While watching Avengers, has it ever occurred to you what was going through the mind of Natasha Romanoff when Nick Fury handed her the duty of assessing how suitable Tony Stark would be for the Avengers team? Though she initially rejected Stark to be part of the Avengers initiative due to Stark’s ailing heart condition, it was only his iron shield that proved beneficial to Natasha and made her change her mind. Therefore, be it the great Avengers recruiter, Black Widow, or be it our everyday company recruiters, it must be remembered that it does not take much to be rejected, unless you can highlight that special capability you have over other candidates.

Now, the recruitment business is highly competitive and time-sensitive. There’s tough internal competition for each open position, and selecting the correct resume and prequalifying them with minimum fuss is vital. Due to the highly competitive nature of the job, recruiters follow certain guidelines to expedite this process. Remember that recruiters are also humans. Here’s what you can avoid in your resume to make their job a wee bit easier, thereby exponentially increasing your own chances to get the right call!

Misleading Headers: Online portals allow you to upload resumes with headers. Now, “MBA grad, looking for corporate offers only” will catch fewer eyes than “MBA in Finance, Corporate offers preferred”. The later nails the outline in fewer words! Headings like “Resume of Ramesh” or “Curriculum Vitae” are redundant – since you are looking for job, it would obviously be your resume.

Formatting (Or the Lack of It): Recruiters send the prequalified resumes to clients or higher management for the next step following certain standard formatting protocol. If your resume is improperly formatted, the recruiter has to redo it and in process lose precious time, pushing you back in the competitive run. And if, by chance, there’s an equally qualified resume, with impeccable formatting, you will be forgotten in no time.

False Information: This, you cannot afford if you are serious about your job search. You would be caught eventually, and irk the recruiter who would’ve wasted time flogging a dead horse. Recruiters have their own networks, and you wouldn’t want your name popping up for all the wrong reasons.

ms and Jargons: Majority of the recruiters are non-technical people and are just doing the screening. You might be rightly qualified for a position, but if the recruiter doesn’t understand that by going through your resume, YOU miss the opportunity. Avoid highly technical terminology, or do add an explanatory note to it.

Fairy Tales: Recruiters are interested only in your achievements and skill sets and whether they comply with the job description. They screen hundreds of resumes a day and don’t have time for how many siblings you have or how hardworking your dad is. None of the stories make the final cut when resumes are processed for the next step.

How do you feel calling any Customer Care number, desperately trying to reach an executive who can solve your problem? How do you feel when you have to go through unending IVR menus, unnecessarily delaying the process? Irritated, impatient, at the end of your wits –right? The same emotions work between your resume and the recruiters scanning it. You might prepare an elaborate resume, showcasing every achievement, including what books you read or what form of dance you excel at; but it’s critical to refrain from making the above mistakes, if you don’t want your achievements to end up in the trash can, or worse, a shredder!