What Your Resume Should Look Like To Get Job Offers Right Off The Bat
Certified Resume Writer Career Coach Executive Resume Writer CPRW
2022 has seen a major shift in the currents of the US job market. Job seekers are leaving current jobs more than ever now to look for better opportunities for growth and higher pay.
If the last time you applied for a job was in 2010, your resume might lack several factors that are considered important in 2022. So, before you start sending out the same old resume for new job applications, read this guide to find out what should change.
One big question most of our clients have is why the looks of their resume would matter when they have a 15-year history of impeccable performance and unsurpassable achievements. They are not wrong to ask so. When it comes to your resume, the content is the most important thing.
However, no one wants to read an unattractive resume that follows the same formatting as every other resume on the market. Your resume must be visually engaging, to draw the eye of an interested reader. A basic 5-minute resume from an online resume maker can narrate your entire career history to a reader, but it would not manage to wow anyone.
You should manage to maintain the balance between the visual appeal of your resume and the content. In most industries, flashy colors and unique designs are not considered ideal by recruiters.
How To Make A Resume
Before you even start working on your resume, you need to decide how youre going to build it.
And no – you shouldnt use a basic text editor. While this IS the most popular method for creating a resume, its very far from the best.
With a basic text editor resume, youll need to spend hours playing with the formatting. You make a minor change and BAM! Your entire resume layout gets messed up.
Instead of using a text editor, we recommend choosing a resume builder, such as Novorésumé. Our resume builder is fast, easy, and to put the icing on the cake, a Novorésumé looks much better and can fit more information than your average, cookie-cutter resume…
To get the most out of this guide, you can head over to the resume builder and start building your resume on-the-go as you read this guide.
Stick With Two Fonts At Most
What should a resume look like so that you are memorable in a good way and not because you embarrassed yourself? Stick with simplicity. It’s tempting to use all of the typefaces at your disposal, but having more than two fonts in any document only lessens its readability. One font is all you really need. If you use two, make sure they complement each other. For example, use one font for the headings and the second font for the body text.
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How To Discover Skills The Company Values
You need to use the job description to customize your resume skills and work history sections. But dont stop there. Research the employer to gain insight into the workplace culture and company values. You may discover additional qualities that would be prized by the employer.
If you know someone who works at the company, or has in the past, reach out to ask about the workplace culture and what the employer considers important in its workers. Also check websites such as Glassdoor and Fairygodboss for company reviews by employees and former employees.
The companys website can tell you a lot, too. Reading the About Us page is typically a good place to begin.
For instance, in a section called Living our values, IBM includes the following:
- Dedication to every clients success
- Innovation that matters for our company and for the world
- Trust and responsibility in all relationships
If you were applying for a job at IBM, you would want to consider what soft skills you possess that fit this framework customer service, attentiveness, initiative and loyalty and weave them into your resume.
Here at Robert Half, we focus on and promote our four LEAD principles. They are:
- Leadership by Example
- An Openness to New Ideas
- Dedication to Excellence
If youre applying for a job at Robert Half, you might highlight skills that speak to your leadership, drive and diligence, as well as your confidence and ability to collaborate.
Make Your Font Size 10 To 12 Points
Another factor in making your words clear and readable is setting an appropriate font size. Generally, you should stay between 10 and 12 points. If you have a shorter resume and are trying to fill space, select a 12-point font. Anything larger might appear unprofessional. If you have a lot of information on your resume, start with a 10-point font and increase it if you have space.
If your resume is still more than one page with 10-point font, avoid reducing your font further. Instead, see if there is an opportunity to make your ideas more concise. You can do this by removing any irrelevant or extraneous information, combining ideas or making your ideas briefer with shorter sentences and fewer filler words.
For example, heres a sentence in a resume that can be shortened:
Performed inventory audits every month and discovered issues with over-ordering executed an organization solution across all teams which resulted in a 10% increase in revenue over the next two quarters.
Make your ideas concise and remove filler words to include only the core value of your statement:
Performed regular inventory audits, identifying and solving over-ordering issues to achieve 10% revenue increase.
Here are a few other ways you can use to make a shorter resume:
Related:Q& A: How Long Should a Resume Be?
