What Recruiters Look for in Resumes

What happens in a recruiter’s mind when they see your resume? Let me break it down: 1/ Visual clarity: "Can I find what I need... fast?" Recruiters see hundreds of resumes daily. You've already lost if they have to squint, scroll, or search. They’re not reading for fun. They’re looking for reasons to shortlist (or reject). ✔ Use whitespace generously ✔ Keep margins clean and consistent ✔ Bullet points > long paragraphs ✔ Avoid icons, fancy fonts, or colorful templates (especially for ATS) 2/ Job titles & companies: "Do they fit the brief?" A mismatch = a pass. Tip: If your title doesn’t reflect what you did (say you were a “Project Assistant” but worked like a PM), add clarity: Project Assistant (Project Management – Agile, Jira) 3/ Impact: "What did they do?" This is where most candidates miss out. Instead of saying “Handled marketing campaigns”… Say, “Led 5 campaigns across 3 platforms, generating 1.2M impressions and 12% lead growth.” Recruiters are trained to spot fluff. They’re hiring for outcomes, not activities. 4/ Recency & relevance: "Is this person active and aligned?" Experience from 2021 isn’t enough in 2025. They want to know what you’ve done lately and whether it reflects current tools, trends, or tech. 📌 If you’ve taken a break, highlight recent upskilling, freelance work, or certifications. Silence on a resume = lost opportunity. **** In short, your resume should signal fit, clarity, and value in just 7 seconds. If not, it goes to the pile recruiters promise to revisit (but rarely do). So before you apply again, ask yourself: ❓Is it easy to read? ❓Do I lead with results, not roles? ❓Does it match what the job demands today? If yes, go ahead. #resume #resumetips #jobsearch #jobtips #LinkedInforcreators

Right now, a lot of people are looking for their next job — or any job. And I’ve been getting the same question over and over again: 👉 “Oz, what can I actually do to stand out?” There’s a lot I could say. But let’s start with the first thing every hiring manager sees — your resume. Everyone loves to talk about red flags on resumes. But you know what actually matters more? The green ones. The signs that someone is worth your time, your call, and maybe even your trust. After reviewing tens of thousands of resumes, here’s what I look for 👇 1️⃣ Customized Objectives If the resume actually speaks to the role — not just a copy-paste template — that’s gold. It shows effort, clarity, and direction. 2️⃣ Clear Data Points “I did X and it led to Y.” Show me measurable impact — growth, revenue, retention, efficiency, etc. 3️⃣ Promotions at One Company That’s one of the strongest indicators of performance and trust. It means you delivered, got recognized, and earned your next opportunity. 4️⃣ Function or Industry Shifts When someone has taken risks — changing departments or industries — that tells me they have range. Adaptability > comfort zones. 5️⃣ Behavioral Traits, Not Just Technical Skills When candidates mention what they value (integrity, ownership, collaboration), it signals self-awareness. And self-aware people make better teammates. The truth is, a good resume isn’t just a list of jobs. It’s a story of growth. And the best stories have context, courage, and character. If you’re writing your resume right now — stop obsessing over buzzwords. Start showing the person behind the paper. That’s what hiring managers like me are really looking for. 👉 What’s a “green flag” you look for when hiring? Drop it in the comments. - Hey, I’m Oz. 👋 I’ve helped companies like Blackstone, Amex, and Condé Nast hire similar to the top 1%. Now I’m building AI to shape the future of management—and help professionals gain the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. Message me for more information! #MSH #AeonHire #Leadership #Hiring #Recruiting #CareerAdvice #ResumeTips #JobSearch #PeopleFirst #FutureOfWork #OzRashid

