Employers only look at applicants’ resumes for about six seconds. Therefore, you should impress them immediately, but how do you do it? If you’re a job seeker, you can follow the resume writing tips in this article to increase your chances of being scheduled for an interview.
Why a Resume Is Significant
If you’re searching for a job, you should know the importance of your resume. This document is your frontline fighter because it’s the first thing your potential employer sees that represents you as an applicant. Generally, recruiters only give about six seconds to skim each resume. Therefore, you should wow them at the first instant.
A well-written resume stands out, while a weak one gets you out from the list. A professionally-written CV has a good chance of landing an interview. Moreover, it can boost the applicant’s earning potential by as much as seven percent.
Your Resume Can Stand Out with These Writing Tips
You’ll find it challenging to present every qualification and experience in your resume. However, check the tips below to ensure that recruiters give you a second look.
1. Create a concise and direct resume.
Generally, a resume is just a one-page document. However, you may make it longer if you have many work experiences highly applicable to the job you’re applying for or if you have an extensive career. If not, you should include the most relevant and recent job experience.
Many resume services online recommend including only jobs you had for the past ten years. Of course, you can have a shorter time frame if you’re a new entrant to the workforce. You distract recruiters from taking a good look at your relevant experiences if you include unrelated jobs in your resume to make it appear you’re too busy.
2. Use an original template.
If you use an online resume template, you shouldn’t follow it to a T because recruiters value originality. Hiring managers prefer an original template because they want you to expand the standard Microsoft Office templates and make them your own. Moreover, it would help if you formatted it to ensure that the reader can quickly identify your qualifications.
3. Emphasize your relevant experiences and skills.
You should tweak your resume to tailor-fit to the job and ensure you prioritize experiences, qualifications, and skills relevant to the job. For example, if you have any experience or position, you should include only up to four past jobs emphasizing the skills required for the work.
For instance, include only any retail experiences you have if you’re applying for a marketing job and present any interpersonal, branding, or communication skills you gained from them. If you’re shifting industries and don’t have a related work history, you can be creative in presenting your other skills.
4. Use metrics and numbers to show results.
If you include past work experience, you should quantify your successes using metrics highlighting your achievements. This strategy will allow the recruiter to see how you contributed to your past employment.
5. Make a career snapshot.
Experts now suggest not to include an “objective” statement in the resume but instead have a summary or career snapshot. In addition, you should have a branding statement briefly explaining your skills, qualifications, and unique value.
Then, you should follow it with some bullet points highlighting your accomplishments and experience relevant to the position. The first 1/3 page should capture the recruiter’s eye; therefore, you should include a summary of your most important and relevant skills.
6. Enhance your text.
Many companies now use an applicant tracking system because it’s easier for the hiring manager to scan resumes. This application removes resumes that don’t pass the first screening. Therefore, the recruiter may not see all the applications for a job posting.
You should review the job posting first and list the relevant keywords you should include in your resume to ensure that you pass the app screening. Then, use a word-cloud generator to determine the frequently used terms in the job description and include them in your resume.
Moreover, you can have sections labeled as “areas of expertise” or “core competencies” for your soft and hard skills. Then, you should include the skills again when you list your experience in bullet points.
7. Illustrate your duties and responsibilities.
Recruiters don’t like reading a long list of duties and responsibilities. Therefore, you should provide concrete examples of your accomplishments from past employments to show how you can add value to the new position.
Hiring managers want a more engaging resume; therefore, you should list specific merits instead of your experiences. For instance, you may say you were responsible for the 25% reduction in operating expenses within six months instead of saying you have 30 years of management experience.
It would be best to focus on quantifiable and concrete results instead of abstract qualifications and traits. Employers hire people who can get the job done while enjoying and taking pride in their work. Therefore, your resume should be a reflection of your enthusiasm and accomplishments.
Moreover, resume writing services from Careersbooster writers recommend not forgetting about the skills section and including the industry-relevant programs or apps they know. It would help if you had examples of your soft skills and emotional intelligence in your job description.
Final Thoughts
A resume is your passport to having the coveted interview with a prospective employer. Therefore, you should ensure to include only the most relevant information. However, you constantly review it before submitting it because no one wants to hire an employee who can’t deliver their best performance.
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