Building Your Resume for SEO, Interview Prep, and Professionalism

Resumes are usually the key and, ultimately, the primary gateway to getting hired for a job. However, only some of these resumes make it to the recruiters who determine who gets hired for a job. According to CNBC, around 75 percent of resumes are not read by an actual human but are run through an automated reader. That is why in recent years, many experts have advised job seekers to use keywords and formats which can improve the odds of their resume making it past the automated reader and eventually into the hands of an actual hiring manager.

What should job seekers implement in their resumes, and how can they improve their resumes to stand out?

On an episode of “Hire Education”, host Gabrielle Bejarano was joined by certified corporate trainers at Catapult Solutions Group, Gina Hozumi and Drew Plaza. They discussed the best practices regarding resume creation and securing a job. They both work with clients and their resumes and know the best tools to ensure that resumes get past recruiters’ Applicant Tracking Systems.

Bejarano, Hozumi, and Plaza also discussed:

1. Ensuring that your resume is optimized for automated tools used by recruiters and hiring managers
2. Preparative steps that job seekers should utilize ahead of an interview
3. What job seekers should consider when sending a resume and researching a company

Hozumi, a National Account Manager at Catapult Solutions Group, stated that job seekers should put themselves in the mind of the resume recipient and think of what they might want to know about them to present the best information.

“Never assume that whoever is going to be reading the resume will know what you are doing on a day-to-day, even if it’s pretty standard, because each role can be a little different. Therefore, being as descriptive as you can supplies information that brings a resume out. In addition, it shows the effort put into the resume,” said Hozumi.

In emphasizing the importance of company research, Plaza, a Senior Recruiter at Catapult Solutions Group, added that it shows initiative and effort when a job seeker wants to be more informed about the role and is actively seeking to be.

“Being able to know a little bit about the company may require you to visit the company page. Do you really want the job if you do not visit the page? Because if you were to put yourself in their shoes, if you don’t know anything about the company, why would they want you to work there if you didn’t take the time to gather necessary information?” said Plaza.

Gina Hozumi is a National Account Manager at Catapult Solutions Group and has been with the company for six years. She is also a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Drew Plaza is Senior Recruiter at Catapult Solutions Group and has worked at the company for four years. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas.