What is a resume?
A resume is an outline of an individual’s educational background, job history, work experience, skills, accomplishments, and qualifications. A good way to look at it is that a resume is a professional summary of a person’s career and capabilities. Resumes are used when applying for jobs, and they are typically customized to fit what each job is looking for, such as specific achievements or skills.
Resumes are the most crucial part of the job application. They provide recruiters with a snapshot of a potential employee. A strong resume is the key to making it past the original screening and securing some type of interview. Here are 5 resume tips to help you build a great resume!
1. Be Clear and Concise
When creating your resume, aim for a resume that is clear, concise, and easy to read. You should limit your resume to one or two pages. Also, use bulleted lists to avoid lengthy paragraphs. For the most part, you should avoid writing more than one complete sentence on a bullet point. Lastly, you should limit your data to include only relevant information and experiences. This will help prevent your resume from getting too cluttered.
2. Use a Professional Format and Design
As you prepare to create your resume, you should use a professional format. For example, Indeed has a resume builder and templates you can utilize. However, there are a lot of free templates online, so you have plenty of options available if you do not like any on Indeed. Oftentimes, formatting resumes can be a rather tedious task. There are a lot of resources available to you that can help you format your resume.
3. Highlight Your Achievements and Impact
While listing your work history is important, you should also emphasize your achievements in that role. This can give you an opportunity to set yourself apart from the other people applying for the job. There will be many applicants who worked in a similar position doing the same tasks as you. However, achievements and the impact you made are unique, and they can help secure you an interview.
When highlighting your achievements and impact, be sure to include quantitative data when applicable. For example, saying “As a result of this initiative, I helped increase sales by 200%” looks a lot better than “Helped increase sales.” Additionally, be sure to include any awards you may have won while at a prior employer, such as employee of the month.
4. Customize Your Resume For Each Job
The overall format of your resume will largely remain the same, but it is important to customize your resume for each job you apply to. As you look at job postings, there will be specific programs and skills that they want people to have experience in. As long as you have experience with what the job posting says, be sure to include the specifics in your resume. A good rule of thumb is to only include it when you could answer questions about that program or skill in an interview.
Depending on the job you are applying for, you can also customize the bullet points about an experience to better fit the new position. For example, even though working at a restaurant may not initially seem applicable to a sales job, certain skills are transferable. At a restaurant, you often have to be able to react quickly and think on your feet. In a sales position, these would be extremely desirable skills.
5. Proofread and Edit Carefully
Out of all the tips listed, this is probably the most important. It is vital that you double-check and triple-check your resume for any spelling mistakes. Make sure that you pay close attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Grammatical errors on a resume can seriously damage the chances of you getting the job. Recruiters get dozens of applications for a job, but only a few will get an interview.
It is also a good idea to get someone else to read over your resume. An extra pair of eyes can help catch potential errors that you may have missed. Additionally, you can use online proofreading tools like Grammarly. A proofreader can help catch any spelling errors that may be in your resume.
In addition to using proper grammar, make sure that your resume is formatted properly. When you create your resume, you have to decide on a format. Make sure that the format is consistent across the entire resume. Sometimes, spacing can get messed up and cause the resume to look wrong.
Key Takeaways
Creating a strong resume can greatly help you catch the eye of recruiters and secure an interview. As a result, it is important to remember to:
Be concise when creating your resume
Utilize online resume builders and formats to help create your resume
Highlight your achievements, impacts, and accolades
Adjust your resume for each job
Check over your resume before sending it
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