On average, a recruiter spends around less than a minute to review a resume and it could even be shorter if there are lots of applications for a certain job position. This is your strategic marketing tool and it needs to be compelling in order to effectively sell your value to employers.
So how does one make a good resume? Here are the best practice resume tips that will give you an edge among other applicants and enhance your chances of getting interviewed:
- Make use of effective titles or headlines. Do remember that recruiters only allot a few seconds on your resume and one of the most important aspects of it are the titles so make sure that you put one that easily grabs the attention and will give a good headline about yourself and your qualifications.
- Use of the right keywords. Incorporating good keywords can get you ahead of the game. Nowadays, a lot of companies have databases and usually run search queries to find the right candidates. It is best to research about the job description about the position that you are applying for to know the right keywords to use.
- Vital info comes first. They say first impressions last that is why you need to place the most important details about you in order to make a good impression. In most cases, your background and your work experience are the primary information that must be presented to recruiters so make sure that you place them at the top.
- Omit irrelevant work experiences. Mentioning previous work experiences that are not related to the position that you desire may only do harm to your job application. Carefully evaluate your employment history and only include those that will give you an advantage.
- Market yourself. Keep in mind that you are applying for a job and you need to sell yourself to recruiters. That means you need to use your best market strategies on your resume without going over the edge. Remember that it is a competition so you need to show them what you’ve got.
- Hire a resume design service. Modern technology has now made it easier to build a professional designed resume. You can make the most out of your resume layout and let professionals create a perfectly crafted document that is sure to impress employers. You, however need to be careful in selecting which layout to use as there are many designs available to choose from.
- Only put facts. Avoid putting any false information about yourself just to impress employers because this might just do more harm to your application and could even ruin your credibility. Recruiters usually do background checks and verify the authenticity of the information that you provided in your resume so make sure that there are no make-up stories and only facts.
- Avoid using slangs or jargons. Colloquial speech must never be used resume-writing. Mentioning technical terms are also not ideal because recruiters or the person reading your resume might not be in the same field as you do so always keep that in mind to avoid giving a bad impression.
- Try to contain everything in a max of two pages. Recruitment specialists usually prefer resumes that only have one or two pages. That space is enough to put all the essential information that employers need in order to evaluate your qualifications. Organization of the details is highly important so make sure that you put everything in order within two sheets of paper.
- Make use of bullets. Employers are always turned off with resumes that have lengthy paragraphs and articles. These types of resumes usually don’t make it to the cut because they just take too long to read. It is best to make use of bullet points with just the right amount of words to show your credentials and qualifications.
- Avoid pessimism. Never mention any negative information about yourself and most especially your employer. Remember that you are selling yourself so any negativity must not be seen in your self-marketing document as this could jeopardize your job application.
- Proofread your resume. Typographical errors are a big no-no in resume writing as this could greatly affect your chances of being considered for the job application. Proofreading is highly important so make sure that you go over your document not just once but twice or even more to make sure that it is free from errors.
Mistakes can cost you your that dream job of yours but by following these tips you are ensuring that your self-marketing document gets a better chance of being noticed by headhunters. Make sure to apply these top resume practices so you can make it to the first interview and eventually get the job offer!
