Job-hunters spend hours, if not days or weeks, honing their resumes to a fine point. They’re hopeful that their tweaks and optimizations will do just enough to grab the attention of job recruiters and managers. But much of that work may be in vain, because resumes often only get a few seconds to do their jobs before they’re dismissed.

Citing a study by TheLadders (PDF), Business Insider says the powers that be burn through your resume at top speed, pausing only to check out your name, info involving your current position, your previous job and education. Busybody hiring types tend to skip through that nonsense about your experience and responsibilities, focusing only on your starting and ending dates.

You should be so lucky to get your resume some face time with an actual person. Some employers use programs that scan resumes for key words, disregarding others that lack what they’re looking for.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t work hard on making your resume look good. But you’re probably better off spending your time making contacts, creating work that sells you as an employee and maybe hounding power brokers for letters of recommendation.

What Recruiters Look At During The 6 Seconds They Spend On Your Resume [Business Insider]

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