CNN Interview of firstPRO CEO April Nagel on ‘Avoiding the Resume Abyss’

April Nagel, CEO of firstPRO, was interviewed by CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on how job applicants in a down market can avoid the “resume abyss.”

With employers still receiving more resumes than normal, many candidates feel as if their resumes and applications are going unnoticed. To limit this, resumes must stand out, Nagel said. Nagel gave viewers key tips, including:

Tailor each resume for each job.

Make it easy for hiring managers by giving them a nickname for difficult-to-pronounce names.

Use industry-specific “buzz” words in resumes, as some companies use screening software. 

Use results-oriented action words such as “achieved” rather than non results-oriented words such as “managed.”

Nagel also took questions from viewers.