The concept of resumes might seem difficult to grasp at times. After all, you’re set with the task of conveying all of your life’s accomplishments and skills in a single sheet of paper. Creating a good resume is an essential skill necessary to be successful in the workforce. A good resume can be the difference between getting your dream job or not. In this blog, we will demonstrate some tips on how to improve your resume.
How to Improve Your Resume
Make Your Resume Stand Out
Recruiters have the task of going through countless number of resumes, so it is crucial that yours stands out from the pack. This doesn’t mean to have exotic fonts or arrangements, but it should convey your accomplishments and skills in an order that could be best perceived by the reader. Here are some tips that could help make your resume stand out:
Tailor Your Resume
Tailor your resume to the specific role you are applying for. Make sure that you are emphasizing the skills and experiences that are most relevant for the position you look to apply to. Completely read and understand the job you are applying for and make it clear in your resume why you are applying.
Use Keywords
Most companies and recruiters now use keywords to find the qualified candidates. If you don’t use the correct ones, your resume can be left out by the electronic applicant tracking systems. To help you find the best keywords, try looking into online job postings and the company website.
Proofread
Proofread it and ensure that there are absolutely no errors Read it line by line, read it backwards and read it aloud until you are absolutely sure that there are no errors. Mistakes whether big or small can have a significant impact on the recruiter’s decision. A simple mistake can make it seem like you are not actually “Detail Oriented” or that you are a “Perfectionist” and can lead to the difference between getting a call back or not.
Be Professional
Use a profesional format that is easy to read. Recruiters and hiring managers can see straight through the fancy fonts and colors. They want to get straight to the point so make sure you have a profesional format that is easy to read and pleasing to the eye.
Bullet Points
Use bullet points not paragraphs. Be aware that recruiters have a lot of other resumes to look at, so make your information concise and to the point, nobody wants to read a long paragraph that could have easily been summarized in a bullet point or two.
Quantify
Quantify your previous accomplishments by using metrics. Don’t just put your previous job responsibilities but explain how well you did in them. For example: All Basketball players have the responsibility to put the ball in the basket, but the things that really differentiate them is how often they do that and how good they are at doing that. Use numbers to show how you excelled in your previous jobs and how it can lead to success in this new job.
Have a Cover Letter
Add a cover letter to set yourself apart. Almost half of recruiters said specifically that a cover letter can set your resume apart from the others. Cover letter let you show your personality and build a rapport. The only time you should not write a cover letter is when the job you’re applying to specifically says not too. In any other scenario it can provide you with an extra edge, so why not spend a little extra time on the cover letter if it may mean you increase your likelihood of getting a callback.
Hyperlink
If the application is online, add hyperlinks to your online profiles. This will make it easier for them by linking your profiles such as your LinkedIn, your personal website, or your blog. However, if the resume is online, making it a hyperlink can immediately send them to the designated website within seconds. Make sure you also tune up your websites before that.
Things That Shouldn’t Be On Your Resume
When you upload a resume, you are competing with numerous other people for the hiring managers attention. While there are many ways to make your resume more noticeable, there are certainly ways to make it look inferior. There are various steps and measures that you can take to prevent your resume from appearing substandard.
Here are several key things you shouldn’t put on your resume, including the following:
- Long essay style paragraphs
- Hobbies
- Low GPA
- Photos
- High school info
- Compensation history
- Criminal record
- Obvious skills
- Text effects
Also, don’t post in a Word document. The formatting may be different depending on how views it. Save your resume as a PDF.
What Recruiters Look For
According to a poll made by CareerBuilder, recruiters said would make them pay more attention to certain resumes :
- Tailored to their position: 61%
- Cover letter: 49%
- Addressed to the hiring manager or recruiter by name: 26%
- Hyperlinks to the applicant’s online portfolio, blog, or website: 21%
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