I offer this story in hopes of uplifting those college graduates who need some inspiration, some confidence, or perhaps a swift kick in the rear.

This is the time of year when a new population of college graduates enters the post-grad professional world, destined to make a living and apply their degree, tee-up grad school, and/or pay off those student loans. Some business school grads have accepted positions by spring break; some biology grads are already targeting the MCAT. How many have their sights set on corporate recruiting?? Well, not a lot. I, however, am still in puppy love with my career after 11 years in the industry (one that’s known for decently-high burnout rates). The funny thing is . . . I didn’t even know corporate recruiting existed when I was in college. I was too busy recording albums with my band and planning on teaching after winning my Grammys. Yet, with a little luck and curiosity, I somehow stumbled upon my dream career.

First, I’ll revert back to a blog I wrote in 2014: “Why I got into recruiting.” That was the “why” . . . this is the “how.”

So, there are basically two most common tracks through which people enter recruiting:(1) Study Human Resources in college and find an entry-level job as an HR Coordinator or HR Assistant and progress from there. Usually this person takes a recruiter seat sometime in their career. Sometimes they stay there, and often times they recruit for a bit and then move into learning & development, training, benefits, generalist work, etc. Many return for their MBA at some point, and move into HR leadership.

(2) Be like me: completely lost after receiving your Liberal Arts degree and once you realize you’re not going to be – let’s say . . . a teacher nor touring rock star – find yourself looking for any employment that pays the bills. (Oftentimes you shack-up back at the old folks’ house for a bit).  Then, you just fall into recruiting.

Here’s the kicker, though: I still HAD to be inquisitive, and proactive. How that happened: Remember when I said I didn’t even know corporate recruiting existed when I was in college? After I helped a Korean student land her dream job through our ESL tutoring sessions, I began to process in my mind that there had to be some career where one could do this fulltime (yet still not knowing that the recruiting industry existed). Then, back in Denver I heard a radio ad for a local job fair, threw on my one suit, and attended at the Denver Convention Center. That was step one: launch myself out of my comfort zone and into reality, all alone. Nervously and somewhat like a deer in headlights, I walked amidst the booths by myself and met a couple admin staffing agencies, most likely repeating “I don’t really know,” when they asked me about my career interests. I eventually worked through them, taking admin jobs that while mundane, still gave me exposure to the corporate working world: data entry, updating content on websites, loan officer assistant (in 2005 just before the sub-prime lending crash…yeesh). I even worked for a major jeweler stocking inventory and handling millions of dollars worth of diamonds and gold a daily basis (yes, that one certainly required a criminal background check). I began to form collaborative relationships with my staffing recruiters, serving as a reliable contractor, checking in with them and reporting back, referring friends and old classmates. I was already networking and I didn’t know it.

Then I did something that will forever set my career track moving forward, and literally define who I am, what I’m passionate about, and how I make a living. I asked one of my recruiters: “Hey, your job seems pretty cool. What’s it all about?” Her response was fully supportive and encouraging of me to go out and explore the recruiting profession. So there I went. I did some research, learned what it was all about, and figured I’d start in campus recruiting. This was a logical starting point given my prior interest in teaching. I applied for some jobs and got my first one in undergraduate campus recruiting for a joint-venture consulting group. From there, I joined more established firms that served Fortune 500s, got some more brands under my belt, moved into talent acquisition, hired more routinely at the executive level, and then started my own direct hire search practice.

Two college grad-themed takeaways from this blog: (1) don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what you’re going to do; and (2) that said, you still MUST be proactive and curious to discover yourself and what’s out there. Then things might just fall into place.

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After years of executive ‘headhunting’ as it’s commonly-known, sitting on in-house selection teams and being the company representative at hundreds of job fairs, I’ve come to a few consistencies for the ever-unique and situational resume review process.

Level 1: Readability and ‘ease on the eye.’

The initial review is often done by a recruiter, who often reads through hundreds of resumes each week. The recruiter’s head: Can I read this easily and extract what I need? Their deeper interpretation: This candidate’s resume is clear and easy to read. They could be an organized individual, well-schooled and professionally-polished; might have a good eye for design and content, perhaps. (Note: Recruiters will also search for certain keywords or software that is specific to the job description, so be sure to include your use of SiteCatalyst, Google Analytics, Eloqua, etc. and make sure those keywords ‘pop’ on the resume).

Level 2: Contents. 

This is the perspective of the recruiter and hiring manager. This is where they interpret your bullet points, your day-to-day task experience and what’s in it for them to interview you. Their heads: What exactly has this candidate done, and how can they impact us? What separates them from the rest? I like the figures and statistics here, and the results depicted here . . . Their deeper interpretation: This candidate showed actual results of business growth and dollars saved. They seem detail-oriented and self-aware because they tracked those figures, and they must be talented to produce those numbers. They seem like they could impact the bottom line of our business. Let’s bring them in.

Level 3: Tone / Writing Style. 

This is usually the perspective of the recruiter at first, with the hiring manager revisiting it during crucial decisions. It can be the make or break factor when selection teams are narrowing down the pool for in-person interviews. Their heads: How were these last two resumes written, and how does that translate to the potential performance of these candidates? Stacy comes from a similar company but her resume was written using soft and generic verbiage. Sophie, on the other hand, could have a more challenging transition into our company, but her resume tone is much stronger. Their deeper interpretation: Since Sophie’s resume is written better, she might be the best for this 3rd interview spot. I sense she could be a stronger writer and verbal communicator, more effective influencer, and overall higher-caliber candidate. I was more sold on Sophie from the resume – let’s bring her in!

Hopefully this gives you, the job seeker, insight into how your resume could be viewed, and how you should approach writing it. Good luck!