With the current labor shortage and low unemployment, job seekers are at an advantage. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a professionally written resume. Employers still want to find and hire the best employees for each vacancy, and biographies are the first step in that search. Use the following strategies to make your resume stand out and show that you are the best candidate for the job:.
How to make a good CV
Here are some tips for creating an impressive resume:.
1. Compile your work history and skills.
The first step in creating your CV should include your relevant job history, industry experience, and relevant skills. While you may be tempted to add every place you’ve ever worked, you can narrow down your story by listing only relevant roles or experiences. That way, your resume will be concise and direct hiring managers and recruiters to the right place. However, this may also mean that you create several CVs and tailor them to the specific job or company you are applying for.
From there, format your resume so that your qualifications are easily identified. For example, if you’ve moved up quickly in a company, you need to focus on that growth, said Claire Bissot, SPHR and principal at Kainos Capital. If you have skipped too much, mark those jobs without giving details or details of more relevant positions. This will affect your property.
When structuring your resume, make sure the information is presented in a logical order, said career coach Veronica Yao.
“The hiring manager [will] read your resume, starting at the top and ending at the bottom. But if they don’t finish reading it all—and they often don’t—you still want to make sure they come across their strongest points.”
2. Use an original resume template.
Employers value originality. While it’s helpful to refer to a professional resume template, don’t follow it strictly, as this can actually turn potential employers off.
“I often come across resumes that match Microsoft Office templates,” Bissot told Business News Daily. “The templates are meant to be a getting-started guide, but they should be expanded to make them your own.”
Showcase your expertise in an engaging way to set yourself apart from other applicants, especially if you’re in the creative industry. Include hyperlinks, aesthetic formatting, color and shadows, statements, and other unique features. Use your CV to tell your career story. For example, you can write an engaging “about me” section to personalize and summarize your experiences.
3. Complete the sections.
Use bullet points or dashes to outline your job responsibilities and accomplishments for each role you’ve listed on your resume. This will help recruiters and hiring managers better understand your experience and how you’ve helped the company grow.
It’s usually best to use action verbs and data-driven words instead of “fluff.” For example, if you’re describing a social media marketing experience, instead of simply saying, “I managed social media platforms for my client,” write, “Increased social media lead generation by X percent year-over-year.” This gets to the point and backs up your credentials with hard data to demonstrate your success.
4. Select the file type.
Most employers prefer resumes as Microsoft Word documents (.doc) or PDF files. Microsoft Word documents are the most traditional and widely accepted file types for resumes, but PDFs ensure that formatting doesn’t become awkward after submission.
However, when it comes to applicant tracking systems (ATS), Word documents are easier for these systems to read and identify important keywords. This is important if you want to stand out in modern recruitment. If you submit a PDF or other file, you may be automatically rejected if the system cannot read it. A general rule of thumb is to save both versions of your resume and send the Word document for applications on job sites and the PDF when you send it directly to a recruiter or hiring manager. [Read related article: Ways AI is changing HR departments]
5. Read the outline.
Before sending your CV anywhere, proofread it yourself and ask a trusted friend or professional contact to do the same. A minor mistake or grammatical error can result in countless rejections. Your CV is your first—and often only—opportunity to impress a potential employer, and you should treat it as such.
Here are a few things to look at:
- Spelling, grammar, and punctuation: A hiring manager will likely automatically reject your application if they spot a typo or grammatical error. “Make sure it’s error-free and easy to read,” said Diya Obeid, founder and CEO of ATS company JobDiva. “HR representatives equate typos and errors with laziness. Use good English; the written word has a huge impact on an employer.”
- Formatting: “Review the formatting very carefully, including font, alignment, and spacing,” Bissot said. “Related issues can often be taken as a sign of a lack of technical skill and/or attention to detail.”
- Titles: Yao said that candidates often submit applications aimed at the wrong employer or list experience that is not relevant to the role. “Receiving a resume that’s been drafted and addressed to someone else—or worse, a competitor—can be a huge turn-off and set a negative tone, even if they decide to continue reading your application.”
Tips for writing a CV
It can be difficult to succinctly present all your experience and qualifications on one page, but there are many ways to spice up your CV without going overboard. To help you land the interview, we’ve put together some of the best tips for writing a CV.
1. Keep your CV short and to the point.
The first rule of thumb when writing a resume is to keep it short and to the point. A general rule of thumb is no more than one page, unless you have a good reason for it to be longer, such as an extensive career or a lot of highly applicable work experience.
An easy way to keep your resume concise is to only include recent relevant experience. While that first job of the year may have taught you a lot about the field, you don’t always need to include every detail from your entire career history.
Most experts recommend only including jobs from the previous 10 or 15 years, although this time frame can be shorter if you’re new to the workforce. Including too much unrelated work experience can make your resume look too busy and distract from your relevant qualifications. Your CV must be focused, clear, and concise.
Advice
If you’re an older job seeker, here are a few things you can do to narrow your search for a CV with proof of concern.
2. Highlight relevant skills and experience.
Using the same resume for every job you apply for is not the best approach. Instead, your resume should target the specific job you are applying for. Prioritize skills, qualifications, and experience that are directly relevant to the job you are trying to get.
Select three or four previous positions or experiences that best highlight the skills required for each position you are applying for. Employers appreciate brevity; this is not the time to list all the positions you have ever held. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position, you could include your previous retail experience and list the communication, branding, and interpersonal skills you learned in that position.
If you have no work history that is directly related to the job you are applying for, be creative in how you present your other experiences. Highlight the skills you used and how your contributions benefited the organization or project. [Read the related article: 22 in-demand skills that will help you land a job].
