List Your Soft And Hard Skills
Take a moment to consider which skills make you a great fit for the job. Review the job description and highlight keywords that you have had proven success with in the past. Consider both hard and soft skills, as well as transferable skills you can use when changing careers or industries. Create a skills section with the keywords that are relevant to the employer. List any required skills like certifications or licenses first.
Put Your Resume To The Test
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your resume is not getting it reviewed when you’re done writing it. Having a resume is no use to you unless its working in your favor by properly highlighting your skills and the value you’d bring to a company. Need some help? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. Avoid any further mistakes, and instead have a strong, productive job search.
How To Use Your Job Referral Network
When you find a job to apply for, you can look through your network to find out if you know anyone who is connected to the hiring company. Remember, your job referral doesnt necessarily have to work for the company right now.
Chances are your first thought is to consider your friends and family members, but its also important to think outside the box and cast your networking net as far as it will go.
Do any of your current or former coworkers have connections within this company? What about fellow college alumni, or your universitys career office? Think back to who you met at the last networking event you attended is it possible you met a contact there?
An easy way to do this is to scan your LinkedIn connections, as its possible there are some networking contacts youre forgetting about.
If youre being open and transparent in your job search , consider posting a request on social media, like Facebook.
Rather than asking, Can someone refer me?, simply ask Do I know anyone who works or has worked for ?.
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How To Make A Resume In 2021
For most job-seekers, a good resume is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and youll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.
If your resume game is weak, though, youll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.
So youre probably wondering how you can write a resume that leads to HR managers inviting you to interviews daily.
Well, youve come to the right place!
In this guide, were going to teach you everything you need to know about how to make a resume:
How to Make a Resume – Step by step
So, lets dive right in!
Prepare Your Cv And Cover Letter
It is important to tailor your CV and cover letter for each place you apply to. To do this, look carefully at the job description and emphasise the skills or experience mentioned.
For more information on preparing job applications, see our articles on how to write a CV and how to write a cover letter.
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Research The Companys Culture
Take the time to go beyond the job description and do your research on the company. Schweikert suggests simply going on the companys career website to see what their values are. In addition to including your professional experience on your resume, think about including information relevant to that companys culture.
For example, if you see that a company participates in a significant amount of charitable work and you have volunteer experience, consider adding that to your resume, Schweikert says. And even if the company doesnt mention anything about volunteering, you may want to include it anyway about 80% of hiring influencers , indicated that they believe there is a relationship between volunteering and leadership ability, according to a 2016 Deloitte survey.
Be Engaging And Professional
Introduce yourself when you walk into the business by extending a hand and saying your name. Dont make the mistake of only being nice to the manager because front desk clerks, receptionists and even other staffers may weigh in on you as a candidate. Be kind and gracious to everyone you meet.
Examples:
Hi there, my name is Grace, Im hoping to drop off a resume for the manager. Is she in today by chance?
Hello, my name is Dan. Im a huge fan of this store, and I was wondering if youre hiring for sales associates?
Hi, my name is Stella, and Im interested in your open financial analyst position. Is there an appropriate person I can leave my resume with?
Whenever possible, your objective should be to speak with a decision maker when dropping off your resume. It will allow the person an opportunity to put a face with a name, and if youre lucky, you may get an interview right then and there.
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Put The Best Stuff Above The Fold
In marketing speak, above the fold refers to what you see on the front half of a folded newspaper , but basically its your first impression of a document. In resume speak, it means you should make sure your best experiences and accomplishments are visible on the top third of your resume. This top section is what the hiring manager is going to see firstand what will serve as a hook for someone to keep on reading. So focus on putting your best, most relevant experiences firstand then check out these five other marketing tricks to get your resume noticed.
Check Out Who’s Hiring
Before you apply for jobs in person, it’s important to check out who is hiring. Take the time to research potential employers prior to applying for jobs. It will be easier to apply if you have a list of businesses that have open positions.
Start by checking Craigslist and your local newspaper’s online help wanted ads. If your city or town has a Chamber of Commerce website with job listings, check that, too. Use the job search engines to find jobs in your town by searching by zip code.
Also, take the time to walk around town or the mall to see which stores and businesses have “now hiring” or “help wanted” signs in the window. You may be able to get hired right away if the employer has an immediate need.
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Include A Cover Letter
If the online application allows you to include additional documents, consider a cover letter. A good cover letter can help make a strong first impression, similar to how dropping off a resume in person might. It can outline your experience, qualifications and desire for the job while allowing your personality to shine. A cover letter may also help you stand out from other candidates if it was optional and you included one.
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Whats A Resume Summary & When To Use It
A resume summary is a 2-3 sentence summary of your career. You should use a resume summary in basically any situation, unless youre a recent university graduate or switching careers .
In your resume summary, you need to mention:
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Don’t Wait For Your References To Be Called
Every time we suggest that you include written references with a resume or job application, someone cringes — and in their defense, it is not typical job seeker behavior.
But for military spouses constantly on the move, juggling the demands of military life, and in many cases starting their careers afresh at a new duty station, those references are absolutely critical. If you lack professional experience, you can play up extracurricular experience that your references can actually support. Instead of just saying yourself that you are a good leader, you prove that someone else thinks you are a good leader, too, by including letters of reference.
But without a strong job history, who can you turn to for those references? Look to former academic advisers, teachers or club supervisors. If you have strong volunteer experience, ask the people in charge to write letters on your behalf that support the skills you claim to have. Each reference should be able to speak to a different skill set you have mastered or volunteer experience that lends itself to job readiness.
While that seems easy enough in theory, these references can be difficult to ask for in real life. Be straightforward with people: The people you might ask to be references are people who also believe in you and your potential.
