6 Resume Tricks to Beat the 6-Second Rule

6 Resume Tricks to Beat the 6-Second Rule By now you’ve certainly heard some of the ridiculous job search  stats  that are being thrown around. Yet, none are as silly as the claim that  recruiters only spend 6 seconds on a resume before they decide  whether or not to trash it.  Job seekers have been led to believe that all the hard work they put into  their resume and their chances of getting an interview rest on a mere 6  seconds. With a stat like that, how can anyone feel hopeful about the job  search?  Resume Genius decided to give some  hope back to job seekers  and  put this resume  myth to bed but how? More than 9,000 participants (average Joes AND experienced  recruiters) completed a challenge, whereby different resumes were to be judged as good or bad in just 6 seconds. The results are compiled in the  infograpahic below. What do they tell us?    The success rate  hovered around just 50% for both cohorts not very promising! So although the 6-second rule, or myth, has now been debunked, we cant become complacent with our resumes. It doesnt mean hiring managers and recruiters won’t stop  making judgements about a resume as soon as they lay their eyes on it. The experiment also concludes that  you increase your chances of getting your resume past the  first 6 seconds of judgment by 25% simply by making  it  aesthetically pleasing and well-formatted!   Here are some top tips on how you can make a strong first impression with yours: 1. Apply Proportional Margins Most job seekers don’t play around with the margins of their resume,  but a few minor tweaks could really improve its readability. One-inch  margins are usually the safe choice for most resumes as they help keep  the length of the lines of text short and skimmable. 2. Maintain a balanced white space to text ratio This point is directly related to your resume’s margins. “White space” is  another overlooked aspect of the resume. Too much white space makes  a resume look desolate and can give the impression that the applicant  lacks experience.  On the other hand, a resume with too little white space can appear too  crowded and leave recruiters feeing claustraphobic. Therefore, it’s  important to find a happy medium between text and white space on the  page. 3. Use an easy-to-read font When choosing the right font for your resume, aim for one that is  scannable and not distracting. Some applicants disregard these goals  and try to get too creative with their fonts. Sure, this may help them  stand out from the competition, but for all the wrong reasons.  Don’t choose a font that will distract recruiters from what’s actually  important â€" your skills and experience. Instead, choose a font that will  add a subtle hint of style while maintaining your resume’s readability.  Fonts like Calibri, Helvetica, Garamond, and Bookman Old Style are all  appropriate choices. 4. Make sure all your bullet points are evenly aligned Although this tip sounds like common sense, uneven bullet points is an  issue that recruiters see way too often. Before sending out your resume,be sure to double check that all your headings, subheadings, and bullet  points are evenly aligned. Otherwise, you will give the impression that  you are a sloppy individual that doesn’t pay attention to detail. 5. Use lines to break up the text Adding horizontal lines is an easy way to improve your resume’s  readability. Lines cue recruiters to pause momentarily and process the  information they just finished reading. 6. Add a bit of color Deciding whether you add color to your resume really depends on the  job or company you are applying to. If you are applying for a position at  a conservative company, it’s probably safer to go with the traditional  white and black.  However if you the job you applying to is in a more creative industry,  then you should definitely make use of a subtle color scheme. It’s best to  stick with primary colors and avoid any bright or neon variations. To sum it all up, job seekers no longer need to fear the first 6 seconds  that a hiring manager or recruiter spends on a resume. With an  aesthetic and properly formatted resume, your chances of getting past  the first 6 seconds are significantly higher. About the author:  Erik “EPIC” Episcopo is a career adviser and hiring manager at Resume  Genius.   Image credit: Shutterstock