According to recruiters and hiring managers, poorly written resumes are showing up in front of them now more than ever before. How do you make sure that your resume is not one of them? Attract more interview opportunities by considering these six essential tips:
- Format Your Resume to Appeal to Hiring Managers
Statistically speaking, a resume is scanned for only 25 seconds. No matter how much work you put into it, you want to grab the attention of the hiring manager inside of that time. Therefore, make your resume visually appealing by making it simple, easy to read, and at max, two pages long. Use clear headings, bold or italic typeface where appropriate, and bullets to help guide the eyes of the reader. In fact, bullets should especially be used to draw attention to your achievements in order to make an excellent impression during your 25 seconds of the hiring manager’s time.
- Bring Up Accomplishments, Not Just Former Job Descriptions
Those in charge of hiring are looking for candidates with excellent problem-solving skills or the ability to fill a need of the company, especially in technical careers such as engineering. Because of this, highlighting former accomplishments will show that you have the ability to solve problems as well as prove that you did for other businesses. When filling out your resume, don’t just specify what your position entailed – explain what YOU did in the position and how it served to benefit the company you worked for. Remember, these accomplishments should be unique to you.
- Quantify Your Accomplishments
What is the most common mistake individuals make when drawing up their resume? This would be to fade into the background by making too many claims that are generalized and using too much industry jargon. Don’t use your resume just to portray your biography. You are trying to sell your specific set of skills and explain why you would be the right fit for the position or company that you are applying for.
Include in your resume your achievements to not only paint a clear picture of your marketability but to also inspire confidence in the hiring manager when it comes to your potential for their needs. One excellent idea? Work backward using your accomplishments. If you had not accomplished what you did, what would have been the outcome?
- Tailor Your Resume to Your Industry
While it would be nice to always have creative freedom when designing and building a resume, hiring managers or recruiters in most fields would like to see a clean and tailored resume. In fact, using a distinctive resume design may turn off the individual who is in charge of hiring new employees where you are applying. Focusing on error-free writing that is grammatically correct, your accomplishments, and using crisp and clean paper will aid in making the impression that you are hoping for.
- Set Yourself Apart by Replacing Your Objective With a Career Summary
Most objectives listed on a resume sounds similar, and therefore following this trend will not aid you in standing apart from the competition. Use this space to write your Career Summary instead. Remember, you have only 25 seconds on average to grab the hiring manager’s attention. So use this time wisely by summarizing your career and accurately and powerfully explaining just how you will be the perfect solution for the company’s problems.
Have your CV written by exceptional resume writers to get your CV seen and remembered.
- Network (And We Really Mean Network!)
Those who are unemployed should make it a goal to hand out resumes left and right. In fact, most mid-level to senior-level positions are filled because of networking. Therefore, it behooves you to give copies of your resume to absolutely everyone you can, in addition to recruiters. These can include those listed in the alumni directory from where you went to University, those who work in sales whom you have worked with within the last five years, and even those who are business contacts. Getting your resume into more hands means you have a higher chance of landing a position that you will excel in.
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