Will your résumé pass the 30 seconds scan appeal test?

Here is a lowdown on what happens in the first 30 seconds when an employer takes a first look at your résumé and decides whether or not to hire you.

During the first 5 seconds…

• Visual impact is more important than wording.

• Your resume must be visually pleasing with a good balance of text and white space.

• Use pleasing variety of visual elements heading sizes, bold, italic, bullets, etc.

• Information should be presented in a clear and consistent format. 

• Highlight key points in bulleted list.

During the first 10 seconds…

• The employer’s focus is on the top half of the first page.

• He/she scans quickly for information that helps him conclude you are the best match for the job at hand.

• Start your resume with a headline and an effective summary section. The headline (typically stating an ‘objective’) declares in one or two lines the essence of who you are and what you are seeking.

• The summary section uses bullets and succinct wording 

• First make a list of the 5 to 10 criteria that are most likely to guide the employer's choice

• Summarize your qualifications that will directly answer the employer's interests.

During the first 15 seconds…

• The employer is keen to find some confirmation that you meet the job's requirements

• He/ she looks for supporting evidence for your summary section

• Place information in sections that the reader's eye is most likely to be drawn to

Tools to attract attention:

• Section headings

• Subheadings

• Position titles

• The first one or two sentences immediately under headings and bulleted lists words in bold

• Words in italic and numerals (i.e., numbers that are not spelled out)

• For high impact, an accomplishment (for eg., ‘Supervised a staff of 12’) can be placed on top of a bulleted list

Testing your resume for Scan appeal

Request a few people, who are not very familiar with you, to scan your resume for 30 seconds. Put it aside and ask them to jot down everything they remember.

If the information remembered by them is compelling enough for an employer to hire you, rest assured your resume has passed the crucial scan appeal test with an excellent score.