The Scientific Version of your resume getting a interview - Laura Hoff, Scientific Recruiter at VERUM Staffing
Order of your Resume:
The order in which you lay out your resume can also affect your chances. In our prior resume articles we went over the basic parts of the resume, but we will give a basic “order of go” here. The order you should place your resume in is as follows: Heading/Contact Info, Objective (if you choose to include it), Education, Relevant Skills/Coursework, Employment/Research/Other Employment, and “Filler” (fillers include professional memberships/certifications, awards, and relevant presentations/publications, patents). Keeping your resume in this order gives the company or recruiter the best chance to find the important information quickly and easily. If you have held a position in industry, your experience may be included before the skills section. For a recent college graduate, the skills section should generally come first, unless you have held a full or part time relevant job or internship while attending school.
No of Pages in a Resume:
A standard rule for resume length is as follows: for 1-3 years of experience use one page, for 3-5 years use two pages, and for 5+ years it’s ok to use three pages. As we stated in our previous article, if you have information you feel is critical for the company to know…include it. But be sure that the information is relevant and highlights only the major skills or duties of that position.
Spelling and Grammar:
Another very common reason resumes may get thrown out is if they contain too many grammar or spelling errors. There are few things more damaging than mentioning that you “have strong attention to detail,” only to have multiple errors in your resume. Most scientific positions will involve state or federal regulations that must be followed to a T. If you can’t or won’t double check your own work in your resume, it doesn’t leave the employer with a great impression of how well you would pay attention to small details on the job!
Dates of Employment:
The final piece of the puzzle we’ll discuss in this article are the dates of employment on your resume. Dates that are missing, unclear, or out of date entirely will look at best like messy work on your part, and at worst like you are trying to hide something. Your dates of employment should be clear (month and year), and any large gaps between employment should be addressed (ie. If you were not working for a few months in order to travel, or tend to a family emergency, a short sentence on your resume can explain this).
Updated Resume:
Remember to keep your resume updated not only on your computer, but any job boards you may have your resume on as well. For example, if you have your resume on a job board, but do not update it in a year, it sends a few messages to recruiters or companies looking at your resume. First, you may have missed some new role or job you have recently assumed, so they have no idea if you are still at the company listed as your most recent employer. And second, if you are not updating on a regular basis you may look like an uninterested job seeker who can’t be bothered too much with the search.
The most important piece of advice to take away from this article, is that your resume is a reflection of you as a candidate. Whether your resume if professional, up-to-date, and relevant leaves a recruiter or company with a much more positive view of you as a candidate. A resume that is colorful, outdated, and generic won’t leave nearly such a good impression. Remember that as a job seeker, your primary job is getting the job! Let recruiters and companies see you as a quality candidate by putting effort and polish into your resume. Good luck!
Inspired and extracted from https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140703153747-164720631-why-your-resume-could-be-keeping-you-from-getting-an-interview-the-scientific-version?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_3
