Whether you’re looking for a full-time job or a part-time internship, it’s crucial to have a top-notch resume that displays your abilities. Your resume is like your portfolio as it shows your potential employer every aspect of your professional life. Therefore, you must only include up to date and relevant information about your past and current work experiences. To improve the quality of your resume to land your next life-changing opportunity, here are the top five ways to make your resume stand out from other applicants. Keep in mind that there are companies like Resume Writing Services and Cultivated Culture that you can consider taking advantage of to end up with a stellar resume, just be sure to go through resume review sites to ensure you are making the right choice.
1. Include relevant information pertaining to the position.
Once you land on an ad for a specific position, you’ll want to pay close attention to what is being said. This is mainly because these ads can contain some hidden meanings that can help you determine what to include in your resume. Once you’re able to decipher what is being said, you’ll have a greater advantage in landing your next big gig.
For instance, if a job ad clearly states that they’re looking for someone with “technical skills,” this means that they want someone who is tech-savvy. As a result, you would want to display any skills that you’ve obtained related to the field. Whether that be your experience with technological applications or any certifications in certain software, they’ll want to know. Once they see your list of accomplishments, then you’ll be one of the first people they contact to move forward in the application process.
2. Link other portfolio websites to your resume (LinkedIn, Weebly, etc.).
If there’s one thing that hiring managers enjoy, it’s special attributes on a resume that’ll make you stand out. Not only is it easier to prove your credibility and skillset, but it’s also intriguing to see what your personality is like outside of the professional setting. This can ultimately determine whether they’ll hire you or not.
In fact, according to a study conducted by professional resume writers, people who include their LinkedIn accounts in their resumes were 71% more likely to get a call back from employers than others who didn’t. To be more specific, people who had a more detailed LinkedIn account received more callbacks than people with no account or a bland account. Setting yourself apart from the competition should be your main priority and including a detailed portfolio site like LinkedIn will achieve that goal.
3. Use relevant words throughout your resume.
Another important tactic to use within your resume is to include keywords throughout the whole document. These words will stick out to any employer reading your resume and cause them to see that you were paying attention to the application details.
Hints to discovering what these keywords could be lie within the ad and the field you’re applying for. Not all career fields utilize the same language and including the right language within your resume gives you a clear chance to advance to the next level.
A clear example of using keywords could be for the business field. If you’re applying for a position, like a bookkeeper, you’ll want to include some business language within your resume. Examples of keywords that would be included are “generated” and “reconciled.” Even if you’ve only had a simple job, like a cashier, you can find some way to incorporate that business language into the description for your past and current jobs.
4. Include a summary of your qualifications at the beginning.
When hiring managers begin to look at your resumes, they always start at the very top and work their way down. The moment they see something that’s irrelevant to the job at hand, they will toss your resume in the trash. This is where the summary of qualifications portion comes in to save both you and the hiring manager valuable time.
This section’s main purpose is to provide the hiring manager with a summary of what your resume will be about. It’s a short and simple synopsis of your main characteristics and your future goals for your career. This section is the perfect opportunity for you to display any plans you have to grow and thrive within a specific field or company depending on what you’re applying for.
5. Structure your resume based on what experience you have.
There are two simple ways to structure your resume. One way is to list all your work experience and what your duties were for each position. This structure is more ideal for those who have gained more work-related experience as opposed to school experience. It’s also one of the more frequently used structures for hopeful professionals.
Another way is to list all your school experience and any activities you partook in during your time there. This structure is more suitable for people who don’t have as much work experience under their belt. These people are involved in various clubs and organizations around their school. They have also participated in outside activities as well, such as volunteering and self-development tasks.
