How can you use tone and style to create a compelling resume?

When I worked as the Head of Human Resources and Recruitment at an educational consulting firm, I could tell the personality of a candidate through their resume. The resume is more than just a list of things you had done before the period of application or the qualifications that you have gained. It is a window through which the recruiter can see your aspirations, dreams and hopes for yourself and the role you have applied for. This is why developing a personal voice unique to your person is necessary, and that is one way you can make your resume stand out from all the bland ones recruiters receive every day.

How to choose tone and style for a compelling resume: Consider the e job and company culture : Tailor your resume's tone and style to the job type and company culture. For corporate jobs, use a formal tone and style. For creative jobs, you can be more informal. Be yourself: Let your personality shine through, but be mindful of the professional context. Use an active voice and strong verbs: This will make your resume more concise and direct. Be specific and provide examples: This will help employers understand your skills and experience. Be positive and enthusiastic: Show employers that you're excited about the job and the company. Proofread carefully: Make sure your resume is free of errors in grammar ad spelling.

The best advice I’ve used on both sides of the resume process is to think of the tone as an email to a friend. Does it feel authentic? Does it feel like a person-to-person interaction, rather than an applicant-to-company interaction? Your best bet to being hired is to establish a relationship—connect sooner rather than later. You may be great in an interview, but the resume and cover letter are your first chances to showcase *who you are.* And that’s more important than *what you’ve done.*

I think it is important to maintain a professional tone throughout your resume. Use formal language and avoid slang or overly casual expressions. This shows that you take the job application seriously and are committed to professionalism. It is also critical to infuse your resume with enthusiasm and passion for the field or position you are applying for. Use positive language to convey your excitement and motivation. This can help create a connection with the reader and make your resume more memorable.

Storytelling in resume writing sets the tone and is crucial for making a lasting impression on potential employers. It goes beyond listing qualifications; it engages readers by illustrating your professional journey, skills, and accomplishments in a compelling narrative. A well-crafted resume tells a story of your career progression, highlighting how your experiences align with the job you seek. It helps recruiters connect with you on a personal level, ultimately increasing your chances of landing that dream job.

Whatever template you use, avoid tables, columns, lines, color, more than 2 fonts, and unusual formatting. These can cause your resume fail to an ATS (Applicant Tracking System or Applicant Tracking Software) scan, so the employer cannot pull your key qualifications at a glance. ATS may "see incorrectly" or "not see at all" key points in your resume. Listing a typing speed "80 wpm," ATS sees "dictation" (not good if you do not know shorthand). "PowerPoint presentations" may be seen as "marketing" or "public speaking." "Did not finish high school" is seen as "high school graduate." "Learning Spanish with Babbel" assumes you speak Spanish. PDF can be harder to scan than MS Word. Bridgette Hyacinth and Work It Daily have great resume tips.

Recently, I heard the wise words that decision-makers are often looking for things that are "the same, but different." What this means is that they typically have a mental model of how an ideal candidate might present themselves, and they're looking to check those fundamental boxes before considering what makes the candidate unique. Especially for more traditional industries, it's important to format things in a way that will resonate with the reader's expectations, and once that foundation has been set, the reader will likely be more open to accepting and valuing the unique or untraditional things that make you, and the way you've presented yourself, special.

Try to break the clutter and go beyond the usual formatting style. And don't go too overboard with the style. The objective should be to stand out but still maintain the easy and simple flow of timeline. The style will also reflect on the personality you bring in. The style can be a great way to showcase certain of soft skills like how Detail Oriented you are, what command you hold over communication, and how good you are at presentation. And don't use too much of pop colors as it tends to reduce the seriousness. Although it also depends on the role you are applying for. Let's say if you are applying for a Creative Director, then you can be more experimental rather than when you are applying for a Technical role.

