Tips for writing a winning resume.
A resume is a marketing document that is intended to get the employer’s attention in order to win a contract. A resume must consist of the records of your achievements and also, a statement that shows your uniqueness in your field. A resume must contain statements that is important to the advancement of the company….
A resume is a marketing document that is intended to get the employer’s attention in order to win a contract.
A resume must consist of the records of your achievements and also, a statement that shows your uniqueness in your field.
A resume must contain statements that is important to the advancement of the company.
I will give you some tips that will help you to write a unique resume that will win you the contracts that you desire.
| Tips |
|---|
| ¹General Information |
| ◼︎ Read the job ad carefully. |
| ◼︎ Always tailor your resume to the job in question. |
| ◼︎ Use an online resume builder instead of a text editor, or start out with a resume template. |
| ◼︎ Use verifiable metrics wherever possible because hard numbers catch the eye of recruiters. |
| ◼︎ Focus only on the most important content. Try to fit everything on two pages or fewer. |
| ◼︎ Pick the right resume format: A Functional resume, a Chronological resume, or a Combination resume (if you have experience across different industries). |
| ◼︎ The reverse-chronological resume, where the latest work experience is listed first, is the most popular format. |
| Design and Layout |
| ◼︎ To make a good first impression, ensure that the layout is pleasing and the content is scannable and easy to read. |
| ◼︎ Balance text with whitespace. |
| ◼︎ Use classic fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Calibri, Cambria, Helvetica, and Georgia. |
| ◼︎ Don’t choose anything less than 10.5 for the font size. A font size of 12 is ideal. |
| ◼︎ Use font sizes 14-16 for section headers. |
| ◼︎ Pick a font that reads well on all screens. Legibility and cleanliness are important. |
| ◼︎ If you can, choose sans serif fonts like Arial over serif fonts like Times New Roman. The former are more legible on screens. |
| ◼︎ Avoid big blocks of text and excessive bullet points. |
| ◼︎ Ensure that sections flow from the most significant to the less important. |
| Contact Information |
| ◼︎ Place your name and contact information at the top of the document. |
| ◼︎ The font for the name should be larger than the font used in the body, but not so large as to overpower the other elements on the page. |
| ◼︎ Don’t place contact information in the header/footer. |
| ◼︎ Use a home address rather than a PO box or an office address. |
| ◼︎ List one phone number. A mobile phone number is ideal. |
| ◼︎ Use an email address that sounds professional. |
| ◼︎ Place social media icons and URL links to relevant social media pages. |
| ◼︎ Include a link to your LinkedIn profile (if you have one) and ensure that the profile is up to date. |
| ◼︎ Include the URL of a personal website that highlights your expertise. |
| ◼︎ To avoid possible age discrimination at the onset of hiring, avoid mentioning your date of birth unless that information is mandatory. |
| ◼︎ Don’t include a profile photo. |
| Job Summary |
| ◼︎ This section is ideal if you have years of relevant job experience. Skip this section if you have less experience or applying for a job in another field. |
| ◼︎ Highlight your current professional title with a larger font at the top of the section. |
| ◼︎ Write an objective statement that describes a future goal. This is not mandatory. |
| ◼︎ Outline your skills and accomplishments to demonstrate what: 1. Distinguishes you from other applicants 2. Makes you the ideal candidate for the role |
| ◼︎ Highlight skills that are relevant to the role offered. |
| ◼︎ Use the Adjective + Skill + Value formula to frame achievements in bulleted sentences. |
| Core Skills |
| ◼︎ This section focuses on the skills you’ve gained based on the job roles you’ve performed in the past. |
| ◼︎ Some job roles like programming demand hard technical skills while some like teaching ask for a mix of both hard and soft skills. |
| ◼︎ Exploit the keywords in the target job descriptions and correlate them to your skillsets. |
| ◼︎ Use topical nouns instead of vague verbs to highlight skills and boost recognition by ²ATS. |
| ◼︎ Cover both hard skills and soft skills. For example, a Project Manager can list “Conflict resolution” as a soft skill. |
| ◼︎ List hard skills with experience levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert.) |
| Work Experience |
| ◼︎ If you’re going by the most common resume format, arrange entries by date, with the latest job at the top. |
| ◼︎ For each entry, mention the relevant job title, employer name, location, and job tenure (with start and end dates.) |
| ◼︎ Use the mm/yyyy format while listing dates. It’s the standard format expected by recruiters and applicant tracking systems. |
| ◼︎ Expand on the most critical jobs with a bulleted list of roles and accomplishments. |
| ◼︎ Mention key metrics for every experience. Example 1: Generated over $25,000 in sales in one month (instead of Managed sales through self-generated leads.) Example 2: Developed and executed marketing strategy for three new national projects. Increased market penetration by an average of 35%. |
| ◼︎ Some roles may not be quantifiable. In such cases, it’s okay to mention only responsibilities. |
| ◼︎ Don’t duplicate the information from the Summary and Core Skills sections. Use unique phrasing. |
| Education |
| ◼︎ This section can follow the Summary section for new graduates or for jobs with highly relevant educational requirements. |
| ◼︎ Include educational qualifications, complete with the school/university name, location, degree earned, and the course dates. |
| ◼︎ Mention extra qualifications, certifications, and training under relevant sub-sections if necessary. |
| ◼︎ Include GPA/Class Rank if among the top-half of the class. This information is not mandatory. |
| Other Details |
| ◼︎ Awards List awards in the Education section under a sub-heading. |
| ◼︎ Hobbies These are not necessary in most applications, but they’re also not a dealbreaker. Include them if other details are sparse. Don’t include inappropriate and commonplace hobbies like reading. |
| ◼︎ References Don’t mention these unless specifically asked for. |
| Tips for Compatibility With ²ATS |
| ◼︎ Keep the resume structure simple. |
| ◼︎ Avoid fancy/creatively designed resumes and resume templates. |
| ◼︎ Use an ATS-friendly resume template when you don’t want to design from scratch. |
| ◼︎ Use simple headers and consistent formatting across all sections. |
| ◼︎ For entries with dates, preface dates with descriptions, such as work experience or academic qualifications. |
| ◼︎ The ATS is programmed to read specific keywords, so scan the job ad for potential keywords you can use. |
| ◼︎ Use concise bullet points instead of full paragraphs. |
| ◼︎ Spell out any abbreviations so the ATS can understand them. |
| ◼︎ Submit the file in the format specified. (ATS reads Word formats better than PDF.) |
| ◼︎ Use Jobscan to enhance your resume for ATS. |
| Final Round of Editing |
| ◼︎ Always proofread for spellings and other errors. |
| ◼︎ Double-check your contact information. |
| ◼︎ Remove all fluff and keep the resume concise. |
| ◼︎ Print the resume and check for design issues. |
| ◼︎ Save a copy of the resume as a PDF for future use. (Word can mess up the formatting across different computer systems.) |
| ◼︎ Back up a copy of the resume to the cloud so you can access it from anywhere. |
| ¹This covers tips that apply to all kinds of resumes. ²ATS refers to Applicant Tracking System. Many companies use this software as the first screen to filter the flood of resumes. |
