In this day and age, it’s easier than ever to find and apply for job opportunities. This convenience has many benefits, but it also has one major drawback—it substantially increases the competition for nearly every job opening. That means recruiters have a massive stack of résumés to sift through and neither the time nor the inclination to thoroughly read each one. As a result, it’s more important than ever to ensure your résumé makes an immediate impression.
So, what can you do to make your résumé stand out? Here are some of the techniques WriteWell uses to ensure its clients’ résumés pop.
- Think of your résumé as your brand story.
When you’re applying for a job, you’re essentially selling you. To do that effectively, you need to have a strong personal brand that showcases your knowledge, experience, and abilities. What do you want the recruiter to think of you after reviewing your résumé?
Once you’ve established your desired brand image, weave it into every aspect of your résumé. The person reading it should feel as if they’re reading a story of your progress as a professional. And, it should be absolutely clear what they’re supposed to take away from your résumé.
To do this, before getting started, jot down three to five brand points that you want to highlight throughout the document. Then, with every decision you make about your résumé, go back to these brand points and ensure they’re being adequately represented.
- Pick a tasteful but memorable design.
Most people’s résumés are black and white, painfully plain, and incredibly boring. Your résumé can stick out from the very start if you leverage a design that captures attention and breaks up the monotony.
This step isn’t an absolute necessity, especially for those in a non-creative field, but it can make a difference if done effectively. Just choose a design that makes sense according to your industry, the position you’re applying for, and the culture of the company. And, be careful not to go overboard. You don’t want your design to detract from the content of your résumé.
- Incorporate effective formatting.
You want your résumé to look clean and organized. Make headings clear and specific so the hiring manager can effortlessly navigate the document. Allow a reasonable amount of white space so your résumé isn’t totally cluttered and overwhelming. Maintain a pleasing balance of paragraphs and bullet points, and use fonts that are modern and easy to read. Basically, make formatting choices that leave your résumé looking sharp and professional.
- Include a summary statement or profile section.
When a recruiter is presented with a pile of résumés, it’s often hard for them to think of each applicant as someone other than just another job candidate. However, giving a glimpse of who you are as a person can humanize you and make you more relatable. So, consider adding a short section that mentions the position you’re applying for and highlights how you can add value in that role. You may also share a couple of your passions or interests to forge a connection between you and the person reading your résumé.
Keep in mind: Having a section like this in your résumé can be very effective, but only if it’s concise—three sentences tops. In fact, the summary statement or profile section should be cut altogether if it edges out other more important information.
- Put the information that provides the highest value at the top.
No one ever said your résumé had to describe education, then work experience, then skills. Be strategic about how you organize the various sections. If you think your work experience is what sets you apart as the most impressive candidate, put that information first. If the certifications you’ve received are more relevant to the position than your school education, bump the certifications section closer to the top.
Similarly, many people only put key tasks required for their job when filling out the work experience section of their résumé. That’s useful information, but it’s not nearly as compelling as the fact that executive leadership chose your business strategy out of the 300 that were submitted. So, put your most impressive and/or relevant accomplishments first to wow the hiring manager right from the start.
- Highlight your hard skills and your soft skills.
It’s common to see hard skills, such as proficiency with software programs, in résumés. That’s good to include if it’s relevant to the position you’re applying for, but you shouldn’t underestimate the impact of soft skills. Organizations often consider whether someone would be a cultural fit when hiring new employees, so your collaboration, communication, leadership, and decision-making skills can certainly give you an edge.
- Be specific about your achievements.
What do you think sounds better? “I helped reduce turnover at my organization”? Or, “I saved the organization $250,000 by developing an initiative that reduced turnover by 60 percent”?
Quantifying your accomplishments paints a vivid picture of the value you add and even bolsters your credibility. It’s easy to dismiss a vague statement as exaggeration to pump up your résumé. Specific numbers make your success tangible.
- Be selective about what you include on your résumé.
Did you know that hiring managers prefer for résumés to be limited to one page? That means you likely can’t fit every single job you’ve held since you were in high school. Instead of trying to cram everything into your résumé, critically evaluate your skills and experience and select only what’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. Remember, every point in your résumé should support your brand story!
- Tailor your résumé to each job you apply for.
It may be easier to just create one résumé and use it for every position you apply for, but it’s definitely not the most effective strategy. In fact, research shows that about 63 percent of recruiters want résumés to be customized—and they can tell if it’s not.
Another point to keep in mind is that many organizations use applicant tracking systems to narrow the candidates down. So, if your résumé doesn’t include keywords from the job description, it might get weeded out before anyone even reads it. And, even if someone does read your résumé, they won’t be very impressed if it’s only vaguely relevant to the position you’re applying for. So, take the extra time to personalize your résumé for each job opportunity.
- Carefully edit your résumé.
Entrepreneur.com indicates that 61 percent of recruiters will automatically dismiss a résumé that’s littered with typos and grammatical errors. Don’t let all your hard work go to the wayside for something so easy to fix! Thoroughly review your entire résumé at least a few times before you declare it complete. You may even want someone else to look it over for you to ensure you haven’t missed anything.
Finding a new job is intimidating, and it’s certainly a lot of work. But, with these résumé tips, you should be able to stand out from the crowd and, hopefully, score the position you’ve always wanted.
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