Recruiters don’t care about everything you’ve done. They care about what you’ve done that matters to them. This is the single biggest difference between a resume that gets shortlisted and a resume that gets ignored. Most candidates make the same mistake → They dump everything they’ve ever done into one document… hoping something will impress the recruiter. But here’s the truth: Your resume is not your biography. It’s your business proposal. And the only thing that matters is relevance. When you’re competing with hundreds of applicants, your job is NOT to show you’re suitable for every role… Your job is to prove you’re PERFECT for this one. Here’s my proven method to make your resume irresistible (no fancy templates, no gimmicks): 🔹 1. Make Relevance Your Guiding Metric Study the job posting → Mirror the language → Show you understand their needs. 🔹 2. Lead With Impact, Not Responsibilities Stop burying your wins inside paragraphs. Start highlighting measurable achievements. 🔹 3. Show Results, Not Tasks Anyone can “manage.” Few can prove what improved under their management. 🔹 4. Use Their Keywords — Naturally This isn’t just for ATS. It shows you understand the role deeply. 🔹 5. Quantify EVERYTHING Numbers = credibility. “Improved customer satisfaction by 27%” beats “Handled customer queries” every time. 🔹 6. Keep it Clean, Scannable, and Error-Free A cluttered resume = a cluttered mind. Clean formatting builds instant trust. 🔹 7. Add a Compelling Cover Letter A clear, concise pitch can elevate your entire application. 🔹 8. Tailor Every Single Application Generic resumes get generic results. Targeted resumes get interviews. 💡 In short: Don’t just list what you did. Prove what you delivered. And make sure every single word earns its place on the page. (Save this for your next application) 💬 Tell me, which resume mistake above have you been making? I’ll drop specific fixes in the comments. If you want me to audit your resume and show you EXACTLY how to tailor it for your dream role, connect with me on DM.

We had 52,100 job applicants last year at Mews. 🤯 So this morning I called three of our top recruiters to ask what they recommend applicants do to stand out. Here is what I learned: 1️⃣ Applications for jobs are almost double, year-on-year, for the same amount of jobs. Recruiters have much less time to review your resume, so they need to be optimized for easy consumption in 30 seconds. - The top of the first page, is prime real estate, use it wisely. What is your tagline? - Use standard font for easy consumption - Use bulletpoints to highlight relevant skills, avoid long blobs of text - Maximum 2 pages, prioritize your last 2 roles with more detail - Cover letters are not dead, they actually give great context, use them to show you did your research on the company. 2️⃣ Warm introductions are more important than ever. When hundreds of people apply for a role, try to see if you have a connection at the company. We prioritize applications through referrals. Good people know good people. 3️⃣ Customize your application beyond the resume. The "how" varies per role. - Sales & Support roles: video is a great way to pitch yourself - Designers: show your design skills on your resume, without distracting from the most important messages. - Data analysts: show your skill with data in your resume, or a dashboard you created 4️⃣ We are looking for drivers, not passengers. We want to know what you specifically contributed to the success in previous roles, don't tell us what the company did. So always quantify your own contributions, what was the legacy you are leaving behind? 5️⃣ AI may not be your friend here. We see more and more people using AI to build their resumes, making them more bland and less personal. We want to see your personality, we want to see that you made an effort. 6️⃣ On Linkedin you can see how many others have applied for a role. If you really want the job, you have to put extra effort. Always answer the specific questions asked in the application with detail, clearly these are things the recruiter will care about. Thank you James Mantle (he/him), Yvonne Williamson and Jack Lawrence for the insights.

Yesterday I reviewed around 600 applications. 600. Here’s the truth: when the volume is that high, small details make a big difference. If you want to stand out, here’s what actually catches a recruiter’s eye in the middle of a sea of resumes: 🔹 Tell me what the company does. You worked at "X Corp"? Cool — but I don’t know every company on Earth. A single line like “SaaS company focused on AI-powered logistics” helps me immediately understand the context of your role. 🔹 Stick to the classic format. There’s a reason the traditional resume layout still dominates. Don’t get “creative” with colors, shapes, or 3-column designs. I’m not hiring a graphic designer (unless I am). Keep it simple, clean, and scannable. 🔹 Give me numbers. “Improved efficiency” sounds fine, but “Reduced processing time by 28%” gives me a reason to believe you’re effective. Quantifiables always beat adjectives. 🔹 Tailor your resume to the job. Generic resumes get generic results. A brief, targeted summary at the top — aligned to the role — sets the tone. 🔹 Make your LinkedIn match. If your resume catches my eye, your profile is the next stop. Make sure it’s updated, aligned, and includes a headline that reflects what you actually do. Most of all? 🔸 Help me help you. The clearer your story, the easier it is to advocate for you. And that’s all most recruiters really want — a reason to move you forward.

