Crafting the perfect resume can make the difference between quick success and a painfully long job search process. This brief document is all you have to wow your future boss and convince them of how very valuable you are to the company. It’s crucial that you craft an engaging yet professional resume so you can convey both your personality and expertise at once.
Making Your First Impression
Your resume is your first impression with any potential employer, and if it’s not well-crafted, it will likely be your last. Consider this your prime marketing campaign for your personal brand. While you should keep your resume concise, you don’t have to make it boring. A distinctive heading font or tasteful graphic elements can help your resume stand out.
You can use colors in moderation provided that there’s ample contrast so the employer can print your resume in black and white with no trouble. Make sure all the text is black on a white background for readability. Keep the artistic flair to a minimum unless you’re applying for a creative job where this is relevant.
Getting Through the ATS
Many employers and job search sites use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter candidates before their resumes reach human eyes. The ATS looks for things like relevant keywords and required skills. Since this is an automated system, you need to keep things simple to get through. If you hide important details in the header or footer, confuse the presentation with an abundance of graphics, or use language that’s off-point or excessively flowery, your application may never make it to a recruiter.
Building your resume to get through the employer’s ATS has the added benefit of tailoring it well for job search sites that pair relevant applicants with open job postings. CareerBuilder reviews praise the site for its matchmaking skills due in large part to this type of technology. Building a perfect resume will help you take advantage of such functionality.
Demonstrating Expertise
A perfect resume is essential to prove your expertise in a given subject. Keep in mind that your resume has to impress the employer long before you have the chance to sit down and discuss your detail-oriented accounting processes, innovative marketing tactics, or surgical prowess. It’s not enough to simply say that you’re a physics genius. You need to prove it by detailing your educational background and listing relevant jobs. Include plenty of supporting information, like a detailed list of duties that you have performed in recent jobs.
Pull keywords from the job posting and elaborate on these points, as they’re likely the most important skills for the job in question. For example, if a job posting asks for knowledge of marketing principles, use the phrase “marketing principles” on your resume, then detail those that you implemented on recent campaigns and explain how you did so. If the job requires proficiency in Microsoft Office, list this program specifically and detail any Microsoft Office certifications you hold.
Highlighting Successes
Consider your top three talking points in an interview. When you’re selling yourself as a job candidate, what will you mention first? Make sure you’ve included these points on your resume as well, so your employer is aware of your most impressive successes. These are the standout elements that are most likely to land you a job interview.
If you’re applying for a job in sales, you may want to mention how much your sales revenue increased year-over-year in your last position. If you’re after a marketing job, detail the ROI of campaigns that you led. Include key data on your biggest successes to make the best impression. These points should leave the hiring manager excited to learn more about how you managed these accomplishments and what future achievements you could bring to their company.
Explaining Your Career Goals
Finding the right fit between an employer and an employee is a two-way street. While you want to let the company know that you’re qualified for the job, the hiring manager needs to feel assured that their business is the right fit for your personal career path as well. Your resume should communicate your career goals in a clear and concise manner. Having the perfect resume is important because it can confirm to the hiring manager that their company has just what you’re looking for.
Putting together the perfect resume is a time-consuming process, but it’s well worth the investment to make sure you get a great job. Landing the ideal position now can lead to years of satisfying career successes in the future.