How to optimize your resume for the 10-second skim

With recruiters spending an average of 10 seconds on an initial scan of your resume, it’s crucial that you are able to capture their attention quickly

1. Break the information up

Format your resume in the following way if you want to ensure that recruiters can easily find your important skills and knowledge:

Divide all sections clearly with bold headings and borders to make navigation easy

Ensure that your resume profile is only a few short paragraphs

Use 1-line bullet points to describe your responsibilities and achievements

Use a simple clean font consistently throughout your resume

2. Your resume under two pages

Some recruiters will receive hundreds of job applications every day, so they don’t have time to read lengthy resumes. If you want to ensure that your resume can be skimmed in 10 seconds, then it needs to be two pages or less. 

3. Optimize your top quarter

The top quarter is the part of your resume that is first visible when somebody opens it. For this reason, it’s really important that it contains all of the essential role requirements for the jobs you are applying to.

4. Cut down irrelevant information

The details you omit from your resume can be just as important as the information you include. If you have large sections of your resume being filled up with skills and knowledge that are not needed in the roles you are 

applying for, relevant talent and skills will get lost in the shuffle.