List Your Professional History With Keywords
Write your professional history section in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most recent job and provide a short description including the company name, time period in which you were employed, your job title and a few key achievements during your time at the company. You might also include relevant learnings or growth opportunities you experienced while employed there.
When listing your professional history, you should keep a few best practices in mind:
- Use numbers to measure your impact, when possible. Including specific numerical achievements can help employers understand your direct potential value to their company.
Example: Developed new process for requesting supplies, reducing fulfillment time by 10%.
- Use keywords from the job description. Similar to your skills section, you should also include information from the job description in your job history bullets. For example, if the job description mentions the importance of meeting sales quotas, you could include information about how youve met or exceeded quotas in past roles.
Example: Achieved goal of reaching 250% annual sales quota, winning sales MVP two quarters in a row.
Follow the same process for other work experiences. If you do not have extensive professional history, you should also include internships and volunteer opportunities following the same format.
And Lets Wrap It All Up
If youve followed all of our advice until now, congrats! Youre probably an expert on how to make a resume.
To wrap it all up, lets brush up on some of the most important lessons weve learned so far…
- Use the rightresume builder. You dont want to mess around with formatting for hours before even starting to work on your resume!
- Focus on achievements. Mention your achievements instead of responsibilities, so that you stand out from all the other applicants.
- Include the must-have sections. That is, resume summary, work experience, education, and skills.
- Tailor for the job. Everything listed on your resume should be relevant for the job youre applying for.
- Perfect your cover letter. Its as important as your resume, so make sure you pay as much attention to it!;
At Novorésumé, were committed to helping you get the job you deserve, every step of the way! Follow our career blog to stay up to date with industry-leading advice. Or, check out some of our top guides:
Andrei Kurtuy
What Are The Most Popular Resume Formats
There are three main resume formats: Reverse-chronological resumes list work experiences and skills in reverse-chronological order. This is the most common resume format. Functional resumes focus on skills as opposed to chronology and work experiences. Combination resumes are hybrids of the above resume formats. They highlight your work experience in reverse-chronological order, but also have sections on your skillset. The format you choose will depend on the nature of the position youre applying for.
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Do I Need A Different Resume For Every Job I Apply To
Ideally, yes. Since each job requires different skills and capabilities, its a good idea to adapt your resume depending on the job youre applying to. For example, if youre applying for a job in marine biology, your experience in volunteering at the aquarium would be relevant, but if youre applying for an administrative position, you should highlight your experience as a virtual assistant. However, the basic structure and information on your resume can stay the same.
What Is An Applicant Tracking System
An Applicant Tracking System is a type of software companies use to quickly determine if an applicant is qualified for a job opening.
ATS software automatically scans and processes each job application sent to a company, and then disqualifies applications that dont meet the requirements the company set. Such requirements usually include things like job-related technical skills, certifications, and work experience.
If your resume doesnt get past the ATS, your application will likely be rejected before it ever reaches the hiring manager.
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Always Provide Quantifiable Achievements
One of the most common pieces of advice we hear from recruiters is provide results, not responsibilities.
Well, yeah, its great advice. But we can do even better than that.
- Baseline: when describing your experience, demonstrate the impact of your work and contribution to the bottom-line of a company
- Stand out: Add quantifiable achievements to other sections of your resume, creating a cohesive rainmaker narrative.
Compare these two Experience sections from our job-winning Tech resume guide.
The first example may seem clean and concise, but in reality, its generic and doesnt bring impact.
When you provide quantifiable achievements in your resume, its not about bragging with numbers.
It gives recruiters the impression that the person knows the impact of their work and their value to the company. And knowing your impact makes you more effective and loyal, a recruiters dream.
Heres a formula we are using to describe our experience in an engaging and impactful manner:
Accomplished as measured in by doing
Just remember that quantifiable achievements dont necessarily mean numeric achievements. Simply adding numbers to something doesnt make it impactful.
As long as what you did makes an impact and benefits the company, it will resonate with recruiters.
The best part is that you can demonstrate impact throughout other sections of your resume, instantly making them more engaging and effective: Summary, Projects, even your headline.
