find you and “apply” for the position. And of course, this happens because the resume does not say something that is similar to what they are requesting.

“That's what candidates usually don't pay attention to. One has to read the position of the position, and based on that description of the position one would have to adjust that resume to what that position is expecting”, affirms the expert.

Many times it happens that people send the resume to send it, without realizing that it has to have very clear requirements. Typically, job postings ask for years of minimum required experience and skills in something specific. It is also recommended that the academic information be consistent with the job description.

“You also have to consider how the position is called, about how my roles have been called in other organizations, because the roles generally tend to be called the same. Then one must align the position to which he applies to positions similar to those he has had in other companies. If you search for a keyword and it doesn't appear, they will never look at it”, says Sáenz.

Understanding that a recruiter judges a resume in 30 seconds, during which time he decides whether or not to spend more time on each candidate, the information provided is key, be specific and aim first at professional experience and training. If those two criteria match you, you'll look at the person's description.

Step to follow review the description of your profile. Be intentional and creative, as the vast majority opt for similar information without any innovation, which doesn't make them stand out. Important not to leave information "to the imagination" of the recruiter about what you have done or who you are.

Speaking of creativity, today different types of design for resumes are very common. Although aesthetically they may seem impressive, for the recruiter it is better to have a format that is clear, direct and orderly, without going to the extreme of giving a bad impression due to being untidy. Do not make the person who receives it go from one place to the other, present the information in a way that is easily identifiable.

Remember that the first filter is a robot that will review the keywords that the company looks for in your resume, so don't wear yourself out with a lot of iconography or impractical ways to consolidate your data, bots don't read images. An example is the language level, opt for the internationally known A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2, words like basic, intermediate or advanced, instead of putting stars or points. We assure you that the recruiter will not count or calculate your level of English.

Avoid expressions or words such as I know how to work in a team, I am responsible and result-oriented, in reality they are skills that all professionals today must have, in addition what the recruiter looks for is that the candidate meets the technical profile for the position . Keep in mind that where they do measure that you have these skills will be in the psychotechnical test.

What is relevant in a resume are the achievements you have had in the roles performed, what were your functions, what strategies did you implement and what goals were achieved during the time you held the position. This is much more valued than describing functions, for example.

Faced with whether your previous experience was undertaking, do not be afraid to share it, there can be many lessons that you can contribute to the offer to which you are applying.

Also, don't spend time describing non-formal education studies that are not relevant to the position they are seeking. In a resume, undergraduate, postgraduate and soon certifications are valued, if they are essential for the position.

If you are a recent graduate, the grade point average makes a difference, so don't forget to put it. The most attractive companies to work for put their average cut above 4.2, because they assume that with that they will take the best.

Test your resume

LHR Americas' expert recruiters can help you build a better version of your resume, identifying who you are, what your strengths are, your biggest challenges, achievements and learning, so that you can be much more assertive when sending such an important tool for job search.

The LHR Americas team.