Maybe Your Hobbies & Interests
Interests are a totally optional section, and usually dont have much impact on hiring decisions.
However there are some instances where your hobbies might help you get hired.
If you have no work experience at all, you might want to include some of your hobbies to demonstrate workplace skills. For example, you might captain a sports team which shows leadership, people skills and motivation.
If you have a hobby that is highly related to the roles you are applying for, then it could certainly be worth mentioning it. For example if you are applying for a web developer role, and you make personal websites in your spare time, this could really impress a hiring manager.
Do not include common interests such as going to the cinema or socialising with friends everybody does these things and they wont make you stand out.
Outline How You Cared For Others
Finally, if you spent the pandemic caring for others, make it clear. Caregivingduring a pandemic or otherwisedemonstrates the sort of compassionate and regular responsibility that is often also time-intensive. Therefore, show off how much it is part of your life and boost your résumé at the same time.
This might include a number of different roles, such as caring for a loved one or elderly relative, or offering support to those struggling with loneliness or mental health. For example, you may have dedicated your free time to make or monitor phone calls for mental health charities and groups.
No matter who you looked after, this sort of activity shows you are kind, caring, dedicated, and patient. It might also require other important workplace-related skills such as good communication, organization, and problem-solving. Together, these skills can help strengthen your application and impress potential employers.
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.
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What If I Dont Have The Required Skill
We brought up the earlier scenario in which you didnt necessarily have the skills required to do the job.
Heres where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.
For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldnt apply if youve never swung a golf club.
Use your common sense to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for the job.
Quite often though you will come across a situation where it is closewhere you kind of have the skill.
This is where you need to get creative .
You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill. So go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing the skill.
They are going to ask about it in your interview, so dont think you can just wing it and everything will be fine.
Code Camp Free Certifications
Free Code Camp can teach you the basics of HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, GitHub, and more. Today, coding is a valuable, in-demand technical skill. In fact, one of these free certifications makes almost any employee more valuable to a company. Weve seen it first-hand!
Earn quick certifications you can add to your resume. And when youre ready, gain free experience by working on open source projects used by nonprofits. Geared toward beginners, this free certification walks you through each challenge in a step-by-step manner.
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Highlight Efforts During The Pandemic
As we all know, 2020 was challenging, especially for job seekers. Make sure to highlight how you worked through COVID-19especially how resilient you were. How did you continue building on your experience? Or how did you help your business stay afloat? What new skills and tools did you learn? Dont gloss over this challenging time. The fact you got through it, and especially your achievements during it, shed light on the type of worker you are.
Professional Affiliations And Memberships
If you are a member of a few professional bodies, it is worth adding them to your CV to highlight your involvement in your industry and demonstrate your commitment to your profession.
Include the name of the organisation and the type of membership you have . For example, you may be a member of The Law Society which you could write as ‘The Law Society ‘, or you may be a fellow at the Royal College of Nursing, which may be written as ‘Fellow Royal College of Nursing ‘. There’s no one way to list the memberships just be consistent.
If you are in more than three professional associations, create a new section titled Professional Memberships. If you have less, include them in your achievements or Core Competencies section.
Also Check: Format For References On A Resume
Best Skills To Include On A Resume
The skills section of your resume shows employers you have the abilities required to succeed in the role. Often, employers pay special attention to the skills section of your resume to determine if you should move on to the next step of the hiring process. In this article, we examine 10 important skills to include on a resume, as well as tips on how to best craft the skills section of your resume.
If you aren’t sure how to show your best skills on your resume, you can get professional help with our resume feedback questionnaire.
Back Up Your Identified Skills With Evidence
In addition to cultivating a resume that is concise and pertinent to your desired position, it is important to show evidence of the skills that you claim to possess whenever possible. For example, support your identified skill of leadership with specific details about situations in which you have served in a managerial role and the key responsibilities that you took on. This is important for employers to see that you are not just padding your resume with buzzwords, but that you actually possess the skills that you list.
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Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills
Employers are looking to hire employees who have the right mix of two different types of skills: soft skills and hard skills.
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
Hard Skills11. Storage systems and management12. Programming languages
Hard skills are technical knowledge or training that you have gained through any life experience, including in your career or education.
Soft Skills11. Willingness to learn12. Empathy
Soft skills are personal habits and traits that shape how you work, on your own and with others.
Hard skills are abilities specific to the job and/or industry. Generally, these are more technical skills that you learn in school, certification programs, training materials or experience on the job. Hard skills might include proficiency in things like:
- Software
- Foreign languages
- Operating certain equipment or machinery
Soft skills, on the other hand, are abilities that can be applied in any job. Often, soft skills may be referred to as people skills or social skills and include proficiency in things like:
- Communication
- Time management
- Leadership
Hard skills are usually teachable while soft skills are much harder to develop because they are typically personality traits and, therefore, extremely valuable to employers. In most cases, your soft skills can enhance your hard skills. For example, if youre a detail-oriented software developer skilled in a computer programming language, youll likely be able to catch errors and correct issues in the code you and your team create.
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.
Also Check: How To Make A Resume On Photoshop
You Were On The Deans List Consistently
Include Deans list on your resume if you made the list regularly. Making the Deans list for many semesters throughout your college career demonstrates a strong, consistent work ethic, as well as academic ability.
If, on the other hand, you only made the list a couple of times, you shouldnt include it on your resume.
While making Deans list is an achievement, including it when you only made the list once or twice makes you appear inconsistent.
Writing Your Role Descriptions
Within each of your role descriptions, you should aim to demonstrate who youve worked for, the skills youve used and how your presence has benefited the employer.
Format your roles like the example below to create a pleasant reading experience for recruiters, and allow them to find the information they need easily.
