At Maureen McCullough LLC, we have a firm rule in place when we prepare client’s resumes. This firm rule is part of our core company values on providing our resume clients with the absolute best possible chance of landing the job of their dreams or taking their career to the next level.
We DO NOT provide you with a pretty, stylish resume template! We provide you with an extremely detailed and well crafted traditional, reverse chronological order resume done in a simple straightforward style.
Included are clear and concise sections such as the Summary, Skills, Accomplishments (if appropriate for your career level), Professional Experience, Certifications and Licenses and Education.
Our very carefully crafted resumes comply with and are completely compatible with the ATS systems that companies use when screening applicants. ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System which is used by the majority of companies and hiring teams today.
Our simple, streamlined and straightforward approach to crafting your resume is explained below.
Your Value Proposition – What Do You Actually Bring to the Table?
We reconstruct your resume from the ground up as a rule – either it has not been updated in a very long time, or it is out of date / out of sync with today’s employment and career demands.
Just like in real estate, we knock your resume down to the studs and rebuild, creating a document that appropriately highlights your own amazing skills, qualifications and contributions.
Hiring teams evaluate your career history (your resume) to evaluate if you are results driven, if you are a problem solver and to assess what value you bring to the table and how much of an asset you would be to the company.
We bullet point your accomplishments in order of greatest priority for each position you have held. Our focus in building your resume highlights your achievements, not your past tasks and duties.
We research keywords from your industry and if applicable, your particular position that you want. We also use leadership action verbs and phrases.
This ensures that your resume will be more than compatible with the ATS screening procedure and will resonate with the hiring team.
Content is king, and no amount of “pretty” elements or bright colors in your resume will get you an interview or a job. Hiring teams are not impressed with your resume being just another pretty face. To land the position that you want, you better have quality substance behind you or you will never get to the actual interview phase.
Ensuring that Your Resume is ATS Compatible –
The ATS software scans and filters resumes prior to any human reviewing them.
If the software system cannot parse the text due to “pretty” elements, (translate: cannot “read” the content) it doesn’t matter what your qualifications are. You will be excluded from consideration. It is that simple.
ATS software likes simple straightforward resume construction with standard headings, simple fonts, and bullet points.
Elements such as images, icons, tables, multiple columns, graphics, and custom fonts cannot be read and will cause your resume to be discarded.
To give our clients the best possible chance, we stick with is ATS compatible.
Human Reading Compatible –
Congratulations! You made it past the first phase and now your resume is actually in the hands of the human hiring team or manager.
Let’s explore what happens now.
Your resume has an initial 5 – 10 seconds to make a good first impression.
As humans, we do not get in there deep and dirty and read every single word or line of anything, especially initially.
We scan the document, whatever it may be, to see if there are particular points which pique our interest. If so, we then go back and peruse it in more detail.
Hiring staff scan your resume for relevant points such as job titles, time spent on the job (from and to dates), and focused bullet points outlining your skill and accomplishments.
If any of that information has to be hunted for within the document, that’s the end of the road for your resume. Recruiters do not have time to go on a fishing expedition. End of story.
Pretty templates do not allow for role customization and relevancy as they are locked in by looks, not substance.
Role Customization and Industry Standards –
Professionally prepared resumes are extremely customizable, which can be a life saver as far as prioritizing skills, experience and accomplishments.
We ensure that your resume is carefully crafted to focus on your unique relevant skills, accomplishments, and qualifications.
Creative designs are perceived in the hiring world as unprofessional and distracting, both for the ATS software and for the human readers.
This is why we stick to a simple, straightforward, easily readable format.
After all, once your resume is in front of the hiring team, you want them to be able to focus on your achievements and expertise and set up an interview with you. End goal: land the job!