What Are Employers Looking For In A Resume
Hiring managers look for three things on your resume, What did you do? Why did you do it? And what was the result? says Muse career coach , owner of Career Therapy. If you can answer all three of these questions in…your resume bullet points, youre going to be on the right track.
Clear, easy-to-understand language is key. The truth is that most resumes make no sense. They are stuffed with jargon, they are too technical, and they are filled with redundancies. Try to read a resume that isnt yours and you will quickly realize that it feels like an alien wrote it, McGovern adds. Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter who has no idea how your role workshow can you make your resume accessible to them?
The hiring manager also cares about more than just you and you alonethey care about you in relation to them. Hiring managers want to see if a candidate matches the requirements of the role theyre hiring for, Yurovsky explains. Your resume should paint this picture so the hiring manager not only knows what day-to-day responsibilities you can handle, but why you, above other, bring value to their organization.
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The Creative Angle: An Infographic Resume Or Resume Website
This resume type is characterized by how its formatted visually. You may choose a reverse chronological order or skills-based style to organize your information, but also use graphics, colors, unique fonts, and even multimedia elements to help that information pop. Keep in mind that any creative resume is still likely subject to an ATSand certain elements may be unreadable by a robot. So consider going this route only if you know a human will be reading your resume .
Who its good for: People applying to creative roles , startups, or fun companies, or to jobs where a creative resume is encouraged, if not required.
Not a designer but want your resume to look just as pretty as this example? Check out these articles:
Your resume is a living, breathing document. So while you wont go through this whole process every time you apply for a job, you should be thinking about all these things as you go to update your resume for your next career step. You might decide later on to switch up the order, or remove or add things, or even get creative and try out a whole new format. If youre not getting the calls back you expect, you may decide to scrap it and start overand thats totally OK.
Fast Company
The Most Popular: A Reverse Chronological Resume
As previously mentioned, a reverse chronological resume is preferred by many coaches and HR experts, mainly because its super readable. When everythings in a clear order, its easy to skim and even easier to draw lines between experiences.
Who its good for: Just about everyonefrom students applying to internships all the way up to senior-level executives
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Consider Adding Optional Sections
If you have significant white space on your resume, consider adding an achievements or interests section. This can help supplement a shorter resume, especially for those with limited work and educational experience. Makes sure that the achievements and interests you list support your career goals and are relevant to potential employers.
What Is A Resume
A resume is a summary of your career, whether yours is just getting started or has been going on for years. Coming in at around one page in length , it showcases the jobs youve held and currently hold, the responsibilities youve taken on, the skills youve developed, and the qualities you bring to the table as an employee. Together, those things make it super easy for any hiring manager to see your qualifications and fit for a role.
For all the work you may put into writing one, hiring managers actually spend very little timemere seconds in many caseslooking at your resume. But despite this sad fact, its safe to say that creating a great resume still matters.
If you miss the mark, your resume may never be read. Even worse, you might be removed from the applicant pool by a computer before a human even knows you exist, says Muse career coach Heather Yurovsky, founder of Shatter & Shine. So you want to get it right because, as she explains, isnt the goal to spend less time looking for a job and more time in a role you love?
And although LinkedIn has plenty of benefits, a resume has one clear advantage: While your LinkedIn is usually a broader picture of your career trajectory, your resume gives you the opportunity to tailor your career story to a specific role or company .
Oh, and youve probably heard of something called a CV? Its slightly different from a resume, and usually more common with academics and job seekers outside the U.S.
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Polish Up Your Grammar And Formatting
Resume writing is a unique style. It can be tricky to remember which tense to use or when to omit pronouns. How can you use language to tell a more compelling story? Which fonts and formats are ATS-friendly? Lets take a look.
Resume Fonts
Its important to use a font that is easy to read on screen, ATS-compatible, and commonly available. A few traditional resume fonts to consider include Helvetica, Garamond, or Georgia. Avoid using script fonts or custom fonts unless you are a designer. Dont use a font size below 10.
Tense and Pronouns
Use past tense when talking about jobs in the past, and present tense when describing the work you are currently doing. Traditional resume writing leaves out personal pronouns and gets right to the action. Ex. Spearheaded a new email marketing initiative that increased revenue by 10 percent.
