As an applicant looking for a job, you may suddenly realize that your resume does not get the attention you expected. Recruiters contact you from time to time, but it never ends with an interview. Why is this happening?
The modern labor market is known for its fierce competition. Often, this competition is won not by people with amazing work experience and skills. On the contrary, people with little experience but ATS-friendly resumes tend to get attention.
So, what can you do for your resume to get through the applicant tracking system and land an interview that you dream of? The answer is quite simple.
You should either google ‘write my resume‘ and hire a career advice expert or learn the basics by yourself and try to craft a winning resume on your own. Here are a few tips that can help you if you choose the harder path.
Study the Job Posting
If you found the job posting and became interested in the position, you should give it an extra look to tailor your resume to it. Print it to highlight keywords and key skills needed for the job. This information is essential for making your resume rank high in the system.
You need to analyze your accomplishments based on the data you’ve highlighted. The more coincidences you’ll find, the better. Also, the keywords used in the job posting should necessarily be used in your resume.
Review Resume Samples
Before getting to write a killer resume, study the best samples in your industry. They can be easily found on the Internet. This information can help you choose the format, resume template, and style for your resume.
Also, pay attention to the wording of the samples. Usually, resumes are written to be concise and precise. That is why you should use numerical information to make your experiences more recognizable.
A one-page resume is a golden standard. However, if you can’t put all your professional achievements in such a brief format, two pages are also okay.
Check Fonts and Font Sizes
Recruiters often complain that nothing makes them more upset than having to read the files written in a fancy or too small font. Therefore, whenever you work on your resume and format it, think that this information will actually be read by a human. Make it easier for them to go through your resume.
Indeed, certain fonts and sizes allow us to win more space and put more information in the resume. However, a winning resume is the one that is inviting to the eye and easy to read.
Include the Most Relevant Information
After you’ve studied a job posting, you must have understood what a hiring manager is expecting from a successful and professional candidate. There is no need to impress a recruiter with the stuff that has no relation to the matter at hand.
Therefore, to have a chance to pass scanning and land an interview, make sure to include only the most relevant information. Do not burden your recruiter with some unnecessary facts and victories that are either irrelevant or date back to the beginning of the 2000s. Instead, focus on outstanding facts and achievements that make you who you are.
Choose Active Voice and Action Verbs
The ultimate goal of everyone who decides to get professional help with their resumes is to send a message that they are achievers rather than doers. Using active language and action words is a smart move towards this goal.
For example, such cliches as “was responsible” do not stand criticism. Instead, you should use such words as “achieved,” “streamlined,” and “initiated” to prove your worthiness. Every sentence you put in your resume should tell the rest of the world that you are the best to land a job.
Focus on Your Accomplishments
If there is something particular that you’ve done in the past that meets the requirements of the position in question, put this information in the “Career Highlights” section. You are allowed to build your resume as you see fit. Hence, emphasizing your critical achievements may be a good idea.
Tell a story of how you’ve earned a qualification and why you are a perfect fit to get employed. Yet, refrain from adding complex terminology, tables, graphs, and charts. This is neither effective nor good for the applicant tracking process.
Get Rid of the Objective and Work on a Summary
Storytelling has penetrated resume writing as well. Writing about your objective is now considered a mauve tone. Instead, recruiting firms are looking for candidates who can put their career path into a few sentences that reach out to the employer’s heart. You should at least check some winning examples of summary of qualifications while preparing your resume.
This task is more difficult than it seems. That is why a decision to invest in your career by hiring a resume writer can be the best thing you can do to speed up your job application process. After all, this is your career and your job search. It is unlikely that you want to lose to other job seekers merely because of a wrongfully created resume.
Proofread and Edit What You Have Written, Then Format It
Once you’ve finished writing, do not ignore editing and proofreading. There might be some typos and other mistakes. Given the fact that resumes are very condensed, all these errors will be noticed.
Also, make sure you finished formatting your resume. Check fonts, font sizes, margins, and spacing. You need to be sure that your resume is 100% correct and ready to be submitted.
Decide How General Your Resume Is
When you’ve finalized your document, read it once again. Compare and contrast it to other job postings available on the Internet. It is essential if you want to decide how general your resume is.
If you treat it as a general resume while it has specific keywords, you may fail to pass the ATS system. In this case, you need to tailor your resume for each job posting. It will not take lots of time, but you do need to rewrite certain achievements and keywords to meet specific position announcements.
