How to make your resume stand out from the piles of resumes? Here are six tips that will help you jump to the top of the resume heap:
1) Job Title Headline
This should either be the same as or very similar to the job opening you are pursuing, but it also themes your resume. Face it, you can’t cram everything and the kitchen sink into your resume, nor should you. Focus on how your background specifically relates to the job opening, and create a focal point at the top (bold, centered, capitalized) that immediately positions you for that job. This headline also drives the development of your resume – everything else you talk about should feed back into that headline.
2) 30 Second Commercial
Don’t you think that in all places, your resume should state why they should hire you? Ditch the objective statement… employers don’t care what you want… give them something that they can benefit from… sell them on your soft skills and how they connect to your ability to do the job. Everyone needs an elevator pitch- this is the time to include it in your resume.
3) Skill Sets
Think like an employer and understand what ‘applicant tracking system’ or ‘keyword scanning software’ means. Then take the time to carefully research the skills necessary to do the job for which you are applying, and don’t rely only on the job description. Sometimes, the person who wrote that overview doesn’t quite understand the job themselves, so you’ll need to do some digging in similar positions. Eventually, you’ll start to see a pattern of keywords, and you know you’ve struck gold.
4) Notable Achievements
Many people list awards or things that make them stand out in their field at the very end of the resume. Obviously, they are at a loss of where exactly this information belongs, and reserve it to the end. Now, why would you do that? The first 1/3 of your resume is going to be your ticket to the interview, and you absolutely should state anything that distinguishes you. Things like awards, speaking engagements, being published or interviewed in an industry publication, or holding a patent… those are points you want to include near the top of the document. Don’t have any? No sweat… but if you do, this is where you want to include them so they stand out, instead of appearing as an afterthought.
5) Showcase Your Work Accomplishments
Cutting and pasting your job duties under each employment record = FAIL. This isn’t good enough, especially in today’s highly competitive job marketplace. Prospective employers are reading through this section to figure out what you did for the other company so they can make a guess of what you might do for them. Think action and result- this will tell the story of how you are able to do those job duties and how you performed doing them.
6) Design
Be careful about adding too many different font types, and don’t include a photo or striking color elements in your resume. Font size should be between 10-12 point, and white space is critical to breaking up the sections and letting the reader move on to a new area. Stick to classic and neat design, unless it is a graphic resume designed by professional resume writer.
Get Professional Help
When you are looking for job, your resume and cover letter are your most powerful weapons to score that dream job of yours. Most people think that writing resume and cover letter is an easy job. However, more often than not, they are wrong. They end up submitting a messy and unimpressive resume which is quickly thrown into the trash bin.
Don’t let your resume and cover letter get treated like that! At Style Resumes, we know what we’re doing. We’ve helped thousands of job seekers get their dream job by giving them an impressive resume and cover letter that made employers feel in love with them. Get in touch with us and let’s craft that perfect resume!