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Attract Readers By Using Formatting To Your Advantage
Strategic formatting is your biggest ally when writing a powerful resume that draws the readers attention to the important facts.
Use ample spacing between resume sections to make your resume an easy read for the hiring manager. Sprinkle keywords throughout your resume to make yourself seem the ideal candidate for the ATS. White space is an important factor that decides the readability of a human reader, so dont go cramming every space on your resume with facts.
Allow the reader to smoothly transition between resume sections by using distinct resume headings, bold text, italic text, underlines, and bullets.
Some candidates choose to use bold text to emphasize their quantifiable achievements. This is a winning move since recruiters are the most moved by metrics. Resume Mansion advises you to lead with percentages instead of actual dollars when quantifying your professional accomplishments.
Make Your Resume Stand Out
If youre applying for an investment banking job, a hot-pink resume probably wont do you any favors. But subtle pops of color, like the orange used here, will work for just about everyone.
Its very minimal, and gives a bit of a design element, Leavy-Detrick says.
If you do use color, Use it sparingly, she warns. Stick to one color, and one color thats going to print well.
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What Does A Good Resume Look Like
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
Related: Resume Tips: Avoid These 8 Mistakes
In this video, Holl shares the 8 most common resume mistakes and provides tips and strategies on how to write a winning resume.
A resume gives you the opportunity to present your background, experience and abilities to an employer before meeting with them. A well-written resume should highlight your qualifications for the position you have applied for. In this article, well review what makes a resume look good and provide some examples.
Read more: Resume Samples and Templates To Inspire Your Next Application
Important Facts About The Federal Hiring Process
- The federal government does have a standard job application. Your resume is your application.
- Hiring agencies use the job announcement to describe the job and list the required qualifications and responsibilities.
- After applying, the hiring agency uses the information in your resume to verify if you have the required qualifications stated in the job announcement.
- Once the hiring agency has determined who is qualified, they may use other assessments such as interviews or testing to determine the best qualified applications.
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Include Strong Data Numbers And Performance Indicators Where Appropriate
Going off of our last point, its a great idea to keep a list of personal metrics on hand to include within your resume later. Say you grew the revenue your team generated by 20% last year, thats impressive include it! Maybe you created 15 new processes that streamlined business functions add it!
What were saying here is that numbers stand out. They tell future employers exactly what you accomplished in the past and what you can potentially do for them in the future. So, if you can include your own personal metrics on your resume, do it!
How To Write A Convincing Cover Letter
Every job application consists of 2 parts – the resume and the cover letter. Now that weve covered the first, lets briefly explain the latter.
Most job-seekers flinch when they hear that they have to write a cover letter. What do you even mention in a cover letter, anyway? If you were good at writing cover letters, youd be applying for a writing job!
In reality, though, writing a cover letter is pretty simple, if you know its purpose.
You should think of a cover letter as a direct message to the hiring manager. You get to briefly explain why youre such an awesome fit for the position. When we put it that way, it doesnt sound as hard, does it?
Heres a format you could follow:
- Introduce yourself – As a start, give a brief run-down on your work experience and mention why youre interested in working for the company youre applying for. You can also mention 1-2 of your top professional achievements to leave a good first impression.
- Explain how youd excel at the job – Identify the top 3 requirements in the job ad. Then, dedicate one paragraph to explaining how you fulfil each requirement. So for example, if the requirement is Facebook Advertising Experience, mention how you have done Facebook ads in the past and how youve excelled at it.
- Wrap it up and say thanks – Thank the reader for reading your cover letter and propose the next steps. For example, If youd like to know more about my experience with Project XYZ, Id love to chat!
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Formatting Your Margins And Spacing
When you format your resume you want to make sure that your leave enough margin space to allow for printing. If you try to adjust your margins and make them too narrow in order to fit more into your page, you run the risk of critical information being cut off if an employer prints it out.
Inversely, making your margins too large will leave your resume looking boxed in and squished. The general rule is to set your margins at one inch on all sides.
Think of your resume as a piece of fine artwork. Your margins should create a beautiful frame around it. If youre truly desperate for space, you can slightly adjust your top and bottom margins but try to avoid adjusting your side margins.
In terms of the spacing, keep your resume to single-spaced with a blank line between each section of your content.
