5 Resume Tips to Stand Out from the Talent Pool

Over 24 Years of my career in Executive Search, Talent Management, Staffing, and Recruitment, I have seen thousands of resumes and placed hundreds of employees for clients on board. From my experience, today's job market is not just about what you know—it's about how you present yourself as well.

?If you're looking to make a change in your career and want a stellar resume, then I have some tips for you!

Make these changes in your resume today to stand out from the talent pool –

• BOLD HEADER
• CATCHY SUMMARY
• MEASURABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
• SKILLSET
• KEYWORDS

First, add a bold header with your name, followed by a simple one-liner defining who you are. Bold headings are easier to read and catch the recruiter's eye immediately.?As shown in the sample below. In place of 'PROFESSIONAL TITLE', try to frame a one-liner best defines your profession.

Examples of Professional Titles -

• Experienced Project Manager and Business Consultant
• Creative Copywriter, Proofreader, Researcher, and Editor
• Human Resources Director
• Online Marketing Expert and Trainer

Ideally, the profile title communicates the following facts to a recruiter – your current designation, your level of seniority, or your functional industry. Make sure to make it the second largest text in your resume after your name.?

Etsy is a great place to find editable resume templates. Take a look at the clean design by ResumeColectivePlus. It is available on the platform. I am also sharing the link below.?

P.S. – It is not a paid promotion.?

Second, ensure your professional summary includes all the information recruiters want to know about you. You should include your education, skills, experience, and what motivates you. Your resume summary should be engaging, clarifying why you deserve this job. To make the recruiter see that, you can add some of the keywords mentioned in the job description. Don't draft a lengthy summary. Try to finish it within 5-6 lines.?

If you are a fresher about to start your career, then instead of writing a professional summary, you should add a resume objective. The motive of a resume objective is to sell your skills as a professional and tell the recruiter how you can contribute to the growth of the company.?

Third, your work experience must contain measurable achievements. This is where you play the magic of numbers. You may wonder, how? Regarding accomplishments, having a real number stands out to recruiters and builds credibility. This number may vary from one job to another. I am going to share some of the most-impressive measurable accomplishments that I have observed over the years –?

• Over-achieved the goal of driving $3 Million Net new business to $5 Million in sales.
• Supervised over 100 payrolls through ADP.
• Developed a robust email marketing campaign and improved retention by 36%
• Led SEO plan and conversion funnel to generate 100,000 monthly unique visitors.?

?You need to identify your top number and present it in the best way possible to grab the attention. Here's how I did it-

Fourth, the skills section of your resume should be short and sweet—just enough to demonstrate what sets you apart from other candidates. Don't just list everything on one line; highlight specific accomplishments that show off your skillset, knowledge base, and work ethic. These are important for employers because they give them an idea of what kind of employee you'll likely be over time, which helps them decide whether this person will fit into their company culture best.?

Fifth, go through the job posting, discover the skill-based keywords, and add them to your resume. This will make the recruiter see that you are the exact same person they are looking for. It would help if you also highlighted these keywords to catch the attention. Another way to get noticed by a particular company is to use its language. To do so, you need to understand how the company describes itself. You can learn the same by checking the about section of the company’s website, LinkedIn page, employees working at similar positions, etc.?

I would like to tell you why adding relevant keywords to your resume is essential.

Keywords are the words or phrases usually disclosed in the job posting. These buzzwords can be in any form – skillset, qualifications, or responsibilities- and further helps a recruiter to determine a candidate's eligibility.?

We live in a world of digitization, and in today's time, the job market is loaded with ATS (applicant tracking system) and talent management systems. These systems have been created to save recruiters time and speed up the hiring process. The ATS eliminate the resume or put them on a low priority that are missing specific keywords. You surely don't want that.?

By strategically using the recommendations mentioned above, you can persuade the hiring manager to pay serious attention to your profile.??

If you like tips like these, visit my profile Anshuman Sinha and click on the follow button. I talk about startups, recruitment, and investment.?

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