I think it is important that you are able to balance the format such that it is not tacky but also not boring to look at. Alignment and uniformity are non-negotiable. Keeping the text as simple as possible and sticking to the universally accepted ones. It is the colors that you can play around with, adding just enough through design elements like lines and borders. However, stay away from extreme contrasts or light colors. Depending on what kind of personality you want to give your resume you can decide on the primary colors from yellows to blues. The dates and numbers should be visible at first glance, so should be the things you want the recruiter to focus on. This you can ensure through chronology, highlighting, and colors.

Proof reading is essential. My recommendation is to read your resume silently and also to read it aloud. The latter will help you to pickup any inconsistencies. Then if affordable utilise the services of a professional proof reader and/or someone within the sector to which you are applying to ensure your resume works well for that sector.

Think of your resume as your elevator pitch. What do you want people to know about you and your experience in 30 seconds? Write this out and hone it until it accurately reflects the most compelling and important highlights of your professional, academic, and personal journey. Use this as your starting point and for your summary opening and build the rest of your resume from there.

Before writing your resume, do a brainstorming activity and identify the keywords that summarise your skills and knowledge. This will help with writing your resume. Then also in a covering letter/statement direct potential employers to where they can see examples of your fantastic work in action and where you have made impact.

To demonstrate skills, one must possess them. A list of genuine skills will never be too long. However, a list of superficial achievements, like short certifications or brief job stints, will always seem redundant. You won't secure a suitable job without substantial—and sometimes exceptional—skills. So, please learn, fail, and continuously update throughout your life!

To identify the skills you need and the skills you have, make a table. In the first column list the skills, qualifications, or other requirements from the job postings. In the second column, list the jobs or experiences you have had that align with each item in the first column. The table will help you determine which skills you need to focus on in your resume.

Receiving a CV that has been sent out to multiple companies is the equivalent of reading a press release mass emailed to many journalists. It doesn’t hit the mark because you’re talking to many not the one. It’s really important to tailor your tone and style to the individual position and company. Research the business, find out what they value, look at the language they use, any projects they might be focused on. Think about how your skills apply to their specific requirements to inform how you approach your CV.

Before applying for a job, research the company and the industry to understand their values, goals, and culture. Customize your resume to align with their specific requirements and preferences, showcasing how you can contribute to their organization. You must also identify the key skills and qualifications sought by the employer. Modify your resume to emphasize those skills that are most relevant to the specific job and industry. This ensures that your resume resonates with the reader and demonstrates your suitability for the role. When targeting different industries, highlight experiences, achievements, and qualifications that directly relate to the specific job you are applying for.

With respect to adaptability, it's important to consider how you might apply again to the same organization for a different role. I've seen more interviews from applications that were not the first, and for each one I had made the effort to highlight specific qualifications in a different light.

I've assisted with crafting and editing resumes for many years. The obvious objective is for the candidate to be selected for hire. Employers are less concerned about number of years served at a company. They look for candidates who have helped employers solve problems through critical thinking based on their skills. They look for documented performances with data-driven statements. Bottom line, they want to know if the candidate can add value to their company. A candidate may only have one opportunity to prove their abilities, and their resume, that describes a full picture of significant accomplishments, can increase their chances of getting hired. A resume can be the deciding factor in whether an interview is warranted. -Goya Spry

Many people seem to be turning to AI/ChatGPT to do their resumes...I wonder if this is going to be successful strategy or if it will flatten out the personality of individual resumes?

Remember to always proofread your resume thoroughly to ensure it is error-free and presents you in the best possible light. You may not have the opportunity to make any corrections once you hit the 'send' button.

To respond to Leah's comment below, I think you can and should use AI/ChatGPT to give you new ideas on how you position yourself and how you present your skills. I wouldn't rely on it to create a CV, but I would play around with it and see what it comes back with. I do believe it can add value and potentially save time, but in my experience, anything it produces needs substantial editing.

If you’re asking yourself “How can I create an impression with JUST a resume?” you’re not alone. A resume is such short-form information that it’s not enough to fit a whole persona. I’d advise creating your online brand to complement the resume. Let your online presence speak about you without you needing to use generic adjectives (like, communicative, hard-working, trustworthy, etc.). * Tell stories about your experiences * Share valuable materials and build an audience * Connect, communicate, and create