Consulting Resumes Should Look Data
The first attribute of consulting style resumes is data-driven and result-oriented. No matter how trivial a task is, you must clearly show the outcome/impact of that task and back it up with measurable figures. This shows output-driven thinking, and consultants love that!
For example, if you flipped burgers at a local fast-food restaurant, show the screeners your record-breaking speed, or your perfect customer satisfaction rate!
Example:
Input way of thinking: I went grocery shopping
Output way of thinking: I went grocery shopping and ensured my whole family will have enough food for the next week.
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What To Leave Off A Resume
Be discerning with the contentdont list salary requirements, use tables or columns, or tick off every job youve ever had. The same goes for social media profiles. Unless your Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook feeds are relevant to the job youre applying for, its probably best to leave those off your resume.
Only include them if they add value in some way, Leavy-Detrick says. If you have zero followers, you may not want to advertise that.
Remain Consistent Throughout The Resume
As employers scan your resume, they often search for sections that are neatly placed and use the same patterns throughout the document. Try to keep your fonts consistent within each section. For example, if you use a specific font style for one part of your work experience section, keep the same sizes and styles throughout the entire section. Try to avoid using more than two fonts in your resume to maintain consistency.
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Finally Review Your Resume
Finally, create some distance between you and your resume and analyze how it looks. If your resume looks cluttered, youll need to make adjustments. Create more spacing between sections or increase the size of headings if needed. Its also important to read through your resume to ensure it flows and makes sense.
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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Use Similar Terms And Address Every Required Qualification
Your experience needs to address every required qualification in the job announcement. Hiring agencies will look for specific terms in your resume to make sure you have the experience theyre seeking.
For example, if the qualifications section says you need experience with MS Project you need to use the words MS Project in your resume.
Colorful Abstract Theatre Resume
The name of this template speaks for itself. This is an excellent resume format for experienced professionals and new job seekers. This stunningly simple resume template makes great use of blank space, so it is easy for the reader to focus on your work experience. Colorful Abstract Theatre resume combines the best features to help you impress employers.
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Consulting Resumes Should Look Explicit
When talking about yourselves in consulting resumes, the way to go is through objective information. Screeners dont care about YOUR opinion about yourself. You need to let your achievements make the noise.
Example:
We dont write: had excellent negotiation skill
We write: negotiated the biggest deal in company history, resulting in XX% revenue increase
A Word About Best Practices
A good financial system is vital for every business. Not only will a properly prepared financial statement tell you whats transpired in a business, it offers a snapshot regarding the future.
Through financial budgeting and planning, a company can review historical data such as previous year´s budget to determine whether or not they successfully followed the company guidelines and determine why variances are present. However, budgeting and planning are time-consuming and resource intensive.
For some, it takes 6-8 months to complete an analysis by the end of the budgeting period, but best practices companies can often finish it in 2 months or less
The three most important steps to ensure financial stability include:
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Keep Your Information Relevant
It may seem challenging to decide which content to include on your resume, especially if you have a large amount of work experience. If your resume seems long or cluttered, review it carefully and decide if the information relates to what the employer is looking for.
It may be helpful to print both these documents and review them side by side to make sure each section is similar to the skills and qualifications listed in the job posting.
What Your Resume Should Look Like: Template And Example
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
As you conduct your job search, your resume should include details relevant to the position. The details on your resume should be properly formatted in a simple format for the hiring manager to briefly view and analyze. This helps them gain a better understanding of your skills and qualifications and how they directly relate to their position.
In this article, we discuss what a resume should look like, how to write a resume and we share a template and example as guides to help you build a strong resume.
Related:How to Make a Resume
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How To Format A Resume
The goal of formatting your resume is to create a professional-looking, easy-to-read document. Employers have only a short time to look through your resume, so your formatting decisions should make information clear and easy to find. If you are formatting an existing resume, you might need to adjust certain words or phrases to ensure it is still easy to read after youve applied formatting changes. If you are formatting a resume before you write it, be sure to pay attention to how the information looks on the page and adjust as needed.
Here are the key steps for formatting a resume. Lets look at each of these components in detail. Consider how you might apply each of these when drafting or updating your resume.