What an employer looks for first in your resume

Although many who apply for job vacancies never find out why they didn't get it, scientists tried to find the answer on the basis of which employers choose candidates, i.e. what those who look at resumes see first and make decisions based on that.

Dnevnik.hr writes that employers usually need six seconds to assess whether or not someone is a candidate for a job. During that time, they "scan" the resume and rate the candidate, according to a survey by The Ladders magazine, reports Business Insider.

The study included 30 professionals recruiting new employees, and it used the 'eye tracking' technique. Over the course of ten weeks, it was monitored what exactly the professionals first register on the candidate's resume during that time.

In the six seconds they spend reading a CV, they will first look at the name, current position and company, when the candidate started working, the position the candidate was previously employed in, as well as educational information.

The two biographies show a 'gaze tracking' map. One biography was studied in more detail because it was more clearly written, with information listed in order of importance.

Candidates looking for a job are therefore advised to be as clear as possible when writing their resumes and to write information in order of importance, i.e. the least important at the end, and preferably in the order in which professionals register them.