Blog Post: How to make the title of your resume stand out to Recruiters

And no it's not by using a silly or vague title. This is a really serious topic. Job seekers tell me all the time that they submit their resume online and never hear a word back.. Frustrating to say the least. Usually, I give tips on how to change up your resume - but I was recently perusing our site looking at resumes and I found several with very odd or ambiguous titles... THE FIRST THING A HIRING MANAGER SEES! So I thought this topic worth a note.

Like your online presence, your cover letter and the resume itself - you have to be aware of what it says about you at a passing glance. And nothing could more important than the title. Remember the person who receives it may not be the ultimate decision maker, they may be having a bad day, they be juggling 50 other tasks... Whatever... So you want to make everything about the process is as easy and efficient as possible for the other person.

Think of the title like your first opportunity to make a great impression - remember the old adage: "you only get one chance to make a great FIRST impression. Well same goes with your online title. The title should be relevant to the job and/or name the job you are applying to. Read the job title and description from the employer job posting and use that as your guide. If you are going to add something else, make sure the job title is in there as well. Let's say an employer is looking for a skilled Machinist who has completed a certificate program. Instead of writing: "Best Candidate" or "Right Person for the Job" or abbreviating the certificate name, write out.:"6 years experience as a skilled machinist with XYZ certificate." Or Excellent candidate for skilled machinist" You get the idea.

The last thing you want to do is try to be too clever or funny. You never know the frame of mind of the person receiving it, so always err on the side of caution. Just so you know, when employers pull up a bulk of resumes the first and only thing they see is the title. So you are competing with lots of other job seekers right from the get go... So you don't want to do anything that may inadvertently push you out of the running. Tune in later this week for more on how employers use our site to find you and what you can do the stack the cards in your favor. Hope this helps... Now go get a job! :)