Tips to Create a Resume That Will Get You Noticed
Like businesses use their online profile and brochures as marketing tools, a resume performs the same job for professionals aiming to grab a better opportunity or switch jobs. You can call it the first impression of an individual, applying for a particular position in a company, on potential employers. Recruiters use this document throughout the recruitment process to figure out whether an applicant could be the right fit for a particular position in their company.
Additionally, resumes help employers get more insights into the qualifications and professional experiences of applicants. Given this, it is essential to craft a resume that is easily consumable and capable of effectively reflecting your achievements, accomplishments, skills, and relevant experience. You must understand that crafting a standout resume is no easy task. It requires strategy and creativity to highlight your positives and compel employers to consider you for a particular job.
Craft a Bespoke Resume for Each Job Application
One of the biggest mistakes most job applicants make is using a generic resume for all job applications. Each company demands a different skillset to fill a particular position, and a generic resume may fail to highlight skills employers are looking for in their ideal applicant.
Hence, you must tailor your resume for each job application to align it with the job description and pass it through the ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
The best way to craft a bespoke resume is putting some time into the research process that will help you get familiar with the values and objectives of a particular company. This practice will help you highlight skills and experiences that resonate with the company’s demands. Ensure that your resume features keywords found in the job description to reflect your suitability and increase your chances of selection. Doing so will also help you optimize your resume for ATS.
Tips for Writing a Good Resume or CV in English
1. The number of pages for an ideal CV is two. More than 3 pages is too long and boring.
2. The information on the first half of the first page always attracts more attention. Therefore, if there is something you want to specifically mention, be sure to put it to the first half of the page.
3. Do not forget to leave a space between headings.
4. Use classic fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, with 11 or 12 points.
5. Avoid making grammatical and spelling mistakes. Better check your CV over and over again or have it checked by someone else before submitting it.
Ensure Prominent Contact Information
Keep in mind that your contact information serves as a bridge between you and recruiters so that they can easily communicate with you. Given this, it is essential to place your full name, email address, contact number, and LinkedIn profile right on the top of your resume. Making this information easy to find reflects professionalism, eliminates frustration, and makes it easier for recruiters to follow up.
The inclusion of a link to the LinkedIn profile in the contact information on a resume is also essential nowadays. Adding a URL to your LinkedIn profile that is complete, polished, and aligns well with the information written on your resume will complement your application. This practice will also offer additional context to your experience.
Add a Strong Professional Summary
One of the most essential elements found on a professional resume is a summary. It is placed at the very top of your resume with only the contact information above it. Don’t overlook this section if you want to impress the recruiters and compel them to consider you for a particular job. The summary on a resume is a perfect place to mention all your skills, experiences, and objectives you want to achieve in your professional career.
However, keep in mind that a summary means a concise paragraph featuring no more than 4 concise yet clearly written sentences. You must ensure that the summary you write is capable of highlighting your skills, relevant experiences, and your standout points. If you are having trouble keeping your resume summary clear yet concise, consider using an AI-driven summarizer. It will only pick key points from the content and perform abstractive summarization to present them in a clear and organized manner while keeping your summary concise.
Here is an example of a strong professional summary featured in a resume: “Experienced content writer with 7 years of experience, having a proven track record of crafting optimized content. I have helped various brands increase their conversions through content by 25%. Engaging blog posts and product descriptions written by me were the primary reason.”
Use a Clean Layout that Looks Professional
Cleanliness in documentation is praised everywhere. The same is the case with resumes. Hence, you must opt for a clean yet modern resume layout that makes it easily readable and ensures a reasonable white space between various sections. Additionally, choose professional fonts and maintain consistency throughout the resume.
Use bold headings to organize content into various sections, making it easier for the reader to navigate through the resume and skim the information where possible. Highlight your achievements using bullet points to make them easily scannable. Dedicate particular sections to reflect your relevant skills, qualifications, technical proficiencies, co-curricular activities, and volunteer work.
However, ensure that you are not adding unnecessary information to your resume, as this practice will make it frustratingly lengthy for the readers. Keep it concise and limited to a single page. Only consider crafting a lengthy resume if you have extensive experience and a single page is insufficient to state your accomplishments.
Make Frequent Use of Action Verbs
Using action-oriented language can help you impress recruiters and leave a lasting impression. For instance, you can use various dynamic and strong action words, including “improved”, “led”, and “managed”, to provide information about your responsibilities in previous companies. You can also think of adding a link to your portfolio (if possible) to support your claims about previous responsibilities.
You can also think of adding a link to your portfolio (if possible) to support your claims about previous responsibilities. This practice will not only help you stand out but also demonstrate your skills and expertise to enhance the likelihood of getting selected for the job you have applied for.
Proofread the Resume to Ensure Professionalism
Remember that a resume is your first impression on potential employers. The slightest flaw in it can cost you the job. Given this, you must ensure that your resume is free of any shortcomings, especially sloppy mistakes like spelling or grammar errors. While reviewing the resume multiple times to ensure clarity and impeccability is a great idea, missing out on spelling and grammar mistakes is pretty much possible.
You can minimize the chances of missing out on such sloppy mistakes with the use of an advanced grammar checker capable of accurately identifying and rectifying grammar errors.
Using such a tool to ensure clear, structured, and grammatically correct content in your resume will help you add a touch of professionalism. Finally, save your resume as a PDF to ensure consistent formatting and avoid the frustration of recruiters.