Here’s what recruiters at Google or Meta actually look at when they open your resume. Recruiters only spend 7-10 seconds on a resume, so they don't read line by line. They scanning. Most recruiters (and hiring managers) follow what’s called an F-pattern. That means their eyes go: - Across the top  -Down the left side  -Across the first few bullets - Then they look for numbers That’s it. So what are they really seeing? 1. Your most recent title Does it match the level they’re hiring for? 2. Company names Not for prestige, but for context. It tells them what scale you’ve operated at. 3. Dates Are you progressing or stagnating? 4. First 2–3 bullets in your latest role This is critical. Most decisions happen here. 5. Metrics Numbers slow the scan. No numbers? They keep moving. Now look at this resume. Notice how the signal is obvious: 1. Yahoo → Facebook → Visa → PayPal. That progression communicates growth immediately. The most recent role is clearly senior. 2. The first bullets contain quantified outcomes: - +15% lift - 100+ PB scale - 1M users - Multi-million impact You don’t have to dig for impact. It’s visible in seconds. That’s the balance. Experience builds credibility. But placement builds visibility. If your resume: - Hides metrics in paragraph 5 - Uses 6-line bullets - Starts with vague summaries - Lists responsibilities instead of results You’re making recruiters work too hard in a 10-second window. And they won’t. Because attention is limited. Mid-career professionals especially need to understand this: Your resume is not your biography. It’s a signal optimized for a scan. If it doesn’t communicate level, scope, and measurable impact instantly, you don’t get the conversation. P.S. If you’re a mid-career STEM professional and your resume isn’t converting into interviews, DM me. Let’s make sure your strongest signal is impossible to miss in the first 10 seconds. Save this post if you are optimizing your resume. Share this with someone looking for a new role. 

This weekend, I reviewed 32 resumes from job seekers in my LinkedIn network. These weren’t candidates applying to my Comcast roles. They were people who simply needed help…  so I did the reviews on my own time. Here’s what I found: A few were excellent and didn’t need a single edit. (Bravo to each of you 👏) About a dozen needed minor tweaks: clearer accomplishments, stronger summaries, or trimming very old roles that could invite age bias (yes, unfortunately that’s still a thing). The rest? They all had something in common: These job seekers weren’t getting any interviews after months of applying. After 20+ years in recruiting, that’s a big red flag that there’s an issue with the resume itself… not your worth, not your potential. Most of those resumes had the same two problems: 🔎 Problem #1: No profile summary or a generic objective Many resumes jumped straight into experience or had an objective like: "Seeking a challenging position where I can utilize my skills…” In today’s market, that’s not helping you. Your profile summary is the cover letter of the 3rd millennium. It’s the first place a recruiter’s eyes land. It should: Tell me who you are. Highlight what you do best. Point to the value you bring. Think: 3–5 hard-hitting lines that make me want to keep reading. “Senior Sales Leader with 8+ years driving multimillion-dollar growth in B2B telecom. Known for turning underperforming territories into top producers through data-driven strategy, coaching, and relationship-building.” That kind of summary gets my attention. 📄 Problem #2: The resume read like a job description If your bullets look like they were copy/pasted from your posting, you’re not alone, but it’s hurting you. Recruiters don’t just want to know what you were responsible for. We want to know what happened because you were there. Instead of: “Responsible for managing a sales territory and meeting monthly quotas.” Try: “Grew territory revenue by 32% in 12 months by rebuilding the pipeline, re-engaging dormant accounts, and launching targeted outreach campaigns.” See the difference? One sounds like a task. The other sounds like impact. Impact is what gets you to the interview stage. If you’ve been applying for months with no callbacks, please hear this: It doesn’t always mean you’re not qualified. It often means your resume isn’t telling your story in a way that recruiters and hiring managers can quickly see your value. Start by: Adding a clear, compelling profile summary at the top and rewriting your bullets to focus on impact, not duties. Your resume is not a placeholder. It’s your introduction. If this resonated, share it with a friend who’s been stuck in the “no interview” loop and if you’d like more behind-the-scenes tips from a recruiter’s perspective, let me know in the comments. Rooting for all of you! Your Favorite Recruiter

When I open a CV, I don’t start by reading every line. I scan for clarity, structure, and impact. Within the first 10 seconds, I can usually tell whether the candidate has put genuine thought into their presentation. Here’s what instantly catches my eye. 1️⃣ Career Progression (Work Experience) This is where recruiters spend the most time. Clearly show your role titles, company names, and dates. Emphasize growth, promotions, increased responsibilities, or major projects. Focus on achievements, not just duties. (Use numbers and outcomes: “Reduced deployment time by 25%.”) 👉 Why it matters: It shows consistency, reliability, and your ability to take on more complex roles. 2️⃣ Skills Section Include both: Technical skills (tools, frameworks, systems) Soft skills (leadership, problem-solving, communication) 👉 Why it matters: Recruiters often scan this section first to quickly match job requirements. 3️⃣ Achievements / Key Projects Create a separate section or highlight them under each role. Mention specific results, revenue increase, process improvements, cost savings, etc. Use action verbs (Developed, Led, Implemented, Streamlined). 👉 Why it matters: Quantifiable impact makes you memorable. 4️⃣ Education & Certifications Especially important in tech and managerial roles. Include recent or relevant certifications (AWS, PMP, Scrum Master, etc.) For experienced professionals, keep it short and relevant. 👉 Why it matters: Shows continuous learning and credibility in your domain. 5️⃣ Formatting & Readability A clean, modern layout = instant credibility. Stick to 1–2 fonts, consistent spacing, and bullet points. Avoid clutter, images, and long paragraphs. Save as PDF (unless the company asks otherwise). 👉 Why it matters: Recruiters judge professionalism within seconds, a clean format shows you value presentation and detail. #RecruiterInsights #CareerTips #CVTips #JobSearch #Recruitment #Hiring #CareerGrowth #LinkedInCommunity #JobSeekers

