How To Structure A Resume

Validate Your Story Line

Earlier we discussed the power of personal branding in your value proposition. Your brand represents what you can do for the company. In Maries case, she has been propagating her brand by expertly weaving her story line throughout her resume.

She needs to validate her story line through her personal information and details. Hiring managers tend to prioritize candidates who work to maintain a strong online presence through social media particularly LinkedIn.

Before submitting her resume, Marie has to beef up her LinkedIn profile and update it to reflect her interest in digital advertising. There are many ways she can do this:

• LinkedIn has a great platform for blogging. If Marie had serious intentions of switching careers, she should have published blogs related to the digital advertising industry.
• She could update her resume by indicating she had been taking courses on graphic design and on other activities related to digital advertising.
• She could post updates that she is attending seminars and workshops on the digital advertising industry.

The bottom-line is social media is a great platform to share the world what you are up to. Hiring managers will see you as someone who is committed to your goal of joining their company. And sometimes that is all the push they need to invite you for an interview.

Objective Vs Summary Statement

Whether you should use an objective or a summary statement depends on the type of career youre applying for. A summary statement is best for candidates who are planning to move into a role thats similar to the one they currently hold or previously held. For example, if you are working as a project manager in one industry and plan to apply for a project management position in a different industry.

A resume objective is ideal for students, recent graduates, those looking to change careers or those who want to take a different, more advanced position. An objective allows candidates to highlight their most relevant skills to demonstrate their aptitude for a position, even if they dont have any prior experience in the position.

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.

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Which Resume Format 2022

Ultimately, no resume format is more correct than another. It all comes down to your experience, industry and potential employer. When choosing a resume format for 2022, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine which resume format is right for you.

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, you may want to consider switching from a chronological format to a functional or combined one:

• Do I have a rare skill set I want the employer to notice right away?
• Am I switching to a different career or job function where I have no previous work experience?
• Have I learned a variety of important skills in only one or two positions?
• Will my prospective employer appreciate a fresh and direct approach to resume formatting?

While combined resumes will be on the rise in the coming years, that doesnt mean a nontraditional format is for everyone. Here are some situations in which a chronological format is likely the best choice:

• Your knowledge from previous workplaces is more important that standalone skills
• You are applying to a large company which has a traditional structure
• Your competition likely have traditional career paths with impressive employers
• You have a sizeable amount of work history directly related to your prospective position
• Youve worked at other companies comparable to your prospective employer

We also have made a chart to see which resume format is the best for you:

Second Choose The Best Opening Element To Introduce Yourself

When youre looking to stand out from a thick pile of applicants, it helps to have an opening statement that catches the readers eye.

There are multiple options for your introductory element depending on the position and your skills, such as:

• Objective. An objective is a short declaration of what you are seeking from the position and why you should be considered to fill it. Many applicants now opt to replace an objective with one of the modern variants below.
• Profile. A profile focuses on highlighting the skills you are bringing to the position which would make you an excellent hire. This is particularly useful if your skills outshine your prior experience in the industry in which you are applying.
• Summary Statement. When you have a long work history within an industry, a summary statement allows you to briefly note some of your most impressive positions.
• Branding Statement. If you value brevity, a branding statement is a catchy, single sentence summary of why you are qualified for the job by highlighting your best attributes.
• Headline. A well-constructed headline tells an employer who you are with a single statement which focuses on your professional qualifications.

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Examples Of Resume Headlines

Here are some examples of resume headlines to give you ideas as you craft your own:

• Goal-oriented sales manager with 10 years of experience in technology
• Ambitious project manager who consistently beats budgets and deadlines by 25%
• Dedicated customer service representative with 7+ years of experience with high-volume call centers
• Bilingual nurse with 5+ years of experience in critical care
• Enthusiastic retail professional with 3+ years experience in sports apparel
• Growth marketing manager with 10 years of experience in online advertising

It’s Easy To Write A Resume With Our Builder

Now that youve learned everything about writing an excellent resume, let us help you out even more. Hlooms Resume Builder is a top-of-the-line resume-writing tool. If writing a resume on your own sounds intimidating, our builder will be your helpful guide. Take advantage of our professionally designed templates and automatic suggested text to craft a resume that looks and sounds professional.

Refined

This simple layout features a traditional font and the clever use of section borders to help each section of your resume stand out.

Standout

This distinctive two-column resume template identifies your name and professional experience in a bold color and clean presentation.

Original

A clever design that breaks each of your professional accomplishments into distinct sections while following a format that will pass applicant tracking systems.

Acclaimed

The elegant initials, simple header and strategic use of bullet points in this template help keep your professional accomplishments well-organized.

Accentuate

The bold use of a colorblocked heading paired with an elegant resume layout helps your name and contact information stand out.

Insightful

This structured design combines a two-column approach with bullet points to highlight your key accomplishments and professional history.

Whitespace

A traditional template uses a crisp combination of dark text and thin borders to radiate professionalism. Your name sits prominently above your professional history.

Knowledgeable Remarkable

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Spelling And Grammar Mistakes

Always proofread your resume before you send it out! This includes double checking your contact information. It wont do you any good if you have the perfect resume and employers who want to hire you if they keep calling the wrong number or emailing the wrong email. Double check! Thencheck again!