Resume Action Words
Action verbs help liven up your writing, making your resume more readable for recruiters and hiring managers. Consider beginning each bullet point on your resume with an action verb and replacing generic verbs like managed or led with more engaging words like mentored or accelerated.
Why You Should Definitely List Freelance Work On Your Resume
Freelance work is work, right? You may have been self employed, but that doesnt mean the work youve done is any less valuable, freelancing full time is not easy and its just as important to include your freelance work on your resume.
Plus, if youve been freelancing in-between jobs, listing your freelance work can show you didnt have an actual gap in employment. Taking on freelance work in-between jobs shows employers the you
- Have other marketable skills/talents
- Continued to apply your skills to make an income
- Are not the type of person who just waits around for the next opportunity, you create your own
- Work hard to continue to provide value to the world around you
- Know how to run your own business
Your resume should show chronological employment, and freelance work can help fill in those spaces on your resume.
If youve been freelancing on the side of your day job, listing freelance work shows that you take opportunities to grow outside of your position and that you put in extra work to gain more experience. You use your time both in and out of the office to excel professionally.
Now, all of these reasons probably resonate with you if youve been doing freelance jobs that are clearly relevant to your desired position.
But what if the freelance work youve been doing doesnt necessarily fall in line with the work youre hoping to obtain?
There is still immense value in the freelance work youve done regardless of the industry.
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Always List Out Relevant Skills And Experience
If you are applying for a job related to plumbing, then you must know that the hiring manager is not going to be interested in how much experience you have in cooking. You must always make sure that the experience and skills that you add to the resume are relevant to the job position you are applying for. This is one of the best ways to win the interest of the employer.
How To List Education On Your Resume
The next section were going to cover is your Education. Lets start with the basics – how to format the education section & what to mention there. Then, well move on to tips & tricks thatll help you stand out
- Program Name. E.g.: B.A. in Business Administration
- University Name. E.g.: New York State University
- Years Attended. E.g.: 08/2008 – 06/2012
- GPA. E.g.: 3.9 GPA
- Honors. E.g.:Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude.
- Academic achievements. Any interesting papers youve written, courses youve excelled in, etc.
- Minor. Minor in Psychology
Here’s an example:
Tips on perfecting your education section:
- If you dont have any work experience, mention your education section first.
- Mention your latest educational entry on top.
- If you have a university degree, dont mention your high school at all.
- ONLY mention GPA if you had a very impressive academic career .
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Utilize Quantitative Information Whenever Possible
Our minds automatically respond to numbers, percentages, and dollar signs. Rather than using words to describe these achievements, use numbers and symbols. Whatever you can do as an applicant to keep the eyes on your document means that you have a better chance of being noticed.
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How To Show Remote Work Experience On Your Resume
With the pandemic forcing the layoffs and furloughs of millions of people to date, many qualified and dedicated professionals are on the hunt for a new job. While some grocery stores and big box chains are hiring, you may decide to pursue a work-from-home job until the economy returns to normal. Or, you may decide that its the best permanent fit for you moving forward.
Either way, the ability to work remotely is a skill in and of itself. Showcasing a track record of success and remote work skills boosts employment prospects for work-from-home employment opportunities. Of course, not everyone has worked a remote job before. But, that doesnt mean you wont be a productive and successful remote employee. You just have to know what skills companies want for remote jobs and how to point them out to potential employers.
So, how do you properly show your remote work experience on a resume? Here are some tips to help you showcase this information.
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What Features Does The Zety Creator Offer
Zety is actually a suite of tools designed to help you create application documents:
- Resume and CV builder
- Templates for various application documents
- Built-in content and suggestions
- Printable downloads in .txt, .pdf, and .doc
- Resume checker
- And almost a 1,000 articles available for free on the site
How To Write 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 Write a Resume – Step by step
So, lets dive right in!
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Use Simple Text In The Resume
While creating a resume, always make sure that you are using the simplest text. Not only should the information be presented in a simple and active language, but you also have to make sure that your font style is very clear. You should always use Calibri or Arial font style in the resume because the text in this font style looks very neat and clean. Also, know that the font size should also not be more than 11 or 12 Pts.