An insider look at what hiring managers (and ATS systems) are REALLY looking for in your resume 👀: After years in Talent Acquisition, I can tell you — it’s not about having the fanciest format or the most buzzwords. Here’s what actually matters: 🔹 Clear Relevance Hiring managers spend seconds skimming resumes. If they can’t quickly connect your experience to the role they’re hiring for, they’ll move on. Tailoring your resume isn’t optional — it’s critical. 🔹 Impact Over Activity We’re not just looking for what you did — we want to know how well you did it. "Led a team of 5 to deliver a project 3 weeks early" > "Responsible for project management." 🔹 Keywords Matter (Especially for ATS) Many companies use applicant tracking systems to pre-screen resumes. If your resume doesn’t echo the language of the job posting, it might never even reach human eyes. 🔹 Simple, Clean Formatting Forget the graphics-heavy templates. ATS systems can’t read fancy designs well. Stick to clean fonts, logical sections, and traditional formats. 🔹 Growth and Progression Hiring managers love to see a story of development: promotions, expanded responsibilities, bigger projects over time. Your resume should quietly tell that story without you having to say it outright. ✨ Bottom line: Your resume isn’t just a document — it’s a marketing tool. It should make someone WANT to learn more about you. If you want to get past the robots and impress the humans, keep it relevant, impactful, and easy to read. Curious: What’s one question you wish you could ask a recruiter about resumes? Drop it below — happy to answer a few! 👇 #TalentAcquisition #HiringTips #ResumeAdvice #CareerGrowth #ATS #JobSearchStrategy

I’ve been a recruiter at Amazon, Microsoft, and TikTok. Here’s what I looked for in the first 10 seconds of a resume. Yes, 10 seconds. Sometimes less. Not because I didn’t care. But because I was screening hundreds of resumes a day. And at that volume, your resume doesn’t get read. it gets scanned. Here’s what made me pause vs. pass: 1. A sharp, clear headline Good: → “Software Engineer | Java + Spring Boot | 5 YOE | Ex-Accenture” Pass: → “Aspiring tech enthusiast seeking challenging opportunities” The headline needs to answer: Who are you, and what do you bring to the table fast. 2. A focused summary (3–4 lines max) No vague buzzwords. Just context + credibility. Good: “5 years of backend experience building microservices using Java and Spring Boot. Scaled systems for 2M+ users. Ex-Infosys. MS in CS (Canada).” Pass: “Hardworking and passionate individual looking for growth in a dynamic environment.” If your summary sounds like everyone else’s, it’s a wasted opportunity. 3. Impact-first bullets (not job duties) I don’t need a diary of your day. I need to know what changed because you were there. Good: “Reduced API latency by 40% using async handlers and caching.” Pass: “Worked on REST API development and integration.” Make me see value in every line. 4. Clean formatting Simple fonts. Consistent spacing. No text boxes, graphics, or Canva templates. Your resume should be a .pdf file, easy to skim, and ATS-safe. If I had to squint, scroll, or decipher, I moved on. 5. Immediate alignment with the job Did you tailor it? Or are you sending the same resume to 200 jobs? I looked for relevant tools, keywords, and context that match the role. Generic = invisible. Aligned = shortlisted Final truth: I wasn’t looking for perfection. I was looking for a signal. If I found it in the first 10 seconds, I kept reading. If not, I moved on. And that’s why great candidates often get rejected, not because they lack skill, but because their resume doesn’t reflect it fast enough. If you're not hearing from hiring managers, maybe it's your resume that needs to be fixed. P.S. Follow Shreya Mehta 🚀 if you are a job seeker in the U.S. I talk about job search, interview prep, and salary negotiation to help you land your next role.