Your resume is the key piece of your job application. Here’s how to get it right.
- On average, resumes are only reviewed by employers for six to seven seconds.
- Within the first four days of a job being posted, sending your resume between the hours of 6 and 10 a.m. will get the best results.
- Your resume needs to be precise, short, and suited to the position you’re looking for.
- For job searchers who wish to strengthen their resumes to raise their chances of receiving an interview, this post is for you.
Job searchers have an advantage when applying for jobs due to the present labor shortage and low unemployment rate. But it doesn’t mean you don’t require a resume that has been produced by a professional. For every available position, employers still want to locate and hire the best candidates, and resumes are the first step in that process. There are a number of techniques you may employ to make your resume stand out and highlight your qualifications for the position.
The value of a resume
The most crucial document you’ll submit during your job search is your resume. It’s your first chance to introduce yourself to a potential employer, so you could say it’s your frontline fighter. Making the most of every second is crucial because hiring managers and recruiters only spend six to seven seconds every CV. A great CV can make you stand out from the competition, while a weak one can eliminate you from consideration.
Professionally written resumes not only increase your chances of getting an interview but also increase your prospective income by 7%, according to Zippia research.
Simple advice on how to write a CV that stands out
Putting all of your expertise and qualifications succinctly on one page can be challenging, but there are many subtle ways to improve your resume. We have compiled the top resume writing advice to help you get an interview.
1. Make sure your resume is brief and concise.
The first rule of resume writing is to make it brief and direct. Unless you have a very excellent reason for it to be longer, such as a lengthy career or a lot of very relevant work experience, the conventional rule is no more than one page.
Include only current, pertinent experience on your CV for a simple method to keep it succinct. Even if your first job may have taught you a lot about the industry throughout that year-long tenure, it’s not necessarily necessary to discuss every aspect of your whole professional background.
The majority of experts advise just listing positions held within the last 10 to 15 years, though if you are fresh to the workforce, this time range may be shorter. Too many unrelated work experiences on a CV might make it look cluttered and detract from your relevant qualifications. Your resume ought to be succinct, straightforward, and well-focused.
2. Design a unique resume template.
Employers value creativity. While using a professional resume template can be beneficial, don’t adhere to it rigorously. According to research by Zippia, over 60% of hiring managers believe that a tailored resume is the best way for job seekers to improve their chances of getting hired.
Claire Bissot, SPHR and director of Kainos Capital, told us, “I frequently disregard resumes that adhere to Microsoft Office formats.” The templates are intended to be a starting point, but they should be customized to fit your needs.
Your resume should be formatted to make it simple to find your qualifications. For instance, Bissot advised emphasizing your advancement if it happened swiftly within a corporation. If you frequently changed jobs, bullet such positions without providing any details and list roles that are more appropriate. This will highlight your strengths.
Make sure the content is organized logically while constructing your CV, advised Veronica Yao, owner of CareerProse and marketing communications manager at Fonolo. “A hiring manager will go from top to bottom of your CV, reading it. The strongest elements should still be communicated even if people don’t read the entire piece, which happens frequently.
3. Emphasize your pertinent experience and talents.
It’s not a good idea to submit the same resume for every position you apply for. Instead, you should tailor your CV to the particular position you’re looking for. Prioritize your talents, credentials, and experiences that are most relevant to the position you are applying for.
Pick three or four prior jobs or experiences that best demonstrate the qualifications needed for the position you’re applying for. This is not the time to detail every position you have ever held because employers respect conciseness. For instance, if you are applying for a marketing role, you may emphasize the interpersonal, communication, and branding abilities you acquired while working in retail.
Get imaginative with how you showcase your past experiences if your work history does not immediately relate to the position you are looking for. Think on the abilities you brought to the project or organization and how your contributions helped them.
4. Use measurements and numbers to illustrate results.
It is always a good idea to give specific numerical examples of your accomplishments when discussing your prior professional experience. Metrics can be used to highlight your accomplishments and show the recruiting manager or recruiter exactly how you affected your prior workplace. A former sales professional might claim, for instance, that they “performed more than 50 cold calls everyday, with an average 5% conversion rate.”
5. Create a professional profile.
More lately, career gurus have advised job seekers to reconsider placing a succinct summary dubbed a “career snapshot” at the top of their resume in place of the outdated “goal” line.
According to Tomer Sade, CEO of Book a Space, “with the career snapshot, you give a branding statement that simply conveys your unique value as well as your talents and qualifications.” Then, a few bullet points that showcase your experience and accomplishments would come after this. Everything you list here should be pertinent to the job for which you are seeking.
