3 tips for a highly effective resume

Many begin to look for their next opportunity in the early months of the year, but the landscape is fiercely competitive.?

Even if you’re the one applicant out of four who makes it past the applicant tracking system, your resume has less than 10 seconds to grab an employer’s attention.?

Thus, it’s critical that your resume grabs – and keeps! – a hiring manager’s attention long enough to land you an interview. If you haven’t updated your resume, now is the time to do so.

Knowing how and where to update your resume can be tricky. Here are my three favorite pieces of advice when it comes to creating a highly effective resume.

1. Create an objective statement or professional summary.

Both objective statements and professional summaries are introductions to you and your resume. They function as an elevator pitch for your professional experience (and, in turn, you), so they need to catch the reader’s attention immediately and make them interested to see what you have to offer.

They both have an impact on your resume’s effectiveness – as long as you know which one to use.

An objective statement consists of a few sentences at the top of the resume that highlight professional goals and, in some cases, how your skills relate to the job. If you’re looking to switch roles or industries, this is for you.

In writing it, make sure it’s short, specific, and interesting enough to grab the reader’s attention.?

Don’t write: “Objective: Secure a position in a large firm as receptionist, manager, owner, or clerk.”

Instead, write: “Objective: To secure a mid-level management position with a respectable firm that will allow me to develop my skills and grow within the company.”

A resume summary should highlight any professional achievements as well as the most valuable skills you bring to the table. Like an objective statement, it should also be located at the top of the page and allow a reader to know with just a glance if your skills and experience are right for the job.

Your resume summary should include a professional title (such as SUMMARY or PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY) and take up no more space than a paragraph or short, bulleted list.?

Don’t write: “Passionate and high-skilled sales rep with 5 years work experience and reliable industry knowledge. Wanting to take on new challenges.”

Instead, write: “PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: A passionate, professional real estate agent with more than five years of experience at an award-winning residential real estate agency. Adept at following company procedures and effectively using all available resources, as proven by sales track record. Able to anticipate the needs of both buyers and sellers and fully dedicated to the position.”

2. Be explicit and precise.

Your resume is where you have room to highlight what you’ve done, so why aren’t you taking it? Don’t just touch on the work you’ve done – be explicit about the scope and complexity of it.?

When you quantify your experience with measurable results whenever possible, you will show the reader that you can be objective in your self-assessments and can prove your statements to be true.?

Not sure where to start when it comes to quantifying your experience? Here are a few things to include: revenue or profit generated; project size; quantity of work; time commitment; and increased or decreased by X%.

Don’t write: “Created and produced content tailored to several social media platforms in order to grow following.”

Instead, write: “Analyzed social media user engagement and developed Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok content to drive brand awareness, effectively increasing followers from 2,500 to 12,500 and increasing engagement by 40% in 8 months.”?

3. Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for.?

As tempting as it might be to skip this task, this is crucial. Write for the reader rather than yourself.

If you use the same resume for each application, you likely won’t make it past the stage of screening by the hiring manager – but using the right verbiage will prove you’re up for the task. Plus, it might not even make it to the hiring manager without the keywords an applicant tracking system is looking for.

Remember, just listing or copying and pasting the skills won’t cut it. Instead, tweak your existing content to include details and accomplishments around those skills. You should plan to update your summary or objective, experience, and job descriptions.

For instance, if a job requires a marketing manager with five years of experience, you might write “Results-driven marketing manager with more than five years of experience implementing successful strategies to drive sales” in your summary.

Likewise, if it calls for the ability to set and meet goals, consider crafting a sentence such as “Developed marketing content calendar that increased and overachieved engagement by an average of 19% YoY (vs. goal of 10%).”

What is the piece of resume advice that you’ve found most helpful? What’s your favorite piece of advice to give others? Comment below ??

#resume #careerdevelopment #coaching