What do recruiters look for in resumes?

Job Hunting is one of the most challenging exercises each of us goes through. We need to leave a good impression, we need to showcase our top skills, and we need to approach work with the right attitude – all of this to get that job!

The first thing that reflects our capabilities is the resume we share with the recruitment team. Considering that recruiters are viewing multiple profiles in a single day, you need to make sure that yours stands out!

You need to mention all that you have done in your career and at the same time,you need to keep the length of your resume in check. The hiring team is going to interview you basis your resume, and hence it is of utmost importance what you mention in your profile.

Skills - The most important attributes that the recruiter is going to be looking at in your Resume are the skills mentioned. Depending on your experiences the category of skills that you mention would change. For a fresh graduate applying for their first job, the skills will be more generic like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, etc.

For an experienced professional, skills to be mentioned will be more specific to the job requirement and will also cover past work experience. For example, an investment professional looking for mutual fund jobs, wealth management or portfolio management jobs will have skills mentioned in their resume relevant to that particular industry.

You should have an ideal mix of hard and soft skills mentioned in your resume. Hard skills would be skills that you acquire through formal education, certifications or on the job, while soft skills are attributes that you possess or have honed through experience, exposure and personal challenges.

Some of the top soft skills that can be used to make your resume attractive

Start with skills relevant to the job you are applying for and then move ahead to mentioning soft skills and other personality-associated qualities.

For an experienced professional, it is necessary to mention the previous organizations that you have worked for and the designation, team size, and any important metrics that need to be highlighted.

If you are a fresher, mention the projects that you have undertaken and extracurricular activities that you were a part of in your resume. This will show the hiring managers more about the potential you have.

Lastly, be honest in everything you mention in your resume. When the hiring manager interviews you based on what is mentioned in your resume, they will judge you on honesty, integrity and values too.

Keep your resume clean, crisp, and to-the-point. Avoid making long resumes with irrelevant data. And of course - make sure the spelling and grammar are correct.