Let Your Ideal Resume Show Off Your Exceptional Skills
Writing a great resume requires skills and patience.
And although we cant teach you patience, we can show you how to put your skills on a resume to good use:
- First, make a master list of all your skills.
- Then, go back to the job offer and tick off the skills your list and the job posting have in common.
- These are exactly the skills you need to highlight on your resume.
How to do this specifically?
Our guide on how to put skills on a resume will show you, along with some great examples and lists you can use on your resume.
And if you want to be 100% sure youve done everything right, read our article on the best resume tips and tricks.
Ensure that your resume matches up with your experience, education and qualification information that might be found on your online profiles. If a hiring manager spots any inconsistencies between the two, it may imply that you have something to hide. It can also suggest that you havent put the care and attention in thats expected when applying for a role and that youre unaware of how to manage your personal online brand effectively. Executive Director at Nigel Wright Group
Include Your Name And Contact Information
Your resume should begin with your name and contact information including your email address and phone number. You have a choice about whether or not to include your mailing address. Your name should be highly visible at the top of your resume with a bolded or larger font than the rest of the document, but no more than a 14 point size. You might also include a link to your online portfolio if you are applying to creative positions, for example.
Paper Resumes Are Still Important
Of course, in today’s age, hiring managers often visit LinkedIn profiles to skim through an applicant’s experience and presentation. Most hiring managers however do still rely on having a paper resume to provide them with a more curated and in-depth summary of one’s career.
A great resume is only a foot in the door, of course. and actual talent are paramount to landing the job of your dreams.
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Write A Structured And Job
Edit your resume for each application.
The skills and experiences that you highlight on your resume should reflect what is required for the role you are applying to. By sending a broad resume for every role, you may be failing to show how qualified you are.
Display your contact information.
Be sure to display your phone number and email address near the top of your resume so that employers can find that information easily.
Use positive verbs.
When describing your experience, use strong verbs to make your sentences more impactful. For example, use words like “established,” “initiated,” or “coordinated.”
Keep your layout simple.
Avoid complex fonts and using multiple colors. This comes off as unprofessional and can be difficult to read.
Edit your paragraphs.
Hiring managers read through hundreds of applications, so if your resume has long paragraphs, they are unlikely to read it fully. Keep your paragraphs concise.
Perfect Resume: How To Make A Great Resume In 6 Steps
A perfect resume is one that will land you an interview by convincing the recruiter youre perfect for the role. Dont know how to write one? We do, and were about to show you.
Resume studies say recruiters only spend 7 seconds looking at your resume.
A couple of seconds of someones time may decide about your entire professional life.
Thats why your resume must be perfect.
How to make one? And is it possible at all?
In this guide, youll learn:
- Why the perfect resume doesnt really exist.
- How to format your resume to make the most of it.
- What sections a great resume should have, and how to write each.
Save hours of work and get a resume like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from
What users say about ResumeLab:
I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: Wow! I love your resume.PatrickI love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!Dylan My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!George
Theres no such thing as the perfect resume suitable for each and every occasion.
And the reason why is pretty obvious:
Each job and employer has a different set of requirements and expectations. You may be a perfect fit for a particular type of position but not for every employer, and vice versa.
Each time you reply to a job offer.
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What Is The Best Resume Layout
The first thing a job recruiter notices about any resume is the layout.
Does it look organized or cluttered? Is it too short or too long? Is it boring and easy to ignore, or does it scream out Read me!?
Here are some of the best practices when it comes to your resume layout:
Resume Layout Must-Haves
1. One page in length. You should only go for 2 pages if you really, really believe that itll add significant value. HR managers in big firms get around 1,000+ resumes per month. Theyre not going to spend their valuable time reading your life story!
2. Clear section headings. Pick a heading and use it for all the section headers.
3. Ample white-space, especially around the margins.
4. Easy-to-read font. Wed recommend sticking to what stands out, but not too much. Do: Ubuntu, Roboto, Overpass, etc. Dont : Comic Sans
5. Pick the right font size. As a rule of thumb, go for 11 – 12 pt for normal text, and 14 – 16 pt for section titles.
6. As a rule of thumb, save your resume as PDF. Word is a popular alternative, but it has a good chance of messing up your resume formatting.
One more thing you need to consider in terms of resume layout is whether youre going for a traditional-looking free resume template or something a bit more modern:
If youre pursuing a career in a more traditional industry – legal, banking, finance, etc. – you might want to stick to the first.
Best Action Words To Use
Need help selecting the appropriate action words for your resume? We’ve created a PDF packed with 153 action words that are perfect for your resume.
When you only have 6 seconds to make an impression, prioritizing critical information is essential. Find out how to make your resume pass the 6-second skim test?
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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.
Tip : Revision And Review
One of the most important steps to writing a good resume is having others you trust look it over. A small spelling or grammar error on a resume could cause problems by making it seem like you lack attention to detail.
You can start with standard spelling and grammar checking programs. However, while these programs are very helpful, they are not enough by themselves. For example, the programs may not flag errors with homophones . They also have difficulty with uncommon, technical, or foreign words that may not be in their dictionaries. In addition, they are not looking for formatting inconsistencies or at the overall appearance of the resume. While computer programs can help with many issues, there is still no substitute for the human eye.
Start by printing a copy of your resume and looking for errors and inconsistencies yourself. Then, present copies to others along with a description of the job or educational opportunity that you are applying for. When presenting your resume to others, consider at least two kinds of people: a peer, and an experienced professional or teacher. Each may identify different issues with the resume.
Ask the reviewers to provide two types of notes: technical revisions and feedback on the writing, organization and effectiveness of the resume.
A good resume can help you land an interview, but even minor errors can take you out of the running. Schedule an appointment with a counselor to ensure it will be effective.