Outline
Never delve into the details of your roles without setting the scene first or you risk confusing readers. Write a quick intro to show recruiters who you work for, where you sit within the business, and what the overall goal of your role is.
Responsibilities
Bullet point your responsibilities to detail exactly what you do within your role, who you liaise with, and the skills and knowledge you apply.
Achievements
To prove the impact you make in the workplace, its important to list some achievements you have made that have had a positive effect on your employers. Where possible, try to quantify these achievements with numbers so that readers can really understand the difference you make.
Check out my video guide to adding achievements to your CV
These are some good examples of achievements
- Implemented new admin process which saved the company 3 hours of resource time per week
- Won 3 new clients which generated £300k for the business
- Resolved 90% of customer complaints within recommended time of 24 hours
- Saved customers an average of £300 per year by advising on new products
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Top Skills To Add To Your Resume
There are currently 7.8 billion people on Earth and the number this about to touch 8 billion in 2023, and 10 billion by 2056.
Unfortunately, the number of jobs isnt increasing fast enough to keep up with the growing population.
Furthermore, statistics suggest that 174 million people are likely to be unemployed globally by the end of 2020.
Theres a lot of competition for job seekers and the right opportunities during a job search can be hard to come by.
Most employers get thousands of job applications, and it isnt possible to pore over every single one of them for lack of time. So, modern-day companies use a system called the Applicant Tracking System.
Employers initially select the resumes that show positive hits for specific keywords, no matter how irrelevant they may later turn out to be.
And due to this, many relevant candidates end up getting rejected outright due to the lack of required keywords in their resume.
Thats why creating the right resume isnt a simple task anymore.
This guide will cover the best skills to add to your resume to get more job opportunities this year. This skills list covers what to add to your resume skills section so that you can go from seeing a job posting to getting hired.
Let’s get started.
Project Management Professional Course
Cybrary provides tons of free and paid courses on different topics. The Project Management Professional course teaches you how to initiate, plan and manage any project and takes just over five hours to complete. It is a globally recognized, free certification that will help you get your foot in the door whether you work in Project Management or not.
Project Management is a great skill for anyone to have because it shows hiring managers that you can take charge and solve problems. But its especially useful for engineers, healthcare professionals, financial professionals, and more.
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Why Are Skills So Important On My Resume
Three words: Applicant Tracking Systems.
Nearly all companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to filter through resumes. These systems scan through resumes to look for specific keywords, such as certain skills necessary for the job.
The ATS scan summarizes your skills based on the keywords you chose. If the skills section of your resume doesnât exactly match the job description, your resume may be rejected before it ever reaches a human.
Good Skills To Put On A Resume
When somebody says the word skills to you, what immediately comes to mind?
For most people, the answer is things I am good at.
Typing. Woodworking. Public speaking Cartwheels.
Yes, all of the things listed above can be considered skills, but when it comes to the job hunt, you have to be selective as to which of these to include on your resume. Why?
Because the company you are interviewing with AND the job you are interviewing for both require a very specific set of skills in order for you to get the job done effectively.
Filling up the skills section of your resume with a bunch of skills that have absolutely nothing to do with the job you are applying for is basically just a waste of space.
This is why it is important that you understand how to choose the correct skills to include in your resume for 2021.
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How To Include Creativity And Innovation In Your Resume
Heres an example of how you can highlight the term Innovation in your resume:
Here are some ideas on brainstorming terms to use in your resume:
1. Mind Maps.
- Highlight instances of using mind mapping tools like Miro.
2. Perform Reframing.
- Explain how you can use reframing to visualize problems, situations, relationships from a different angle.
3. Experimenting.
- Mention how youre not afraid of experimenting to get answers.
- Highlight how youve solved problems by experimenting.
4. Divergent Thinking.
- Explain briefly how divergent thinking can create points-of-view other than convergent thinking.
Quantify Your Skills Whenever Possible
Saying you are a â60 word per minute typistâ has far more impact than a âfast typist.â
âMeasurables are incredibly valuable to your resume anything with numbers, percentages, or dollar signs immediately draws the readerâs eye and gives tangible examples of how you made a difference,â says Jennifer.
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Customize Your Resume For Your Industry
People are often encouraged to include personality in their resume, but unless they are applying for a job in a creative industry, they may want to rethink that strategy. A lot of pictures and fonts and colors and a whole lot of personality just doesnt align with the jobs we have here, says Schweikert, whose team recruits for positions in sales, product and marketing. If I was in an organization that, for example, was in web design, then I would want to see those design elements in a resume.
Kim agrees that resume layout is wholly dependent on the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a designer role, I want to see something creative there. If youre applying for a finance role, I want to see numbers, she says.
Linkedin Custom Url Options
Creating a distinctive LinkedIn profile URL can help you to convey a strong brand as you network and job search. Unless you create a custom URL, LinkedIn will assign a URL that typically contains your name as well as some numbers and letters. It’s much better to create your own short version for employers and connections to click on.
Here are options for creating an easy-to-remember URL.
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Classes Training And Certifications
Now its time to list any relevant classes, training, or certifications that are relevant for your resume.
For classes, include coursework that you took through school that are relevant to the position you are applying for. Just list the class title instead of the class number, such as ECON101. You can also write a brief description that is one to two sentences long to describe the course, if it is relevant to the job youre applying for.
For every training session and certification on your resume, list where you received the training, the type of course taken, the date you received it, and the date it expires .
Example of how to list a class in a resume:Intro to Hospitality Introduction to the hospitality industry, including various types of career paths. In-depth lessons on the food and beverage sector, including the categories of restaurants and the different types of food service.
Example of how to list training and certifications:Coral Springs University, Coral Springs Florida Valid 9/2018 9/2021First Aid & CPR Certified