How do hundreds of resumes representing applicants for a single position get whittled down to a handful of viable prospects?

Recruiters occasionally run ads, so I'll use myself as an example to give you an "insider's look" at the process.

Say I've got a pile of resumes to review; it's maybe two or three inches thick. How long do you think it's going to take me to accomplish this task?

The truth of the matter is...not long. Certainly no more than 30 minutes - probably less.

The first pass is a scan. Here's what happens:

-Spelling or grammatical errors get an automatic routing to the reject pile.

-Small font which makes for difficult reading - out.

-Resumes that open with weak objective statements - out. (By the way, by their very nature, most objective statements are weak.)

-Functional format – set to the side...probably out. Only if I can't come up with a handful of possibilities from the rest of the stack will these get another look.

-Cover letters with weak, canned openings (i.e. "It is with pleasure that I enclose my resume for your consideration...") are out along with the corresponding resumes, which I don't need to review.

-If the resume is missing a cover letter, it goes to the side - just like those functional format resumes.

Quickly, I've whittled the pile down substantially - without reading anything in detail.

Now I review more closely those resumes that made it through the first pass, though this is still not a close read.

What am I looking for? I need to quickly get a feel for the caliber of the candidate. If the cover letter is strong, it's going to tee up the resume; I'll be intrigued and interested to scan it. On the resume itself, I'll be looking for a compelling career/experience summary, I'll review company names and job titles (which should be readily apparent), career progression (it should be obvious), and I'll want to see salient career highlights. I'll also be scanning for educational credentials.

From here, if I'm lucky, I'll end up with a manageable pool which I'll read in detail. Then I'll narrow it down to a handful who will receive a telephone call.

Mission accomplished.

Did I exclude some candidates who might have been qualified? Probably. Even so, I ended up with a pool of candidates who looked good on paper – and who knew how to get through the first hurdle. Qualifications alone don't guarantee success. There are a lot of well qualified people who make big mistakes with their submission materials...so those materials don't get more than a passing glance.

The well qualified individual is not automatically the best candidate.

So... are you confident your cover letter and resume represent one of the best candidates?

The hiring manager isn't going to give you a pass for careless errors; she's not going to try to decipher your work history if it's unclear; she's not going to overlook a weak cover letter. She's got plenty of other candidates to choose from who didn't make those mistakes.

Past that, you have to know how to get your salient points across succinctly and effectively. You won't get a call if you don't.

Think about this as you're reviewing your resume and getting it ready to submit it in response to an ad. How's it going to perform?

Rebecca Metschke is the author of The Interview Edge, a comprehensive guide for those who are serious about their careers. Visit http://blog.theinterviewedge.com/ for free tips and strategies to gain a professional advantage.