Tips On Resumes, Standing Out and Getting A Job
A resume is tailored personal marketing that sells your academic and work experiences to job recruiters. Resumes offer job applicants the chance to impress the potential employer and as such, you should maximize this opportunity. Helpful tips for resume writing can help boost your applications.
The goal of resume writing is to stand out in a myriad of applications and ultimately get the job. While recruiters accept applications from all and sundry, not all applicants are called for interviews. Candidates with résumés that do not satisfy the standards or present themselves professionally in writing miss out on the next stage regardless of how qualified they may be.
Basically your resume showcases your skills and explains your narrative. Because potential employers spend a short time examining résumés, your narrative must be vivid and concise. Also, when preparing your résumé, think about what you would like the company to learn concerning you.
This article details tips on resumes, the various formats and how to stand out from the crowd.
Types of résumés you should be aware of
A resume is not a mere compilation of your personal information and work data. They follow defined formats. A resume follows three main format:
- Chronological resume: Your education and job experience are in reverse chronological order, with the latest dates and job experience appearing first. This is the most popular resume format. This format is typically the best way to start a new resume because it starts with your most recent position. The demerit of this format is that it shows recruiters the gaps in your work experience and those regular job transitions.
- Functional/Skills resume: This resume does not follow a chronological format. Instead, the resume is built on skills and experience, organized into functions. It emphasizes transferable skills while ignoring irrelevant job descriptions and job experiences. This format, however, makes it easy for a recruiter to identify applicants without relevant work experience.
- Combination resume: here, the functional overview of the jobseeker’s most relevant qualifications, skills, and work experience is the first section. This resume format presents a chronological work history that complements the summary.
Tips for writing resume
The following tips on writing resumes can help you stand out in your next job application.
- Use a well-structured résumé.
- When writing, a reverse-chronological order is preferable.
- Make a visually appealing résumé heading that incorporates your contact information.
- Set your résumé’s margins on each side to one inch and the line spacing to 1.15.
- Divide your résumé into clear divisions with a resume heading set at a typeface size larger than your actual text to highlight each section.
- The body should be between 10 and 12 points, and the headings should be 14–16 points.
- Professional and intelligible resume typefaces include Calibri, Cambria, and Helvetica.
- Your name, contact info, and e‑mail address should all be at the top of the page.
- It is essential to note that your e‑mail address must be professional.
- The city and state of your residence are just fine.
- Add a section for a resume summary or personal statement. Also, make a concise statement tailored to the position applied for.
- You can categorize your job experience into several categories. Additionally, customize these categories to fit the position you want.
- The universities you have studied or are now attending should be stated in chronological sequence, beginning with the name of the university, its city, graduation month and year, degree, and any major/minor distinctions. Don’t forget to add those awards (e.g., dean’s list).
- Include a section for skills such as programming language
- Mention certifications, projects, and volunteering in an additional section.
Harness these tips on resumes to boost your chances of getting your dream job. Moreover, if you are fresh off school, you can check out our article on applying for entry level jobs.
Utilize our professional resume writing services to help tailor your resume to meet these defined standards. At Elite careers, we offer help to create and revamp resumes. We can help upgrade, provide feedback and improve the overall quality of the resume. We highlight the keywords that help your resume pass the most rigorous software checkers. You can speak with our agents today.
