One of the most daunting things about adulthood is the mind-boggling process of a job search. Whether you’ve just graduated college or you just want your resume to be up to date, building a great resume can be a mammoth task. Especially with the kind of competition out there, it’s necessary to make sure that your resume stands out from the rest. It’s is more than just a document, it’s how you market yourself to a potential employer. Hence, it’s vital that you draft and create a strong resume before applying for any job. If you want to make sure that your application stands out from the rest then keep these 10 genius tips in mind and use them to build yourself a strong resume and land an interview:
1. Easily Readable
Managers who make hiring decisions don’t usually spend more than a few seconds on each individual resume. Hence, it’s important to make sure that the way you format your CV is easily readable and skimmable. Your aim should be to give maximum information in as little time as possible. Here are a few things you should remember while formatting:
- Always align your sections toward the left margin instead of aligning it to the centre.
- Keep your text the same font. Multiple fonts can tend to make your resume look shabby.
- Use digits when you talk about numbers. For example “30% sales turnover” is easier to read rather than “thirty per cent turnover”
2. Use Keywords
You may think of SEO when you hear about keywords. Keywords play a similar role in the hiring process as it does in the SEO process. You should customise your resume according to the needs of the company that you are applying to. You can always use the job description as a guide. Use at least 5 keywords from the job description and strategically add them to your resume. For example, if the job description calls for someone with great ‘communication skills’, make sure that you add this keyword to your CV (assuming that you do have those skills). A few power words you can use are—increased, conceptualised, introduced, managed etc.
3. Stick To A Page
As mentioned earlier, hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time on one resume. Hence, it best to keep your CV to a maximum of one page. However, if you think you have plenty of relevant and significant experience and training to display, then go ahead and add a second page to your resume. Just keep in mind that your CV should be either one whole page or two whole pages.
4. Keep It Relevant
Make sure that whatever you add to your resume is relevant to the job you are applying to. It should also be relevant to the type of industry you’re aiming to be in. Another important point to remember is that the information you add to your CV must be in recent years. For example, if you did an internship at an export firm a few years ago but you’re applying to a company in the media industry, then you shouldn’t include that piece of information since it’s not relevant.
5. Experience First
Unless you’ve just graduated from college, you should not list your education details before your work experience. If you’re applying to a company that’s in the same industry as your previous company then you should definitely put this piece of information at the top of your resume, since it’ll catch the eye of the hiring manager.
6. Include Extra Courses
If you’ve completed a few online courses or courses related to the relevant field, then you shouldn’t hesitate to add them to your CV. For example, if you’ve completed a course related to social media management or market research and you’re applying to a company in the digital media space, then you should definitely include these courses in your resume.
7. Include Volunteer Work
You should take advantage of every opportunity to set yourself apart from the rest. Hence, if you have done some volunteer work in the past, you should include it in your CV. If you’ve volunteered to write blogs for an NGO and you’re applying for a content writing position, then this piece of information will definitely set you apart.
8. Show Your Personality
At the end of the day, hiring managers are not only looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, but they are also looking for someone whose personality matches with the company’s culture. So if you’re a creative person who enjoys photography, art or writing, include it in your resume.
9. Proof Read
This is probably the most crucial step to do before you send out your resume to companies. Have a second person run through your resume to correct any typos and mistakes of necessary. The best option would be to find someone who is already working in the same field as you want to work in. Have them look over your resume and ask them for their input.
10. Constantly Update It
Every few months, take out some time and update your CV. If you’ve taken on some new responsibilities or learnt a few new skills, then make sure you add it to your resume. Even if you are not job searching, you should still keep updating your resume so if an opportunity comes up, you will be ready to go for it.
What are some tips that helped you improve your resume? Let us know in the comments below.
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