Want to know how much time you have to get the attention of a recruiter? About 10 seconds. That’s right. When a human resources associate has 100 resumes in front of her, you have precious little time to gain her attention.

Below are  five things you should do…

1. Cut the Fat: Yes, remove all the needless (and mindless) jargon so common in resumes. And instead of writing descriptions and accolades about yourself that intelligent people will gloss over (or worse yet, laugh at) tell people what you have done and can do to make their business better. Explain why you fit the job. Don’t bloviate! Keep your resumé to one page.

2. Eliminate the Gaps: That’s right. Don’t try to flim-flam the recruiter by just “forgetting” to list the year you were out of a job, playing in Europe, or bumming off your parents. Explain everything. Be clear. Be concise, Be honest.

3. Think “White Space”: Yes. Write your resume in outline form to say only what is important and give some relief to the reader by having “white space” in between your verbiage. A recruiter will only skim your resume anyway, so don’t you want them to read the really vital things about you?

4. Think “Cover Letter Critical”: Now that you’ve got your resume down to one page with no fluff, no gaps, realize that your cover letter is important (or more important) than your resume. Write a sincere, engaging, impressive cover letter. Make yourself stand out with perfect English that’s to the point, relevant, and poignant.

5. Network Yourself: Get off your back side and get out there and hustle. Connect with people. Make yourself attractive to those who could hire you. Expose your experience and demonstrated knowledge. Volunteer, shadow people, and impress the impressionable.

Do these things and you’ve got a much better shot at landing the job you want.

Tags: Advice, Business Tips, Knowledge, Learning, Personal Development, Reality