The task of writing a resume can be a seriously daunting one for many people. People are not always sure how to best present themselves professionally or what this will include. Nevertheless, getting a top-quality resume can be the difference between landing the job of your dreams and not.
Following is an overview of the resume writing process. Here you will find 15 ways that you can improve your resume writing skills.
Determine the objectives of your job search before beginning on the resume
Once you know exactly what you are trying to get, you can more effectively craft a resume that will achieve this objective. Consider your chosen position as a goal and your resume a tool for accomplishing this. If you work in the reverse order, you will be crafting a tool with no clear objective, this will lead to mediocre results at best. Take the time to fully understand and research your objectives and the details they contain.
Consider your resume as a marketing tool.
If you look at things from the broad perspective you are selling yourself as a product or solution to your employees need for a quality workforce. In this sense, your resume is like a brochure that must convey this important message. So market yourself as you would the best product you have. If you’re looking for software engineer jobs, leverage your most marketable skills in that field so your resume gets the attention of the hiring manager.
What are your unique features and benefits? What makes you special from the rest? Make sure your resume conveys this message clearly. It’s a fundamental of the new rules of resume writing.
Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job
The resume is your tool for gaining that important interview. Therefore, you don’t need to include every single detail of your indubitably impressive career academically and professionally. The point is to generate enough interest in yourself to land the interview. When you’re at the interview is the time to use those important details about yourself to make a good impression that will close the deal. Write your killer CV with the resume writing services that deliver results.
Use bulleted sentences.
Rather than ponderous paragraphs, be sure to use eye-catching bullet lists and shorter sentences. Resumes must be a quick read. If you consider that there could be as many as 100 other resumes in the stack, you want yours to be the enjoyable, easy-read that left the employer impressed, not bored.
Use action words.
Action words add flair and panache to your resume. The bulleted sentences you have prepared should all begin with a powerful action word. Think of words like prepared, monitored, developed or presented. Throw in some numeric figures as well, like – #, % or $$. These are always exciting especially when used just like this:
Example:
- Improved sales performance by 25%
- Monitored a department of 12 with a monthly budget of $25,0000
Lead with your strengths.
Since a resume won’t get much more than 30 secs of attention it is essential that you send the most important messages first. Take the time to consider what point will be most important to your prospective employer and keep these at the beginning of the article.
Choose words carefully
Take the time to review other ads for positions like the one that interests you. Look for all the relevant words that appear in these ads and include them in your resume. Use “buzz words as well, there are some words within professional divisions that carry extra weight and authority. If you are a collection’s professional something like “reduced DSO” will help you stand out.
Leave off negatives and irrelevant points
If you feel there is a small tidbit in your resume that may make you seem less than perfect for the position you are looking for, leave it out. If you think that the date of graduation will make you seem inexperienced, don’t include it. The focus of your resume is to get you in the office for an interview. So, if there is any information that will be counterproductive to this, it needs to be avoided.
Show what you know
Use your interview to give an overview of your vast wealth of experience and knowledge. Taking the time to muddle over details will bore the reviewer and possibly cost you the interview.
Show who you know
If you have worked directly under or closely with depart managers of CEOs, you should say so. This not only shows you are key to process and important to management but that you are an important individual.
Make an Easy Read
You want your resume to be as easy to read as possible. This could mean skipping over fancy fonts and lettering and using plain white space and fonts no smaller than 10p. Make sure the most important information is located right where the reader’s eyes will fall.
Do a Test Run
Have a friend or coworker with a discerning opinion look over your resume. It can be easy to develop tunnel-vision when working on these projects and a third party can rough out anything before the crucial interview.