Other Important Resume Sections
The sections weve covered so far are must-haves for any resume. Theyre the bread-and-butter for any job application, and if you get them right, youll land any job you apply to.
The following sections, though, can really give you a boost here and there.
Languages
Are you bi-lingual? Or better, multi-lingual? You should ALWAYS mention that on your resume!
Even if the position doesnt require you to know the specific language, it can still come in handy at some point. At the end of the day, its always better to know more languages than less.
To list languages in your resume, simply write them down and assign them the appropriate level:
- Native
- Proficient
- Intermediate
- Basic
As a given, you should never lie about your language skills. You never know, your interviewer might turn out to be fluent in the language, or even be a native speaker!
Hobbies & Interests
Want to add some spice to your resume? The hobbies and interests section, while not a game-changer, can help show who YOU are as an individual. Who knows, maybe you and your interviewee have some hobbies in common?
If you end up with some extra space in your resume, dont hesitate to show off your personality with a hobbies/interests section.
Volunteering Experience
If youre the type of person to use your free time helping others, while expecting nothing in return, chances are that youre the type of employee whos in it for more than just the money. It leaves the impression that youre a devoted, loyal employee.
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Email Text Message Or Private Message On Facebook
As a general rule, the more personal a communication medium is, the higher your success rate.
You should send a text message rather than an email if you’re asking a favor from a friend. Here’s a text message sample:
Hi John, I’m looking forward to moving from my job and I noticed you’re friends with that works at .
I want to apply for a job there. Can you please forward my resume to ? Thanks!
Text messages should always be smaller than emails. But they are more powerful because they’re harder to ignore.
Start With Your Basic Information
Your contact information should always go at the top of your resume. In this header youll want to include anything that could be helpful for a recruiter to get in touch with you. Usually, this means adding in:
- Your full name
- Your phone number
- Your personal email address
You might also choose to include other basic information, such as your LinkedIn or personal website URL, your GitHub , your social media profiles , or your address. If youre looking to move for a job, you may choose to leave out your address or write open to relocating to better your chances of getting an interview.
The key is to make this part as clear as possible. If a hiring manager cant reach you, theres no point in perfecting the rest of your resume.
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Choose The Most Suitable Format
Before you start writing anything, the first step is to decide on the right format for your resume. There are three basic resume formats used by job seekers today: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination. Each format has advantages and disadvantages based on how the resume sections are arranged:
Follow Up With A Phone Call
It is a good idea to phone the business a few days later to ask if they have had time to consider your CV. This is especially important if the manager wasnt there when you dropped in. It is best to phone outside of their busiest hours. For example, if you are contacting a restaurant, try to avoid phoning them at lunch time.
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Kicks Final Piece Of Resume Advice
- Dont be afraid to use bold whenever you want to highlight important bits of information within the section.
- Include key achievements subsection. Pick the biggest achievement from each job and highlight it in a subsection. You can also write it in bold. This will catch the attention of the hiring manager in an instant.
- Keep it simple and easy to read. Dont overdo it. Pick 1-2 colors maximum, 1-2 fonts, 1-2 heading sizes.
- Remember its not only about you. Its also about your future employer. Look at the job description again and determine what are his needs. Address these in your work experience section.
Highlight Your Relevant Work Experience
Your work experience section is the most essential part of your resume because its the best representation of your qualifications.
If you lack formal work experience, however, dont worry. Simply title this section Relevant Experience and use it to highlight details about your volunteer work, extracurriculars, or relevant school coursework.
To create a logical and informative work experience section, list your relevant experience from most recent to least recent . For each job, list the following information:
- Your title
- Company location
- Dates of employment
If youre still currently working at a company, you can simply write , present for the employment dates.
A general rule is that each job title includes about 35 bullet points of your main duties and achievements working in that role.
3 parts of a strong bullet point:
- 1st: Action verb
- 2nd: Quantifiable point
- 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty
Example 1:
Trained5+ cashiers, managing their cash limits and guaranteeing quality customer service at all times.
Example 2:
Spearheadedthe development of the first media kit amalgamation for all company projects, increasing national sales by 8%.
One reason the above bullet points are effective is that they use action verbs to grab the attention of hiring managers. Describing your experience using strong action verbs helps illustrate to employers what youve accomplished and what kind of skills you have.
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Keep Your Referral Updated On How Your Application Is Processing And Thank Them For Their Help
Let your referral know if youve mentioned their name in your cover letter, and advise them as soon as youve submitted your application.
Keeping this communication open is a win-win because your contact can also keep you updated on the hiring process if they hear anything within the company.
Finally, be sure to thank them both when they offer the referral and after theyve made it!
What To Leave Off Your Resume
There are some things that dont belong on a resume for a job. What you exclude is just as important as what you include. Ideally, your resume should reflect experience that is relevant to the job you are applying to, and typically no more than ten to fifteen years in the past. Since your resume should, if possible, be no longer than one or two pages, you may need to nix certain items.
For example, if you took a job and only stayed there for a month or so, you wouldnt want to include that position. If youve been out of college for more than five years, its generally best to remove any internships youve had, assuming you have other professional work experience to fill the gap.
However, this is a case where youll want to use your common sense. If you went to college for marketing and had a marketing internship your senior year, then worked as a server for the next several years, you would want to include your marketing internship.
Ultimately, you want to try to strike a balance between including experience that is both timely and relevant.
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Ditch The Objective Statement
According to Zhang, the only occasion when an objective section makes sense is when youre making a huge career change and need to explain from the get-go why your experience doesnt match up with the position youre applying to. In every other case? Consider whether a summary statement would be right for youor just nix it altogether to save space and focus on making the rest of your resume stellar.