Use The Right Language To Stand Out
Trite, lackluster descriptions of your job duties and accomplishments won’t do you any favors. Make sure you’re using strong action words like “achieved,””designed,””improved” and “established” to describe your roles and projects, said Sade. This, he said, will make you sound confident while imparting vital information. But be cautious about depending on action verbs make sure to include details about how you improved a process or achieved a goal.
“Words such as ‘professional,”results-driven’ and ‘detail-oriented’ provide very little helpful information,” Sade said. “It’s better to use actual job titles than these words.”
Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of applicant tracking software company JobDiva, also said that you should remove buzzwords like “go-getter,””team player” and “go-to person” from your resume. These come off as fluff and only take up precious space on your resume.
List Any Awards You’ve Won And When You Won Them
When you’ve been recognized by someone else, you should let potential employers know about it. But you shouldn’t worry if you haven’t received any awards just skip this section.
Examples:
Richmond County National Essay Contest, Honorable Mention, May 2006.
Honor Roll, South Satchewan High School, Junior and Senior Years, 20082010.
Format Relevant Leadership Experience Under Work Experience
Having a separate leadership experience section uses more space than necessary. Evaluate your leadership, decide which roles are truly relevant to the position youre applying for, then move the most relevant into your work experience section. Cutting out that header and selecting only the roles that are actually relevant will free up some room on the page. Looking for more leadership experience? Get it with these simple tips.
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Dont Restrict Work Experience To Work
Recently out of college with little work experience? Consider including major projects and papers you worked on as a student. Group projects and large research papers can involve the types of skills that many employers are after: communication, writing skills, time management, focus, project management, teamwork and research just to name a few, Reynolds said.
It can be tricky to decide where to place this kind of experience on your resume, but if the work youve done has largely occurred in an academic setting, the experts recommend listing it separately under a Relevant Experience section. Use titles like research partner, strategy lead, or project manager, and make clear any time restrictions you were bound by to emphasize that you are comfortable working on a deadline.
Prospective employers will be impressed by your ability to connect the dots from the classroom to the real world and communicate value beyond an assignments scope.
Pro tip: Only highlight projects that are relevant to a potential role.
How To Pick The Right Resume Format
There are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional or skills-based, and a combination of the two. The choice depends on the type of job you are applying for and your level of experience.
The 3 resume formats are:
1) Reverse chronological resume format – This is the most popular resume format and is ideal for people with plenty of work experience that is relevant to the position theyre interested in.
2) Functional/skills-based resume format If you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/recent graduate, or you are looking to make a career change, the skills-based format is a better choice.
3) Combination resume format The combination resume is a great choice for job-seekers with a very diverse skill-set. Its useful if youre applying for a role that requires expertise in 3-4 different fields, and you want to show all that in your resume. Say, for example, youre applying for a senior management role, and the requirements are expertise in Management, Sales, and Software Development.
So, which one do you go for?
In 90%+ cases, youd want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common one, and most HR managers are used to this. Hence, in this guide, were going to focus on this specific format.
If youre a recent graduate, or possess a diverse set of skills & work experience, you might want to pick one of the other 2 formats. Check out our guide to resume formats to learn how to write either.
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Select The Type Of Resume That Works For You
There are three types of resumes: chronological, functional and combination. The chronological resume lists job and education history in a reverse chronological order. The functional resume concentrates on skills and abilities. In this approach, names of employers, dates and education history details are omitted and the information is not presented chronologically.
Most employers prefer chronological resumes because the format makes it much easier to see the applicants career progression. The majority of the advice included here relates most closely with the chronological format. While a functional resume may work better for someone who is changing fields and wants to use a more skills-oriented format, it may be better to try a combination resume instead. This style combines the primary elements of the chronological and functional resume formats by presenting relevant skills and abilities but doing so in chronological order.
Transfer The Skills You Earned In Your Entry Position To The Job You Want
If you are embarking on a career change or are a recent graduate searching for that first position, it is a difficult task to transfer your skills, but it certainly isnt impossible. In fact, once you get into the habit of thinking in the right way, youll find transferring skills very simple.
In Resumes, covering letters and during interviews, you should always portray these skills as applicable to the job you seek. Concentrate on how the skills you have are applicable to each position. You should emphasize the right skills, for example, the skills that are mentioned in the job advert or description. For every item on your Resume, think about how you can present your experience as relevant.
