What hiring managers are looking for on a résumé

A résumé is often the first point of contact to make a lasting impression for a jobseeker. Its importance should not be understated. With that in mind, it can be beneficial to understand what a hiring manager is looking for when sorting through a résumé.

Job postings have been steadily falling in recent times as talent shortages ease and as employers slow down on the hiring boom that was recently much more prevalent. In fact, a study by Indeed revealed that across Australia, postings are down 31 per cent from their peak.

There are still some niche areas that are popular among hiring managers looking to fill specific positions. In Australia, the most popular search terms on Indeed’s platform were:

1. Childcare (3.0 per cent)
2. Sales (2.4 per cent)
3. Mechanic (1.9 per cent)
4. Physiotherapist (1.9 per cent)
5. General practitioner (1.8 per cent)

It’s not surprising to see healthcare-related skills top the list, as Indeed noted that the healthcare industry has been Australia’s fastest growing since the pandemic began. Conversely, it has also become the industry with the highest number of job vacancies.

Talent shortages have reportedly crippled the Australian healthcare industry, with rural areas being hit hardest. This is largely due to burnout, which has affected many professionals, especially in the wake of the pandemic, where it was all hands on deck for a couple of years.

Also making the list was chef and cook skills, which Indeed links to critical shortages across the hospitality industry.

To put this data into a global perspective, other countries showed slightly varied results. In the US, registered nurse (4.1 per cent), sales (3.3 per cent), and nurse (2.9 per cent) topped the skills search list.

Meanwhile, in the UK, nurse (6.9 per cent), sales (3.8 per cent), and chef and cook (3.6 per cent) topped the list. Lastly, in Canada, sales (3.6 per cent), millwright (2.6 per cent), and mechanic (2.5 per cent) were the most searched.

With healthcare also dominating the global search results, it’s clear that healthcare troubles aren’t just a domestic issue.

To help combat skills shortages, many organisations are searching overseas for talent. In Australia, 78.9 per cent of searches were domestic. However, 10.6 per cent searched for candidates in the US, 4.2 per cent in Canada, 1.3 per cent in the UK, and 0.5 per cent in New Zealand.

By comparison, countries also scoped out potential candidates in Australia, with Sri Lanka (7.7 per cent), the Philippines (7.1 per cent), India (5.8 per cent), and the US (3.9 per cent) being the most popular countries looking to hire Aussie workers.