If you’re hunting for a new job for the first time in a few years because you fancy a new challenge, hanker after a promotion or would simply like a change of scene, then you need a killer resume. The piece of paper that you send off with your letter of application will enable you to get your foot in the door and hopefully secure you an invite to interview. However, simply listing your previous job roles, education and hobbies are not going to cut it in the twenty-first century. Take a look at these ways to enhance your resume.
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Bespoke
It can sound like a bit of a chore, but your resume should be adapted to fit every single different job that you’re applying for. No two of your resumes should be the same. You should analyse the wording of each job advert you like the look of and try to echo this within your resume. If the company you are looking to apply to seeks a candidate to ‘network across the business’, and you have written that you ‘liaise with stakeholders’ change the wording. Many companies use machine screening and will not pick up on the similarities between these two actions.
Be Relevant
Most employers will decide within the first ten seconds of seeing a resume whether they are going to continue reading to the bottom of the page. Make sure your resume leads with the most relevant and up to date experience and knowledge that you have. If you have recently completed an operations management degree online, flag this up on your resume. Don’t lead with your high school diploma or the fact that you passed your driving test when you were eighteen. You need to metaphorically hit them in the face with your work experience, professional development and industry-specific qualifications.
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Be Imperative
Imperative and forceful verbs show direct action and are highly appealing on a resume. Instead of saying that your ‘tasks involved data analysis’, twist this on its head and write, ‘analysed data’. This leads to a bossy verb, cuts the waffle and focuses the reader’s attention to the most important details.
Balance
There’s nothing worse than having a block of prose at the beginning of a resume to then filter down into bullet points before tailing off. The format looks unbalanced and sloppy. An employer looking to hire wants a symmetrical page of information that is well spaced out, easy to read, concise, and has clear zones for experience, qualifications, and other relevant information. Leave the thesis writing at university.
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Ask A Pal To Read It
Ask a friend to read your resume and watch their face as they do so. If it looks puzzled or screws up at all, you know something has gone awry on the paper. Ask for feedback and act upon it. It could be too wordy, clumsily worded or not have enough detail.
Give your resume a makeover to help you achieve the new job or promotion you’ve been craving.
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