3. Demonstrate results with numbers and metrics.
When writing about your previous work experience, it’s always a good idea to quantify your successes with numbers. Benchmarks can highlight your achievements and give the hiring manager or recruiter a clear overview of how you impacted your previous place of employment. For example, someone who previously worked as a sales representative might say that they “made more than 50 cold calls per day with an average conversion rate of 5 percent.”
4. Take a career snapshot.
Recently, career experts have encouraged job seekers to ditch the old “objective” statement and instead consider including a brief summary, called a “career snapshot,” at the top of their resume.
“With a career video, you present a brand statement that succinctly explains your unique value, as well as your skills and qualifications,” said Tomer Sade, CEO of Book a Space. “This would then be followed by a few bullet points highlighting your experience and achievements. Whatever you list here should be relevant to the position you are applying for.”
“The top third of your resume is prime resume real estate,” added Lisa Rangel, executive resume writer and CEO of Chameleon Resume. “Create a robust resume to catch the hiring manager’s eye.”
Think of your career snapshot as an answer to the question, “How would you describe your work experience in one sentence?” A CV is an opportunity to immediately summarize your main and most important skills, experience, or assets.
5. Optimize your text.
If a company uses an ATS to collect and scan resumes, the hiring manager may never see any applications that don’t match the job criteria they entered. Trish O’Brien, vice president of human capital operations at Lifelong Learner Holdings, emphasized tailoring your resume to the position to increase the likelihood of passing the first level.
“Make sure you review the post carefully and… [use] the relevant keywords in your resume to get through the review,” O’Brien said. “Be honest, but remember that your resume will most likely go through the ATS first.”
A useful tip is to include keywords from the job ad in your CV. Copy and paste the job description into the word cloud generator to identify the most used terms and ensure that terms that apply to you are used in your resume. You can also create a “core skills” or “areas of expertise” section on your resume to list all your hard and soft skills, then reiterate those skills when describing your experience.
Did you know?
According to Zipper, using keywords and industry jargon can increase your likelihood of landing an interview by nearly 30 percent.
6. Think beyond your work responsibilities.
Hiring managers don’t want to read your to-do list. They want specific examples of your achievements in previous positions that show how you can make a difference in this new position.
Rangel said specific credits are more interesting to read than just your experiences. For example, “I reduced operating costs by 23 percent in six months” is far more interesting to an employer than “I have 30 years of sales experience.”
When deciding what information to keep or cut from your resume, focus on compelling abstract traits and qualifications in favor of concrete, measurable results.
“The best resumes highlight a job candidate’s actions and achievements,” said Bob Myhal, director of marketing at CBC Automotive Marketing. “Employers want employees who do their jobs and who enjoy and take pride in their work. Rather than listing your qualifications, your CV should reflect your achievements and enthusiasm for your career.”
You should also not neglect your skills section. Sade reminded job seekers to list any industry-relevant apps or programs they are familiar with and find ways to incorporate examples of their emotional intelligence (e.g., self-awareness, empathy) and soft skills (e.g., work ethic, reliability) in their job descriptions.
7. Use the right language to stand out.
Shabby, vague descriptions of your job duties and accomplishments won’t do you any favors. Be sure to use strong action words, such as “achieved,” “designed,” “improved,” and “established,” to describe your roles and projects, Sade said. That way, you’ll sound confident while conveying vital information. But be careful depending on the action verb—include details about how you improved the process or reached the goal.
“Words like ‘professional’,’results-oriented’, and ‘detail-oriented’ convey very little useful information,” said Sade. “It’s better to use actual job titles than these words.”
Key takeaway
Use a combination of action words to highlight your experience and make your resume easier to read.
Obeid said to remove words like “go-getter,” “team player,” and “go-to person” from your resume. They look like hair and take up valuable space on your CV.
8. List your social media profiles.
Many hiring managers today check candidates on social networks. Save them a step by including your profile links in your resume. Experienced candidates with a professional social presence will do well to include URLs to their LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, and blog, if applicable.
“If and only if your social media accounts are filled with professional posts related to your industry, it can be beneficial to list them on your resume,” said Richie Frieman, author of Answer All… and other ways to end your career. “I can show that you have a strong network and that you are up to date with modern marketing and communication practices. The hiring manager will see that you like to follow what is happening and that you are interested in learning more.”
Social profiles can be a powerful recruiting tool to complement their experience and position as experts in their field, but only if used correctly.
FYI
If your social profiles are not of professional use, do not list them on your CV, and make sure they are set to private.
The importance of a good resume
Your CV is the most important document you will submit when looking for a job. It is your first battle, so to speak, because it is your first opportunity to present yourself to a potential employer. A professional CV will help you achieve the following:
- Increase your earning potential. According to Zippio research, professionally written resumes are not only good for getting an interview; they can also increase your earning potential by 7 to 32 percent.
- Increase your chances of landing a new role. Zippia also found that 68 percent of job seekers who worked with a professional resume writer found a new job in less than 90 days. If your resume lacks professionalism or relevance to the positions you’re applying for, you probably won’t get as many opportunities.
- Impress recruiters and hiring managers quickly. Hiring managers and recruiters only look at resumes for an average of six to seven seconds each, so make every second count. A strong resume can help you stand out from the crowd, but a weak resume can keep you out of the running.
- Reduce the number of rejections. According to Zippia, you need to send an average of 50 to 100 resumes before you get hired. But the more impressive and professional your CV is, the lower this number will be, and the less time you have to wait to start a new job.
Make a good first impression.
Your CV is a great way to showcase your experience and make a solid first impression. It doesn’t matter how talented, passionate, or experienced you are; if a recruiter or hiring manager isn’t impressed with your resume, you don’t have a chance to sell yourself. If you follow the tips above, you will increase your chances of getting to the interview stage of the hiring process and landing your dream job.