Think of the skills you earned in your bartending, waiter or cashier of skills you can put into use in other roles such as customer service, front desk, administrative assistant, and others. To know what skills to emphasize, youll have to research the company and the position you are applying for. Responding to an advert is easy because you will find clues to the most important skills. You can also rarely go wrong emphasizing skills that all employers look for:
- Teamwork
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How To Ace Your Next Interview
Youve perfected both your resume & cover letter. Now, its time for the next step – the dreaded job interview.
Whether youre an extrovert or an introvert, you probably hate the interviewing process. After all, sitting there while someones prodding into your past experiences and judging the hell out of you isnt the most fun experience.
Did you know, though, that most interviewers ask the same questions? Yep – all you have to do is learn how to answer some of the most common interview questions, and youll be an interview away from landing your dream job!
Want to learn more? Check out our complete guide to Job Interview Questions and Answers.
Reach Out To Your Network
Arranging informational interviews with people you are connected to can also help your resume stand out, according to Schweikert. Most applications are submitted online, and the volume of resumes that hiring managers must sift through can be overwhelming at times so establishing a personal connection can help you get noticed, she says. Plus, if you are invited in for an official interview, you can bring up what you discussed at the informational one. You can say, hey I did a lot of research on the organization and met with Susie Q and they shared this with me,’ Schweikert says.
After your informational interview, you can reach out to that contact and ask that they glance over your resume, making sure to pose as many specific questions as possible about how you should tailor your resume to the company or specific role, Schweikert adds. For example, if you are struggling to decide whether to include your college activities on your resume, reaching out to your connection for advice can provide invaluable insight on whether that might be important to that company.
Kim also encourages informational interviews, as they are a great opportunity to learn more about an industry, company or specific role. There is also significant value in having someone else look over your resume. A second pair of eyes can bring a lot of fresh perspective, she says.
Write to Annabel Gutterman at .
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Make Your Header Stand Out
One tip for improving your resume is to create a header that stands out from the rest of the page. Your header should include your name and contact information, and you can use a large or bolded font to draw attention to your header. You can also separate your header from the rest of your resume with lines or other elements. This can add visual interest to your resume.
The Best Things To List On Your Resume If You Have No Experience
No professional experience on your resume? No problem as long as you read this guide on how to write a resume when you have no work experience.
There are plenty of reasons why you may not have any previous work experience to list on your resume. There are many other things you can add to your resume to show employers that you are the perfect candidate for their open job post.
When you dont have work experience, its important to highlight past activities, skills and other experiences youve had to show you have unique skills, professionalism and competency. When managers are hiring entry-level employees, the top two characteristics they are looking for in your resume are attitude and aptitude.
That is:
Keep these two traits in mind while writing your resume and add any relevant experiences that show that you have the attitude and aptitude for the job.
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Filler Weak Or Vague Wording
Words like âmanyâ, âmuchâ, âlittleâ, âa lot ofâ and their synonyms undermine the quality of your resume as they donât provide the full picture of your impact.
Resume Checker takes a stab at the not-performance-oriented experience and reminds you to include an actionable result, preferably with a number or metric achieved.
How Do Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems
Some employers use Applicant Tracking Systems that scan and parse your resume to automatically organize candidate information. This is convenient especially for companies that receive and evaluate a large number of resumes, such as Fortune 500 companies.
But a common misconception is that if a resume doesnât pass an ATS scan, theyâre automatically rejected. In fact, the path to an interview usually doesnât rely on a systemâs ability to scan and parse a resume.
Many companies donât want to let a bot filter out a good candidateâs resume. In the tech industry for example, talent such as software engineers and product designers are not easy to find. Recruiting teams in many of these companies manually review every resume that comes their way.
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Next Steps After Your Resume
Now that weve covered everything you need to know about how to create a resume, lets talk cover letters & interviews.
After all, your resume is only the first step in your job search. To really land that job you deserve, you also need to craft a killer cover letter, and ace that upcoming interview.
A Good Resume Is A Consistent Resume
Consistency is important for creating an impressive resume. This means all similar items on the page need to be aligned and formatted the same way. For example, if you decide to write your dates out in long-form and italicized, they need to be long-form and in italics every place there is a date on your resume. If you decide to put your school name in bold, every school name needs to be in bold.
