Did you know? You only have 6 seconds to make an impact with a recruiter reviewing your resume.
In the past two years, the workplace has changed drastically. In that time, people have started new jobs where they never went into the office, they collaborate with team members they have never met in person, and they have completely rethought their career paths.
But one aspect of work remains remarkably unchanged: the importance of the traditional, crisp, succinct & impactful resume.
Five Tips for a top-notch resume.
1. Visual Presentation and Organization
Build a resume with “pow!” There are many options and formats here. To begin with, you might be in an industry where a visual resume makes sense, or perhaps you only need a CV or LinkedIn profile (read tip #5). Do your research to determine which format is right for your industry and the job for which you are applying.
2. Meaningful Content
Employers want to learn about your previous achievements and specifically how you’ve helped make an impact. More importantly, they want to know how you are going to make a significant difference in their organization.
In practice:
- Passive language / Doing: “Negotiated contracts with vendors”
- Action language / Achieving: “Slashed payroll/benefits administration costs 30% by negotiating pricing and fees while ensuring the continuation and enhancements of services.”
Hiring managers are looking for an excuse to eliminate you as a candidate. Read out loud every word and sentence in your resume, especially if you’re the only one looking at it. You may not be able to “see” awkward phrases and grammatical errors if you’ve already spent too much time with your own resume but if you read it out loud, then you will “hear” them. Also, ask a friend or mentor to specifically review for you and add their thoughts.
3. Digital Readiness
93% of all Hiring Managers use resume scanning software called applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter candidates from the application pool. Find out how you stand up in automation. Pass your resume through software that Hiring Managers use to filter the real talent from the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of candidates that apply for a single open position to be sure you like the results.
4. Custom. Tailored. Targeted.
Remember when you are working on your resume it should be tailored to each job you apply for. This means thoroughly reading the job posting and making sure to include accomplishments that connect to the responsibilities and qualifications listed in the job posting.
5. LinkedIn and Resume Matching
Is your LinkedIn profile just the online version of your resume? In most cases, it should not be. Your resume has one job and one job only – to provide specific insight into your accomplishments which will get you an interview for a specific job. Your LinkedIn profile has two jobs – to promote you as a real person and expand your network as well as outline your overall work experience. When you understand and leverage the power of both, that’s when the magic happens, a point often overlooked. Watch this video on optimizing your LinkedIn profile for tips on this topic. You may need multiple resumes (see tip #4), but only one LinkedIn profile. For a deeper dive into this topic read Should your LinkedIn profile match your resume? Yes, no & why it matters.
Put these tips into play and you will be landing interviews in no time. Is your resume already spot-on? Upload it and let’s get to work!
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