A resume is your introduction and potential employer. If you want to land a new job, you will need a great resume that highlights all of your skills and experiences and then some. The question is, how to write one that stands out and makes you shine? Many factors can contribute to a resume standing out against the other applicants, but overall, it boils down to three tips:
1) The Summary
2) Clarity of Content
3) Visual Appeal
4) Add your personal touch
5) Consider A Professional Resume Writing Service (like this one)
Here are the top 2024’s best resume writing tips that will help your job hunting success with these three factors in mind.
1. Create a Memorable Summary
Your summary should be short and sweet. The summary is just a few hundred words and should contain your most significant accomplishments. Don’t make it too long, or it won’t be easy for the hiring manager to find what they’re looking for. They will most likely skim through the whole thing if they’re looking and not find what they are looking for.
Instead, the summary should be crystal clear, with a strong statement about your skills and abilities, show that you are an expert in your field, and highlight your most excellent skills and abilities. This is all you need for a summary. If you want to make your resume stand out, the outline is the place to do it. Below are some examples of good and bad summaries:
Bad Summary
I am a professional marketing consultant with more than ten years of experience. I have gained the following skills and knowledge by working for large organizations, such as Penzoil, Intel, and Visa.
I am an expert in marketing strategy and analytics, sales force automation solutions, sales force management systems, advanced advertising technology, electronic commerce websites, and online market research techniques. In addition, I have a strong understanding of the new technologies that are being introduced into the marketing industry these days.
Good Summary
One of the top marketing consultants and account executives in the industry with more than ten years of experience. Proven track record for generating sales growth and profit increases by integrating new technologies, such as online marketing and CRM solutions, into traditional sales and marketing operations.
A strong ability to develop methods to measure performance, improve processes, and create metrics that drive accountability. Proven history of successful leadership in building strong teams that provide visibility into customer needs, facilitate rapid decision making and strategic planning across large, diverse groups.
2. Be Clear and Concise
To be clear, be concise. For example, you don’t want to include an entire paragraph on your experience with children at a community center that met once a month for three hours every month when you’re applying for an executive assistant position.
Instead, rehearse yourself, saying those words out loud as if they were part of your actual resume. If they don’t compliment your skills and experience, then you shouldn’t include them. Your resume should be an easy read for anyone to understand, so remove all unnecessary words and facts that aren’t pertinent to the job you are trying to land.
Here are some additional tips for making your resume clear and concise:
Remove high school dates, GPA, activities, and honor societies. If these facts are not relevant to the job you’re applying for, they won’t impress anyone. They may turn the potential employer off if they feel that you’re wasting time with unimportant facts while you could be preparing yourself for their job opening.
Be clear about your education and degree(s). Don’t use acronyms or abbreviations unless it’s a commonly known term within the field of study (the only exception is an MBA). It’s also perfectly acceptable to remove all references to grade point averages. You don’t want potential employers thinking that you are on the verge of being fired or fired because your GPA was not up to snuff.
Make sure that dates are precise on when you graduated and started your career. Don’t confuse employers by stating that you were a manager for three years while only working in the field for two full years. Employers are looking for thorough and concise information that is easily understandable.
Remove credentials that you didn’t earn. Resist the urge to list all of your certificates and awards simply because you want to leave a good impression on the reader. Instead, make sure that the accomplishments fit your stated purpose for being employed (i.e., in an editorial position, list course titles from journals, books, etc. that you’ve studied. If you’re in a management position, include coursework pertinent to management and finance.
Remove outdated statements and facts. It’s ok to remove facts about current technology that may be out of date in 3 years. However, don’t waste time including information that is simply irrelevant when it comes to the job you are trying to fill.
Be sure your resume is free of grammatical errors, misspellings, and wrong fonts. Your resume is an advertisement for you, so be sure that the way you present yourself will make you look best to the potential employer.
Keep your resume short and sweet. This advice may seem obvious, but it’s easy for a person to lose track of how long a single page should be when editing out unnecessary information. Have a friend read your resume and help you edit it if necessary so that your brief resume doesn’t become overwhelming.
3. Go Visual
When looking through a pile of resumes over a weekend, do you want to spend most of that time reading through the content? Most likely not. You want to get a grasp on the applicant as quickly as possible so that you can either place them into a pile or move them on to the next step.
To do this, you have to make your resume visually appealing and attractive. This is why most resumes are formatted in an unorthodox way, with various sections and subsections separated by color.
The idea is to draw attention to specific areas by using bolded text or some highlighting. So, instead of just reading “My Experience” or “Skills and Abilities,” it would be more effective to read “Actions in the Past Three Years that Demonstrate My Skills and Abilities.” The goal is to draw the reader in immediately with a first impression.
4. Add Your Personal Touch
With these three resume writing tips in mind, you’re ready to write your own. If you want to make your resume stand out, combine all of these elements into one beautiful piece. Keep in mind that you want to write with the target audience in mind, meaning you should only use these resume writing tips if you know exactly who will read your resume.
If you have no idea who is looking at your resume, then go back and take time to think about what would be the best way to display yourself as a competent candidate for this job. Your resume should reflect you as a person, making sure that it shows that same sense of personal style and detail.
5. Consider a Professional Resume Writing Service
If you are unsure about how to edit your resume or need help using the information above, consider hiring a professional. Many businesses will provide you with the edited document and give you instructions on how to succeed in landing an interview and winning that job.
Also, a professional resume writer can help ensure that you are as clear and concise as possible with your resume. They can also ensure that your resume is well organized and will look great when printed out.
Finally, a professional who specializes in resume writing can assist in making sure that the final product is available, so you have time to review the layout and make suggested changes before it is sent to the hiring manager.
In conclusion
- A resume is a short advertisement.
- It should be clear and concise.
- It should be visually appealing and attractive to the reader.
- It should have your personal touch included in it.
- Consider A Professional Resume Writing Service
The recruiter or hiring manager will look past all of your experience and education to find out what kind of person you are and why you would be the best candidate for the job at hand. The simple application process of applying for a job is easy, but the actual job search and application process is a challenge.
First, you have to sell yourself as the best candidate possible, making sure that you do everything you can to stand out. Be professional and persistent in all of your job applications. Show that you are eager to learn and hardworking and be confident that you will perform well in that position if hired.