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Free Certifications To Enhance Your Resume
ZipJob Team
5 min read
To maximize your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers, you need a resume that elevates you above the crowd. Your resume should demonstrate that youâre not only qualified, but a perfect fit for the companyâs team. Free certifications are a great way to enhance your resume, showcase your talent and qualifications, and stay within your budget.
Even if you aren’t job searching right now, certifications are a form of upskilling or reskilling. Learning new skills can help you at your current position or help you find new opportunities with your current employer. Many experts recommend summer as a good time to pick up a new certification .
Some jobs require that you possess certain certifications. Unfortunately, many job seekers donât know where to go to obtain certifications, or they question the value of paying for some popular certification programs. The good news is that there are several free certification options that you can include in your resume to boost your job profile and perceived value.
Here is the list of the seven free certification programs our team of experts recommend, followed by a summary of each item.
Key Skills Youve Learned In School And Other Experiences
After your professional summary, list your skills that are relevant to the position you are applying for. To get a good idea of the skills required for a job, simply browse job descriptions for that specific job title. Typically, within the requirements or qualifications section, there will be many skills listed that you can copy.
Dont be afraid to list skills that you havent used in a professional setting. If you have learned about them in school or if you have practiced these skills during an extracurricular activity, list them! Just make sure you are honest during an interview about your level of competency.
Example of how to list less than 10 key skills in a resume:
- Time Management
Example of how to list more than 10 key skills in a resume:
- Leadership: Team Management, Resource Planning, Budgeting
- Math: Data Entry, Data Analytics, Statistics
- Professionalism: Active Listening, Office Etiquette, Professional Communication, Time Management
- Languages: English , Spanish
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Personal Or Academic Projects Relevant To The Job
You can also list personal or academic projects relevant to the job you are applying for, such as a group project at school or a neighborhood summer bake sale. You just need to relate your projects with how you are a good fit for a companys position. Before writing a project down, think about how you will explain its relevance during an interview.
Formatting Sections On A Resume
Clearly separate resume sections by formatting them in underlined and bold using a size that is one or two points larger than the rest of the text. This helps a hiring manager easily scan through your resume and pick out the important information fast.
When creating a resume, especially when you have no experience, it saves a lot of time to use a resume building template. Using a free resume template allows you to focus on writing the content without spending too much time on formatting.
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Tailor Your Resume For Each Position
Its important to revise your resume to tailor it to each position you apply for. For each job, adjust the keywords in the skills section so that its a great fit for what the employer needs. You should also change what you emphasize in the professional history and educational experiences sections depending on whats listed in the job description.
Lifehikes Week : What To Expect
During LifeHikes Week 2021, you’ll get the opportunity to attend sessions curated by the world’s top leaders and innovators with a holistic approach to professional and personal development. This is an amazing chance to invest in growth, skill development, and lifelong learning with professionals from around the globe.
Join J.T. O’Donnell, founder and CEO of Work It Daily, for a live, intimate, and interactive conversation with the amazing Michelle Kydd Lee about the motivational power of women on Monday, September 20th from 3-4 pm EST. This event is FREE for the Work It Daily community!
You can also join and attend other sessions that week . Some of the sessions you have the opportunity to attend include a fireside chat with Adam Grant and Jodi Rabinowitz or Giancarlo Esposito or Ray Chambers and Jeff Weiner Kim Scott and Janina Kugel David Fizdale and Udonis Haslem or one of 15 other terrific round tables with global leaders and join the conversation.
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Bullet Points On Your Resume: Will They Make Me Look Lazy
Bullet points should absolutely be used on your resume, and will not make you look lazy. Instead, they will help draw recruiters or hiring managers attention to important points while allowing them to read through your resume faster.
Bullet points are a great way to create white space and break up information into shorter, easier-to-read points. They can help make your resume format cleaner and more easily accessible to the reader, but like paragraphs, they should not be overused. Instead, they should be used in conjunction with paragraphs to offer more information about your skills and experience.
However, if you get carried away and use too many bullet points, or use only bullet points, your great accomplishments, vast work experience, and key professional selling points will get lost in the mix. You need to balance the need for a clean and modern resume format with the need to effectively and accurately convey your employment history and relevant skills.
Just as with sentences within paragraphs, the magic number is three to five. As you list out each of your employment experiences, only include three to five bullet points per position that you have held. But wait, youre probably thinking, how can I convey my professional experience in three to five bullet points, especially at a job that I held for years and years?