Hiring staff are funny people.
I have seen some ridiculous reasons for rejecting candidates over the years.
I have seen too many good candidates wasted by employers because the employer did not get a great first impression from the resume.
Here are few tips to help you with that.
Relevant experience This is one of the most common reasons good candidates do not get the role they apply for.
It simply means reading the advertisement and highlighting or expanding your resume so that you address the selection criteria.
You need to do this for EVERY application.
Many job seekers just fire off their standard resume.
This usually results in the employer firing off their standard rejection letter in response.
The average employer, HR person or recruiter is extremely busy.
Many don't have the technical expertise to screen your resume properly.
They look for keywords.
They need you to make it easy for them to see where you have had related experience.
The average resume receives 10 seconds of attention from a HR person.
In those ten seconds, your resume is not read - it is scanned.
In the same way that people don't read the internet - they scan it, so do busy people looking at your resume.
How you layout your resume and how you highlight where you have met the selection criteria is critical.
The ideal resume will address the selection criteria in the executive summary or coversheet and expand upon it again in the relevant employment area.
Evidence of passion This is crucial for recent graduates.
If you are a recent graduate, document clearly your final year project, your private projects, your favourite relevant user groups and blog sites and of course any vocational employment.
Do not be shy to us use the phone and call the recruiter or employer.
Ability to make things go right The employer wants to know if you will be an asset or a liability.
Did you meet KPI's? What have you achieved that you are proud of? If you are Graduate then activities outside of work and your grades point to these.
There are many other things that employers look for of course.
A non-exhaustive list includes:

• Work history (how long do you last in one job?)
• Spelling and grammar (Shows communication skills and attention to detail)
• Hobbies and interests (some recruiters use this as a clue to your motivations)
• Work visas
• Location (Most employers won't look favorably at someone that has to travel more than 40 minutes to work)
• Email address (does it shine a professional light in you?)

I hope this article helps you find your next role.
All the best, Daryl Keeley Managing Director More articles at www.
macrorecruitment.
com.
au