According to professional resume writer and CEO of Chameleon Resumes Lisa Rangel, “the top third of your CV is premium resume real estate.” “Write a strong synopsis to grab the hiring manager’s attention.”
Imagine your career snapshot as your one-sentence response to the inquiry, “How would you define your work experience?” The summary is a chance for you to quickly and succinctly highlight your most pertinent and valuable abilities.
6. Text optimization.
A human hiring manager may never even peek at any applications that don’t suit the job criteria they’ve entered if a company employs an applicant tracking system (ATS) to gather and scan resumes. To improve your chances of passing the first level, Trish O’Brien, vice president of human capital operations at PSI Services, advised tailoring your résumé to the post.
To get past the screener, O’Brien advised, “be sure you’ve thoroughly read the posting and… [used] the appropriate keywords in your CV.” Be honest, but remember that an ATS is probably going to do the first pass on your CV.
Making ensuring your CV contains the keywords from the job description is a useful advice. The most frequently used terms in the job description can be found by copying and pasting them into a word cloud maker. Make sure to use the terms that pertain to you in your resume. You can also mention all of your hard and soft abilities in a section of your resume called “core competencies” or “areas of expertise,” and then you can emphasize those qualities again when you bullet your work history.
7. Look beyond your job responsibilities.
A list of your responsibilities won’t interest hiring managers. They want to see specific examples of your successes in prior roles that demonstrate how you can contribute in this current role.
According to Rangel, specific accomplishments are more interesting to read than simply your experiences. For instance, “I have 30 years of sales experience” is significantly less appealing to an employer than “I decreased operating expenses by 23% in six months.”
Focus on eliminating ephemeral features and qualifications in favor of specific, quantifiable results when selecting what material to include or exclude from your CV.
The greatest resumes, according to Bob Myhal, head of digital marketing at CBC Automotive Marketing, “emphasize a job candidate’s actions and achievements.” “Employers like workers that complete tasks quickly and with pride in their work. Your CV should highlight your successes and career excitement rather than just a list of your credentials.
Your skills section is very important to pay attention to. Sade urged job seekers to include any applications or programs that are relevant to their profession on their resumes and to find methods to highlight their soft skills (such as dependability and work ethic) and emotional intelligence in their job descriptions.
8. To stand out, use the appropriate language.
Simple, uninspired descriptions of your work responsibilities and achievements won’t help you. Use strong action verbs to describe your duties and tasks, such as “achieved,” “designed,” “enhanced,” and “established,” advised Sade. By doing this, you can convey important information while sounding assured. To avoid relying too heavily on action verbs, give information on how you enhanced a process or met a goal.
Words like “professional,” “results-driven,” and “detail-oriented” don’t really tell you much, according to Sade. Instead of these words, use actual job titles.
Words like “go-getter,” “team player,” and “go-to person” should be eliminated from your résumé, according to Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of the applicant tracking system JobDiva. These appear as filler and eat up valuable resume space.
9. Describe your social media accounts.
Today, many hiring managers use social networks to vet applicants. By including links to your profiles on your CV, you can save them time. Experienced candidates with a strong online presence should include links to their blogs, Twitter accounts, and LinkedIn profiles.
According to Richie Frieman, author of REPLY ALL… and Other Ways to Tank Your Career, “including them on your resume can be useful if, and only if, your social media accounts are loaded with professional articles relevant to your sector.” They can demonstrate your strong network and familiarity with current marketing and communications techniques. The hiring manager will see that you enjoy staying current and are interested in learning more.
If used properly, your social media presence can be a potent recruitment tool to support your professional expertise and position as a subject matter expert.
10. Look for mistakes.
Check your own work three times, and then have someone else review your CV to be sure it is flawless. Sloppiness has no place on your resume.
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation: errors will probably cause a hiring manager to immediately reject your application. Obeid advised, “Make sure it’s free of errors and simple to read.” “HR reps believe that mistakes and typos indicate indifference. Use proper English because the employer places a lot of weight on what is written.
Formatting: According to Bissot, “review formatting very carefully, including typeface, alignment, and spacing.” Related problems are frequently seen as a symptom of poor technical ability and/or attention to detail.
Headings: Yao claimed that applicants frequently submit applications addressed to the incorrect company or include experience that is unrelated to the position. Receiving a CV that is written and sent to someone else, or worse, a rival, can be extremely off-putting and will create a bad impression even if they decide to read your application further.
