Learn what recruiters look for in a resume—from green flags that get you hired to red flags to avoid. Real tips from a Spherion staffing recruiter on what makes a good resume.

Here's the thing: Recruiters spend about 7.4 seconds (really!) on an initial resume scan. In those seconds, recruiters are looking for early indicators that you can do the job. And oftentimes, the difference between a resume that earns a phone call and one that gets passed over comes down to a detail that’s smaller than you'd think.

I'm Kristen, and I've been working at a local Spherion office for three years. In that time, I've reviewed more resumes than I can count, made a lot of phone calls, and helped a lot of people land jobs they're proud of. I've also seen the same resume mistakes show up again and again, and these fixable mistakes are what keep great candidates from getting called back. So here's what I'd tell a friend sitting across the table from me who was looking for real staffing agency resume advice on how to stand out in a competitive market.

Green flags that make us pick up the phone

These are the things that stop us mid-scroll and make us reach for the phone (or our laptop). When a resume hits these marks, the decision to call or email is easy, and it’s made within seconds.

Clear, relevant experience

Within the first few seconds, we're asking “does this person's background match what we're hiring for?” Job titles that align with the role, a career history that shows forward movement (not necessarily in a straight line, but trending upward), and recent, relevant experience listed at the top. These all signal that you're worth a closer look.

Results, not just responsibilities

"Responsible for sales" tells us almost nothing. "Increased sales by 30% over six months" tells us a lot. Numbers catch our attention fast. Think about the outcomes you drove: reduced processing time, improved accuracy rates, managed a team of X people. Action verbs that put you at the center of the work—led, built, improved, launched—are much stronger than passive descriptions of what your job involves.

Clean, easy-to-read formatting

If we have to hunt for your contact information or parse through walls of text to find your work history, that's a friction point. Consistent fonts, clear spacing, and a logical structure make the job easier for us, and that reflects well on you. Make it easy to find what we need quickly!

Relevant keywords used naturally

We're not robots scanning for exact phrases, but we do notice when a skills section aligns with the job posting. Industry-specific terms, software and tools you're proficient with, certifications or licenses should be easy to spot. Just don't overdo it. Keyword stuffing reads as oddly as it sounds.

Professional presentation throughout

A professional email address matters more than people realize. (Please don’t send over a resume from partygirl88@email.com!) LinkedIn profiles (with a current headshot and work history) are a plus. No typos in the first few lines. Dates that make sense. These things seem small, but they signal that you take your job search seriously and that you'll bring that same care to your work.

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