Resume Tips that Will Help You Land a Job

Having a solid resume with all the important components is very critical to landing your next job. It is an opportunity for you to tell your story and hiring managers will be attracted if you’ve got an exceptional one. It will make them like you with your words and work.

Some even say that it is beneficial to polish your resume with professional help to attain that edge, but with the list we have, you shouldn’t need to.

Below are 10 resume tips that will help you showcase your skills and unique talents. 

• Review successful examples – Before starting on writing or updating your resume, make sure you review some resume examples then select a format that best highlights your strengths and achievements. When formatting your resume, use a basic font that is easy to read for hiring managers. Many fonts make your resume clear and easy to read while retaining your individual style.

• Use a Template – Using a resume template as a starting point allows you for personal customization on a predesigned platform. Add your information to the resume template, then tweak it to highlight your skills and abilities. Depending on your personal and professional circumstances, choose a chronological, functional, combination, or targeted resume. Decide on one that best fits your work experience, educational background, and skill set. Take the time to customize your resume; it is well worth the effort as it won’t seem copied.

• Add Numbers that Quantify Accomplishments – Adding numbers to your resume shows employers in black-and-white fashion what you have accomplished at work. Not all of your achievements are quantifiable, but adding those can serve as powerful negotiation tools when the topic of salary arises. 

• Include your Contact Information – Include all your contact information so that employers can easily get in touch with you. Give your full name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile or professional website, include those links as well. Under some circumstances, you might not want to include your entire mailing address, but it is generally good practice to do so.

• Add a Profile – Use a resume profile or summary if you want to include an objective on your resume. Remember to tailor your profile to match the job that you want. The more specific you are, the better the chance of being considered for the job.

• Put the Most Important and Relevant Accomplishments First – You should be able to prioritize the content of your resume so that your most important and relevant experiences are listed first. Describe key accomplishments at the top of each position and quantify them if possible. Writing a custom resume for each job takes more effort, especially when applying for jobs that are a perfect match for your qualifications and experience. The extra time spent is often paid back in the form of interviews.

• Include Commonly Used Keywords – Your resume should include the same keywords that appear in job descriptions. That way, you increase the chances of your resume to match available positions and of being selected for an interview. Keywords change with the times, so stay up to date within your industry.

• Optimize Resume Job Descriptions – These resume tricks will help you make your   descriptions sound impressive, catching the hiring manager’s attention.

1. Utilize subtle color highlights to draw the eye to important details or quantified successes
2. If possible, keep it under two pages. Bots and humans alike prefer shorter, more concise resumes
3. Blend your own style with language the software bots will understand. Good hiring managers will read the same

• Slip Past the Software Bots – Some tips get you further than others. Resumes these days are often read by a machine before a human sees them. These quick and easy-to-do tips can help get your resume past the screening systems. A few simple tweaks can make the difference between getting deleted or getting read. Research websites in your industry, they will most likely be optimized for software crawling. Recent example resumes of upper-management will have been optimized as well, and are a good resource overall on which to model your own resume.

• Send Resume Properly with the Correct Attachments – When sending an email resume, follow the employer’s instructions on how to submit your CV. The employer may want your resume attached to the email message and sent in a specific format, typically as a Word document or a PDF. You must ALWAYS follow what the employer specifies. Send your attachments correctly and include all the information they require. At the bottom, let the recipient know how to contact you.

Always remember that hiring managers want to see what value you have and how you can help enhance their company. Promote your assets. And when is the best time to start promoting your worth? Oh Yes, RIGHT NOW! So go ahead and start making one, be bold, take risks and be memorable.

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