5 Top Resume Writing Tips for an Outstanding Resume
“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”
Every single day, thousands of people looking for job opportunities apply in countless companies across different industries. The market is huge and there is no shortage of skill – so what makes you think your resume will stand out from the crowd? Sure, you must be experienced, professionally valuable and skilled, but so are the rest. Thus, essentially your resume is what really separates you from others.
If you think your current CV is not doing justice to your profile, work ethics and professional skills, this article will share the top five resume writing tips as compiled by thousands of experts and hiring managers worldwide.
Before you begin to glance over the most important resume writing tips, you must understand what an ‘ideal’ resume looks like in the real world. If you want to shine amongst the tough competition out there, master these resume writing techniques first to build a resume that is the best representation of your professional journey.
While writing your resume, it is better to start with the ‘presenting’ part and get that right first. Understand the below points well before proceeding–
a) Avoid ‘typos’ and grammatical errors.
b) Use proper punctuation with the right fonts for highlights. It is advisable to stick with two fonts for the entire resume.
c) Add important professional and personal information with ‘bullet’ points.
Once you have got the format right, it is important to use wide margins, white spaces and clear headings to properly present the content in your resume. Remember, there are many who would be applying for the same job role or position, thus if your resume isn’t well presented, no matter how well written it is, the interviewers would quickly scan and pass it.
Based on your job industry, you can choose from different resume types best suitable for your career.
Let’s get to the next important part – the information that goes in your resume. To craft a winning resume, focus on the points discussed below –
1) Be Specific –
Possibly the most critical mistake professionals make while writing a resume is adding too much irrelevant information. Job seekers often misinterpret a CV as a personal diary that encompasses their entire life journey. Don’t do this mistake as it can significantly reduce your chances of getting that job. Employers like resumes that are specific, on-point and succinct to help they create a first impression within a glance or two.
While crafting a resume, focus only on the key points, achievements, strengths and experience that is targeted to the job they are applying for. Nobody wants to read stories, so be specific and save yourself an opportunity to get hired. Especially critical for professionals who are switching jobs or careers, you must show the employer what matters instead of generic job descriptions.
2) Be Keyword Rich –
In an overly competitive professional world, thousands of job seekers are fighting for the same opportunity and thus, the majority of resumes submitted to organizations have to pass through software like ATS (Applicant Tracking System) which filters the most relevant resumes as per the industry jargons or ‘keywords’ mentioned in a resume. Without the right keywords, your resume is pretty much pointless until it is directly going to a person working within the organization. Like it or not, in the tech-savvy world we live in, keywords do matter a lot in improving your chances to be seen.
If you want to identify the keywords related to your job industry and responsibility, this article will help you find those magic words. The more your professional experience is, the more number of keywords you must fit while writing a resume.
3) Be Reader Friendly -
Your resume must be the best representation of your professional experience with a visually pleasant format, relevant keywords and a reader-friendly presentation. While an interviewer is scanning your CV, it has to catch the attention and simultaneously be eye-friendly to read. To achieve this, you can add graphic elements like pie charts, tables, histograms, bar graphs etc. to communicate your skills, responsibilities and achievements.
Don’t go overboard with this technique and keep your resume as simple and industry specific as possible. Crisp content, right colours, error-free writing will go a long way in making your resume stand out from the pool of applicants.
4) Be Focussed –
Before anything else, an ideal resume must clearly answer one question: Why You?
Clearly, if your resume is orientated in line with your achievements, skills and professional value, every employer would love to choose you. To do this, start by highlighting the results achieved by your actions, convey your distinctiveness instead of your duties in a job. Tell the employer(s) how uniquely you can solve complex problems, soft skills, contributions to the previous organization(s) and basically everything that you have accomplished professionally.
Add numbers and relevant data wherever possible too add a layer of authenticity and confidence and employers love to get to the point quickly. Remember – a resume is not a bio, it is a marketing document to sell yourself better.
5) Be Sure–
Lastly, be sure to proofread your resume and share it with few people who can critically examine it from a distinct perspective. Check the relevancy and consistency of every single information filled by you in the resume – contact details, age, personal information email, address and any minute detail before sharing. Make sure both your professional experience and achievements are authentic and well supported with certificates or documents. Whether you are a fresher or someone with experience, a resume that is not genuine will certainly kill your chances quicker than anything else on this list.
There you have it – Five simple yet incredibly effective resume writing tips online to help you craft a better professional resume and get discovered easily. With a perfect resume, you can attract more employers and companies and secure the job easily. Get hired!
Resume writing examples:
Although it is advisable to write your own resume but for professionals who are too caught up to craft a resume on their own and need expert advice and quality CV writing services, contact ReWriteCV to get a free CV review by professional CV writers and IIT-IIM experts today!
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