October 28, 2021 – Upcoming Events, Opportunities & Resources
Hi Hoyas!
As many of you have experienced when you’ve applied for internships and jobs, there are a lot of rounds between the initial resume submission and the final offer – especially in the for-profit sector. The number of people participating in each round gets smaller and smaller, until perhaps as few as 10% or even 1% of the people that submitted a resume will get a final round interview (with even fewer getting an actual offer).
Often, the largest decrease in the candidate pool is between the initial resume submission and the first round interview – in which perhaps 50% or more people may be removed from consideration. A lot of this is based on luck: which specific person on the recruiting team reviewed your resume; how long they’ve been at the company; what mood they were in; how many more resumes did they need to review; etc.
However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of getting through the culling at the resume review round, and on to the first round interview. You want to make it as easy as possible for the hiring manager to put you in the ‘yes‘ pile for an interview:
1. Optimize the use of the ‘high-value’ portions of your resume
Often, the largest decrease in the candidate pool is between the initial resume submission and the first round interview – in which perhaps 50% or more people may be removed from consideration. A lot of this is based on luck: which specific person on the recruiting team reviewed your resume; how long they’ve been at the company; what mood they were in; how many more resumes did they need to review; etc.
However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of getting through the culling at the resume review round, and on to the first round interview.
1. Optimize the use of the ‘high-value’ portions of your resume
Many hiring manager will spend minimal time reading through your resume, and will often visually focus on several key areas:Your university (i.e., Georgetown)The first two experiences you list (the assumption is these are the most relevant and involve the largest scope of responsibilityOne non-professional-focused activity (displays the issues/causes you’re interested in beyond work)Any high-value technical skills (e.g., programming, data visualization)
2. Group experience by relevance to the position, not work vs. extracurricular or paid vs. un-paid
Before:
Work ExperienceLeadership and Extracurricular Experience
After:
Relevant Consulting ExperienceOther Experience and Activities
3. Focus on your achievements, not the scope of the organization you worked for
Before: Green Earth, Inc.Green Earth supports communities in over 20 countries to identify and develop sustainable economic alternatives while maintaining employment levels across… After: Green Earth, Inc.Developed reports on logging market trends and impacts on various regional communitiesLiaised with 10+ organizations in the Northeast US to….
4. Enhance readabilityeven if that means cutting details – give sufficient white space around titles, subtitles, and bullets
Before: International Relations Club – Conferences CoordinatorManaged 12 different Model United Nations trips within the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., resulting in 4 Best Large Delegations award and 6 Outstanding Delegation awards After: International Relations ClubConferences CoordinatorManaged 12 different Model United Nations trips to compete domestically and internationally
5. Present very specific experiences at a higher level of abstraction
Before: Conducted research on the average annual output of greenhouse gases (as measured in CO2 ppm) in comparison to carbon-capture programs in 20 different countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa After: Researched trends in sustainable technology and manufacturing sectors across multiple international regions
6. Highlight any high-demand technical skills and examples where you’ve used them
Before:
SkillsTechnical: Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) Adobe Acrobat, R After:
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Hi Hoyas!
Many hiring manager will spend minimal time reading through your resume, and will often visually focus on several key areas:Your university (i.e., Georgetown)The first two experiences you list (the assumption is these are the most relevant and involve the largest scope of responsibilityOne non-professional-focused activity (displays the issues/causes you’re interested in beyond work)Any high-value technical skills (e.g., programming, data visualization)
Leadership and Extracurricular Experience