Does Your Resume Pack A Punch? Handy Tips to Ensure It Does
Your resume has one job - to showcase you as interview worthy and the potential answer for a company's needs.
This piece of paper is all about you and needs to be created in a way that will outline and highlight your strengths.
With the job market as competitive as it has become most recruiters, Human Resources managers, and hiring managers scan resumes quickly before even reading through them entirely.
If the resume isn't standing out, it is getting ignored.
As a former Human Resources Manager, I can attest to receiving thousands of resumes and having to filter them to find my top candidates.
What does your resume say about you? Is it drawing in your audience and leaving them with wanting to pick up the phone to speak with you? Investing in yourself and your image is important, especially when looking to advance your career.
Below are tips for creating a resume that will set you apart from the competition: 1) Outline and summarize the value you have to offer: Not just an Objective statement, but a summary which answers the following: What makes you unique? Why are you qualified? What career experience and education do you have which will tell employers how you will meet their needs? Let this section illustrate how you are uniquely qualified to help this employer.
2) Confidence is important - Communicate It: Descriptive words and bullet points showcasing your confidence in your experience is critical.
Your resume is a walking billboard of you - be proud of your hard work and let it shine! Communicate how you've made a difference, what your accomplishments are, and how amazing your contributions have been.
3) Short and Sweet is Key: There is a lot of conversation these days about resume length and what is appropriate.
Different fields of experience may also outline different expectations.
As a general rule of thumb, though, keep it to 2 pages or less.
Too much content to read through can distract your reader and appear as too lengthy for their timeframe, interest, etc.
4) Hone In On the Key Words and Utilize Them: Key words and are often targeted when sifting through resumes.
They are not the only avenue recruiters and hiring managers head down to find quality, but they are part of an effective document.
Take a look at the job posting in which you are responding and similar postings as well.
Let this help guide you towards utilizing specific key words that are relevant to your experience, and will help shine the spotlight on your resume.
5) Utilize Simple and Clear Formatting: Simple, clean, easy to read text is important.
Ensure your headlines are in the proper place, the formatting is uniform, text is bolded where appropriate, and the resume flows organically.
Fancy fonts and improper formatting will lead to your resume being ignored.
While originality is appreciated, if the font is too difficult to decipher, your resume won't pass the first round.
The more appealing your resume is to the eye and the easier it is to read, the greater your chances.
Keeping a close eye on these fundamentals will help ensure your resume makes the grade.
Also, honesty is the best policy - padding a resume will only cause you more grief as, nowadays, companies are conducting full background/reference checks when looking to hire new associates.
Being honest and upfront is not only good for your soul, but great for your future.
To your success, Samantha
This piece of paper is all about you and needs to be created in a way that will outline and highlight your strengths.
With the job market as competitive as it has become most recruiters, Human Resources managers, and hiring managers scan resumes quickly before even reading through them entirely.
If the resume isn't standing out, it is getting ignored.
As a former Human Resources Manager, I can attest to receiving thousands of resumes and having to filter them to find my top candidates.
What does your resume say about you? Is it drawing in your audience and leaving them with wanting to pick up the phone to speak with you? Investing in yourself and your image is important, especially when looking to advance your career.
Below are tips for creating a resume that will set you apart from the competition: 1) Outline and summarize the value you have to offer: Not just an Objective statement, but a summary which answers the following: What makes you unique? Why are you qualified? What career experience and education do you have which will tell employers how you will meet their needs? Let this section illustrate how you are uniquely qualified to help this employer.
2) Confidence is important - Communicate It: Descriptive words and bullet points showcasing your confidence in your experience is critical.
Your resume is a walking billboard of you - be proud of your hard work and let it shine! Communicate how you've made a difference, what your accomplishments are, and how amazing your contributions have been.
3) Short and Sweet is Key: There is a lot of conversation these days about resume length and what is appropriate.
Different fields of experience may also outline different expectations.
As a general rule of thumb, though, keep it to 2 pages or less.
Too much content to read through can distract your reader and appear as too lengthy for their timeframe, interest, etc.
4) Hone In On the Key Words and Utilize Them: Key words and are often targeted when sifting through resumes.
They are not the only avenue recruiters and hiring managers head down to find quality, but they are part of an effective document.
Take a look at the job posting in which you are responding and similar postings as well.
Let this help guide you towards utilizing specific key words that are relevant to your experience, and will help shine the spotlight on your resume.
5) Utilize Simple and Clear Formatting: Simple, clean, easy to read text is important.
Ensure your headlines are in the proper place, the formatting is uniform, text is bolded where appropriate, and the resume flows organically.
Fancy fonts and improper formatting will lead to your resume being ignored.
While originality is appreciated, if the font is too difficult to decipher, your resume won't pass the first round.
The more appealing your resume is to the eye and the easier it is to read, the greater your chances.
Keeping a close eye on these fundamentals will help ensure your resume makes the grade.
Also, honesty is the best policy - padding a resume will only cause you more grief as, nowadays, companies are conducting full background/reference checks when looking to hire new associates.
Being honest and upfront is not only good for your soul, but great for your future.
To your success, Samantha
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