As the business world continues to evolve into a digital space, job seekers have to be on top of the latest technology, topics, and trends to set themselves apart from the competition. Optimizing a resume is a great way to set yourself up for success in your job search. Whether you are looking for a change from your current role or about to land your first job, you should dedicate enough time to create a structured, informative, and eye-catching resume. According to a Ladders Inc. report, recruiters spend, on average, just 7 seconds reviewing a resume. With such limited time, the first impression you make is critical. In this guide, we cover tips for writing a compelling resume that will get you noticed and help land you a new job opportunity.
Proper Design and Appearance
It is crucial to select the proper visual format, stationery, and type style. Graphical representations can draw recruiters' attention to key pieces of information. The best design elements are the ones that are simple and maintain the whole aesthetic of your resume, minimal and clean. The most important information about your career, like qualifications and working experience, should be heading your resume, followed by less important factors like basic knowledge base, achievements, and the objective with which you are determined to work in the company.
Keep Your Resume Short
For most non-management candidates, a resume should be only one page. If your resume is too long, it sends a signal to the recruiter that you cannot organize your thoughts or you are trying too hard to make a good impression. Customize your resume for the position you are applying for and include only relevant experience. If you are a non-management specialist, limit your previous job experience to the past ten years. List your work experience in bullet form to increase the chances of catching the recruiter's attention.
Add Hyperlinks
Adding hyperlinks to your resume is a great idea when sending a resume via email or when you can attach it with formatting intact. Making your resume interactive will show that you are innovative while also making it easy for the recruiter to research your experience further. Include links to your email address, your LinkedIn profile, your personal website, blogs you've written, and the like. However, overwhelming a resume with hyperlinks is not a good idea. Choose your links wisely and only include those you feel will increase your chances of getting hired.
Include Your Accomplishments
Besides listing your education, core skills, and experience, ensure you include a list of your accomplishments in your resume. Accomplishments can be stand-alone or included throughout the resume in your summary, education, professional experience, and skills section. In addition, mentioning relevant professional accomplishments such as exceeding position goals or earning industry-specific certifications can set you apart from other candidates. When listing achievements, ensure they include time frame, scale, and results. Review the job description for qualifications required or desired by the company to understand better what accomplishments to highlight.
Emphasize Leadership and Management Skills
While recruiters are interested in hiring qualified talent, they are even more interested in filling their pipeline with talent that will benefit the company's future. Regardless of the job you are applying for or a company's size, leadership skills can become a critical factor that decides whether or not you'll be invited for an interview. The most important thing you can do when showing off management skills on a resume is to provide specific examples. To stand out, list some leadership-related accomplishments from previous jobs. Always quantify your result with statistics and hard numbers.
“All hiring managers would love to find someone who can grow from an individual contributor into a leader/manager/boss. Any experience that you’ve had around leadership, people development, hiring or mentoring people is one of the most important things that recruiters and executives want to see in a resume.”
Jeff Hyman, the CEO of Recruit Rockstars