Similarly, dont forget about punctuation! According to the Cawley Career Education Center at Georgetown University, be consistent in your use of punctuation throughout the document. For instance, either use periods at the end of all your bullets or not. Great advice!

Use Your Judgment When It Comes To Creativity

Some industries and professionals are more creative than others. Keep this in mind as you decide whether to use images or color on your resume. If youre working in creative industries like digital media or design, being more creative with your resume can be appropriate and help you stand out as a candidate. If youre applying for a position in a more traditional industry, such as finance, or a corporate position, its best to leave your resume black and white.

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Keep Your Resume An Appropriate Length

The proper resume length for most people is one page, especially if youre a recent graduate or have less than five years of work experience.

Hiring managers are typically busy, and one page gives you enough space to summarize your main qualifications and achievements without using up their time.

However, if you have more than 10 years of relevant work experience, you can use a two page resume to communicate the depth of your experience and skills.

How To Write A Travel Agent Resume

Before you start writing, make sure you know how to write a resume in a way that best emphasizes your strengths.

If youve always wanted to pursue a career in the travel industry, nows the right time to do it. As most countries drop pandemic restrictions, international travel has quickly been picking back up, and more travelers are ready to venture away from home.

But that doesnt mean becoming a travel agent will be easy. Youll need a strong application to compete with similarly qualified applicants.

Here are three writing tips to help you write a job-winning travel agent resume.

You may have come across a similar title such as travel consultant when looking for a travel agent job. This job title is sometimes used interchangeably, but its actually a different position. Remember to read the job description extra carefully before applying.

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Heres How To Format A Resume Step By Step:

1. Set one-inch margins on all sides.

2. Divide your resume into sections.

In the following order: contact information, summary or objective, work experience, education, skills, and additional sections .

3. Choose a clear, legible, and elegant resume font.

Stick to it throughout your resume. Go for 11 or 12 pt. Use 14 to 16 pt for your name at the top and bold for section headings.

4. Put a single blank line before and after your section headings.

5. In the experience and education sections, use reverse-chronological order.

Start with your most recent job or school, follow it with the one before it, and so on.

6. Make strategic use of bullet points.

They save space and help you get your message across concisely.

7. Try to make a one-page resume, but dont obsess over it.

Its better to have a two-pager than to omit important information. Its even worse if you jam-pack the contents of your resume using tiny fonts and too little white space. How far back should a resume go? 10 to 15 years will more than suffice in most cases.

8. Save your resume in the PDF format.

Unless the job ad states otherwise, submit your resume in PDF. Word files can go south in transit.

These are the basics. But theres more to resume layout than this.

In the next section, you will see how to choose the best resume format for your job application.

What Is A Resume

You should also familiarize yourself with the difference between a resume and a cover letter:

• A resume is typically sent with a cover letter, which is a document that provides additional information on your skills and experience in letter form.
• A resume is a concise, often bulleted summary, while a cover letter highlights and expands on certain traits or accomplishments that would be unique or ideal assets for the particular job.

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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.

How To Choose The Best Resume Format For You In 2021

The first thing you have to do when settling on what type of resume you plan to write , is figure out which resume format or resume layout matches your needs and who you are. While its true that in 2021 you tend to see less chronological resumes out there, the fact is your resume format choice should depend more on your experience and situation more than anything.

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUMES are great for people who have had a steady career path in the same field for a long period of time or are applying for jobs in similar fields and has few, if any, gaps in their employment history.

Employers like chronological resumes because its easy to see, at a glance, what an employee has done in the past. For people who have stayed within the same industry their whole career and havent moved around much, its a great option as it shows a potential employer quickly and easily your progression.

For example, executives who have had a steady progression to the top would benefit from a chronological resume.

Chronological resumes are also great for people who are just starting out or find themselves in the mid-level of their careers.

When organizing your chronological resume, you want to make sure you keep the following categories in this order

• Objective Statement or Summary Statement

• Experience/Qualifications
• Education

People just entering the job market can also benefit from a functional resume as it focuses more on skills than past work history.

• Objective Statement or Summary Statement

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Highlight Your Relevant Job Skills

Hiring managers are on the lookout for candidates who have relevant, job-specific skills. While listing a heap of skills on your resume doesnt actually prove youre skilled, incorporating your various skills into different sections will catch the eye of whoever is vetting your application.

For instance, you can showcase your hard and soft skills in your introduction and work experience section. And of course, you should also list your most valuable abilities in your resumes skills section.

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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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.

Choosing The Best Resume Format

Here are our top 5 tips for choosing a resume format and finishing it inside a resume builder:

Check out this video for more tips on deciding which format is right for you.

If you spent at least some portion of your career believing that there was only one correct way to format a resume, wed understand. Most people are familiar with the reverse chronological resume format which dictates that you begin your resume with your most recent position and work backwards from there. Although chronological may still be the most common format, that doesnt mean its right for everyone. Many candidates find that selecting a different resume format better allows them to highlight their diverse experiences and unique skills.

In the chapters below, well cover everything you need to know about selecting the perfect resume formats including:

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