We all know by now how important first impressions are. When it comes to applying for new jobs, your first impression doesn’t even involve your whole self, but rather the self you choose to put on paper via your resume. It’s incredibly important to make sure your resume is up to snuff and translates you in the best possible manner; after all, the resume is what determines if you get a phone call or email for follow-ups. Here are four resume requirements that can be the difference between ending up in the yes pile and the no pile.

Professional Email Address

No respectable HR department wants to reach out to honeybooboo22@aol.com. Anytime you are corresponding professionally, do so from an email address that doesn’t reek of your middle school AOL instant messenger days. It might seem crazy that something so inconsequential can say so much about you, but your email address conveys your professionalism and seriousness immediately. Keep it standard and simple so as to not raise any questions or concerns about your intentions. It can also be helpful to assess the domain you are sending emails from. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t use a current work address to apply for a new job.

Contact Info

It’s such an obvious section to include that sometimes it’s easy to miss altogether. Include your name, email, phone number (just one, not multiple) and a website if applicable. It can also be a strong strategy to include your LinkedIn URL; just make sure you make a vanity URL with your name rather than including the default profile URL that is nonsensical numbers. Contact info shouldn’t be buried at the bottom of your resume, either. After all, the goal of the resume is to move you further along the hiring process. Don’t make it difficult for recruiters to contact you if you make it past the first round.

Keywords From Job Posting

There are multiple advantages behind including keywords from the job posting in your resume. If you are applying via a resume software system, the algorithms are many times crawling your resume for these specific keywords. That’s how the software can figure out if you will be a good fit without needing the intelligence of a human. Placing keywords strategically can alert the algorithm that your experience matches what the job calls for. If a human is reading your resume, using specific keywords can show that you read the job posting closely and thought how its requirements sync up with what you have already accomplished and what you can bring to the table.

Quantifiable Accomplishments

All resumes should showcase accomplishments. They do a better job of illustrating your work history than simply writing out what your past jobs entailed. However, it can be beneficial to go the extra mile and package them in a way so that they are quantifiable. Rather than stating you increased profits, show exactly how much you raised profits. Quantifiable accomplishments plainly show the value you can bring to an organization based on the value you have brought to past positions.

Burchard & Associates is an executive search firm specialized in accounting and finance recruiting across all business sectors, including manufacturing, retail, wholesale/distribution, healthcare, financial services, and more.

If you’re searching for a new position in accounting or finance, be sure to check out the latest job postings on our website and LinkedIn.