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Tailoring Your Resume To Each Job Application
Wait! Before you start moaning and groaning because you don’t want to write a new resume for each job you apply for, hit pause. Yes, you should be tailoring your resume to specific jobs, but this won’t necessarily require you to write an entirely new resume each time. You can easily customize your professional summary, skills section, and work experience to match each specific job.
The best way to write a targeted resume is to consider the job posting. See what skills and experience the company wants, and consider how you fit the description. Call out your most relevant experiences and qualifications in your professional summary, and integrate those keywords into your skills section and job descriptions.
Heres Everything You Need To Make Sure Your Resume Checks All The Boxes
Learn the key elements of the perfect resume.
Think your resume is nothing more than a few sentences and a handful of bullet points? Think again. Perfect resumes are crafted with care, each line contributing to a larger snapshot of who you are, what you do, how you’re prepared to blow your prospective employer out of the water with your one-of-a-kind skillset.
Okay, maybe we’ve oversold it a bit. Still, your resume is the document that does the heavy lifting in a job search, the meat and potatoes to your cover letter’s amuse-bouche. It’s not something you slap together in 30 minutesin fact, you’ll probably want to tailor at least a few items to each potential job on your list.
Sound intimidating? Don’t worry, it’s not that bad. And no, we won’t use the term “amuse-bouche” again in this article.
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Include Only Relevant Information And Delete Any Clutter
The rule for professionals is to include the last 15 years or so of employment on a resume. For students and new graduates you will want to include the most relevant experience first and then, if theres room, you may want to also include your summer jobs working at a local restaurant or retail store to highlight your interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills that are also very important to employers.
Save As A Pdf Or Word Document
You might’ve always been taught to save your resume as a PDF, but that’s not best practice since it won’t make your resume friendly for the applicant tracking systems. Sure, a PDF will help preserve the design and format of your resume, but applicant tracking systems are less likely to read it correctly. Of course, if the job listing says PDF files are acceptable, then you can submit your PDF. However, if a file type isn’t specified, play it safe by submitting a word document, saved as a .doc or .docx file.
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Improve Your Resume With These 5 Easy Steps
So youve finally gotten your resume written. It may have taken you some time to write your resume although, in my experience, its more about procrastination in getting started than it is about the actual time it takes to get a resume completed.
It really doesnt take that long to write a resume, but it does take time to decide what to include and to organize the information in a logical fashion. Once your resume is written, step away from it for a day or some and then come back to it and see if theres a way that you can make any improvements.
Make A Perfect Resume Education Section
The education section on your resume is just as important as any other.
A perfect resume will only be perfect if all its parts are nothing short of extraordinary.
Our guide on how to put education on a resume will show you exactly how to make the most of whatever level of education youve completed.
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Add In Your Work Experience
This section will most likely be the bulk of your resume. Even if youre changing careers, employers still want to see where youve worked, what youve done, and the impact of that work to get a sense of your background and expertise.
Your Work Experience might be one entire category, or you might choose to break it up into Relevant Experience and Additional Experience to highlight the jobs that are most important for hiring managers to focus on. Either way, youll almost always want to have your most recent experience at the top and your older experience down below.
Within your work experience, youll want to include each official job title, the company , and the years you worked there. Below that, youll add in two to four bullet points explaining what you did in that job, the skills you built and exercised, the tools you used, and the results of what you did. If you accomplished a lot during your time there, focus on the responsibilities that made the most impact or youre the most proud of, as well as the ones that best align you with the job youre applying for . Its key here to list, if relevant, quantitative as well as qualitative accomplishments.
For example, you might write:
Associate Accountant, Finances and Co., Ann Arbor, MI
If you have a ton of experience and this category is starting to run long , consider kicking out your oldest jobs unless theyre super relevant to the job youre applying for, or extra impressive for your field.
Resume Tips And Tricks
Are you looking for more resume tips and advice? Check out the resume tips section of our blog for more advice and insights.
As resume trends come and go, there are some trends that we forget should be removed. Any recruiter can give you a laundry list of things to exclude from your resume, such as words, descriptions, phrases, and other fluff. Writing a resume is all about keeping it straightforward and focused, removing all the fluff so that recruiters can see your experience and accomplishments. Here are just a few examples of what to remove from your resume.
- Reference up request. Nothing says outdated more than this. If a hiring manager wants a reference, theyâll ask you for a reference. There is no need to have this taking up space on your resume.
- Helped, worked, or superlatives. Use action words or phrases and be specific. Everyone has worked or helped. Write out specific measures you took. Learn more about being specific in this guide.
- Proficient with. This needs to be stopped. Almost everyone is familiar with Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Unless your job is centered around these apps, take them off your resume.
There are many doâs and donâts when it comes to resume writing, and you can learn more about what you should include on your resume in this great article.
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Move Your Most Relevant Achievements And Skills To The Top
Arrange your resume sections to get your most job-relevant selling points to the top of the page where the hiring manager is most likely to see them.
For example, if youre a recent college graduate without much work history, place your education section above your work experience section.
Or if youre changing careers, place your skills section near the top of the page to emphasize your soft skills and hard skills that will help you in the new role.
Simple Resume Writing Tips To Help You Stand Out
Your resume is the most important document you’ll submit in your job search. It’s your front-line fighter, so to speak, as it’s your first opportunity to present yourself to a potential employer.
A strong resume can help you stand out from the crowd, but a weak resume can remove you from the running, so you want to do all you can to make sure your resume is the best it can be.
It can be difficult to succinctly present all of your experiences and qualifications, but there are many ways to spruce up your resume without going overboard. To help you land an interview, Business News Daily rounded up some of the experts’ best resume writing tips.
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