Tips to Make Your Resume Standout
Why is it important for your resume to standout? When applying for jobs, your resume is a snapshot of who you are and the experiences you have gained within your field of practice. Each day, employers scuffle through hundreds of resumes; looking for that one exceptional applicant to catch their eye. Since employers are tasked with the job of looking through hundreds of resumes each day, some resumes may be overlooked if they are not as compelling or fitting to the role they are applying for. Making your resume memorable will give you an edge over other job applicants— leaving a lasting impression on employers and advancing the professional opportunities you may receive. The following tips outline ways in which you can make your resume standout and catch the eyes of future employers.
Keep your resume short and sweet
A general rule of thumb to follow is that your resume should be no more than one page, unless you have an extensive technical career that you would like to highlight. To ensure that your resume stands out, include recent and relevant work experiences that speaks to the role you are applying for. To keep your resume concise, it would be beneficial to decipher between which experiences are appropriate to include that detail your career history and relevant qualifications. Including every job you have held on your resume– especially ones that do not align with the position you are applying for– can take attention away from the relevant experiences you listed, making your resume appear busy and unclear. Focusing on recent and relevant work experiences within your resume; and presenting this information in a clear and concise manner, will allow an employer to be engaged with your resume and better your chances of receiving future employment.
Craft a professional summary
Your professional summary, also known as a career snapshot, is a brief way for employers to know what your experiences, skills, and achievements are. Your professional summary should be concise, approximately 3-5 sentences, and located at the top of your resume beneath your name and contact information for employers to see first. This section should be persuasively written, compelling an employer to pay closer attention to your resume. On average, employers only look at resumes for six to seven seconds, so it is essential that your professional summary provides a captivating overview of your experiences and skills to give employers insight on your professional accomplishments. Your professional summary section is your opportunity to grab an employer’s attention and summarize your skills and achievements.
Showcase your acquired skills & certifications
When listing your skills and certifications, you should not confuse them with honors and awards. Technical skills refer to the abilities and knowledge acquired that are used to perform specific, specialized tasks and functions. A technical certification is a designation that demonstrates mastery of a specific skill in the field of technology. According to CompTIA, the leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications, 91% of employers believe IT certifications play a key role in the hiring process and that IT certifications are a reliable predictor of a successful employee. Certifications are an important component that employers look for to determine if you are a right fit for an open position, so including relevant certifications in your resume is detrimental to your success. As noted by CompTIA, 93% of recruiters find it difficult to match the right candidate to the correct job opening, but incorporating relevant IT certifications on your resume shows an employer that you are a qualified candidate who is well-versed in technology.
This section of your resume is important because it will tell an employer if you are a qualified candidate based upon the knowledge that you have. When listing your skills and certifications, they should be written concisely and succinctly for an employer to easily analyze. When written effectively, this section of your resume can separate you from the other candidates applying for the same position.
Tailor your resume to the job description
Your resume should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for. When crafting your resume, you should re-read the job description to make sure that it includes all the necessary qualifications for the job. If necessary, reorganize the information in your resume to highlight the requirements the employer will be looking for first based upon the job description. You should always make sure that your resume resonates with the requirements of the job to ensure that the employer takes note of your resume.
If you are applying to multiple tech positions, verify that your resume speaks to the requirements of each position before sending it to an employer. Your resume is the gateway towards gaining future employment, so it is essential to tailor your resume to the various positions you will be applying for.