Your resume is your advertisement. Applying for a job is like pitching your worth as an employee to a buyer, who in this case is your prospective employer. Do not take your only form of advertisement for granted. A well-presented resume with substance will go along way for you and your career as a professional. Follow these tips and land that dream job of yours!
Get the Employer Hooked!
It's all about keywords, jargon, conciseness and highlighting the correct words to grab the attention of the employer who is always in a hurry. These recruiters only have 30 seconds at most to glance or browse through your resume. So what would make them stay and read its entirety? Focus on your skills and your qualifications. Always ask yourself, "What would make me suitable for this position?" or better yet, "What can I contribute to this organization?" The answer to these questions should be the center of your resume but summarize them through keywords and highlights. You do not need to provide explicit details - that is what the interview is for! The goal of a well-prepared resume is for you to keep the recruiter interested that they will invite you for an interview.
So again, for good measure, let's repeat what is important here:
Keywords - by adding words that are commonly searched by hiring employers, your resume will easily pop out on search engines. In short, make your resume "searchable".
Jargon or buzzwords - by using these on your resume, you convey a message that you are very familiar with the industry the company is involved in, it may be medical, scientific, financial, IT, etc.
Highlights - entry headings such as those pertaining to previous positions you held or core skills should be in bold or underlined to easily attract the reader.
Sort by Relevance - arrange your credentials in order of significance, this is what most recruiters prefer. Again, this should answer the question of what you can contribute to the employer's company and what makes you the best candidate for the position.
Be concise and up-front - summarize your worth as an applicant or your selling points by applying the abovementioned tips in a clear-cut but professional manner. Everything that you need to keep the employer interested should be squeezed in a page or two at most.
Final Retouches can spell the Difference between Hired and "We'll just give you a call"
Proofread your resume. Your ability to present a resume that is free of errors is a good measure of your accuracy and precision as a professional. No error is too small when it comes to your resume. Also, always make sure that you present yourself in a good light - emphasize what makes you the best by presenting your credentials which focus on your core skills. Use a combination of functional and chronological styles or you could simply present your credentials in a functional manner. Lastly, do not use first-person pronouns when constructing sentences pertaining to your achievements and abilities, it is already understood that you are pertaining to yourself and no one else.
With today's fast-paced lifestyle, everyone is almost always rushing to do things and when it comes to screening applicants, those with a well-presented resume with clear-cut content usually get the interview invite. The rest, they say, is history.
