Notes on: Using the 'X-Y-Z Formula' on Your Resume Will Better Your Odds of Getting Hired at Google.

'Google Recruiters Say Using the 'X-Y-Z Formula' on Your Resume Will Improve Your Odds of Getting Hired at Google' is an article by Bill Murphy Jr. and was originally published on inc.com.

Alternative: Reverse engineer their advice and improve recruitment at your business.

Google proactively advises candidates on how to get noticed with their application. These are some of the most important resume tips Google recruiters offer, including the simple, a-b-c formula they say applicants should always use. As employers, reverse engineering their tactics could give you some helpful ways to deal with candidates that apply for opportunities with your business.

• Basic formatting. Since Google does not tend to ask for cover letters, a lot of weight is placed on the resume. The key is to keep things simple and ensure your resume is readable. This includes things like:

  • Format your resume for PDF.

  • Skip the objective.

  • Use consistent fonts and sizes and use black text.

  • Check for typos.

  • Use bullet points.

  • Include your contact information.

• Customize your resume for each position. For some technical or engineering roles going on to two pages may be necessary, but for most positions one page is recommended. This means communicating your relevant experience as succinctly as possible. One area to focus on is if you have a bullet point or sentence ends with a line that is only one or two words long, try to shorten it to fit with the previous line.

• Use the X by Y by Z formula when describing your experience. This formulas gets you to focus on accomplishments as measured by quantitative results and the impact you had, or "Accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z." An example of this could be, "Grew revenue for 4 large accounts by 20% YoY by getting referrals and cross selling into other departments within the businesses." Note: only use short hand, like 'YoY', if you are confident the recruiter will know what you are referring to.

• Advanced formatting. Organise your resume in a way that recruiters are expecting it. For students, this means putting education over experience, and including details like your major, GPA, and graduation date, but the more experienced you are, the less about your education you want to highlight and you should go in reverse chronological order with your most recent experience first and your education at the end. For some, they may opt to leave out their graduation year as that might be an indication of age. Beyond this, make sure you cut irrelevant experience and achievements, and older positions if needed to save space.

• Additional advice for technical applicants. Include your GitHub link at the top with your contact information. Make sure your programming languages are listed clearly and state which ones were used for relevant experience and accomplishments.