Day 8: How to Write a Resume That Stands Out: Essential elements of a standout resume.

Your resume is your first introduction to potential employers, and in a sea of applicants, you need it to stand out. A strong, well-organized resume is often the difference between getting an interview and getting overlooked.

Here’s how to create a resume that grabs attention:

1. Keep It Simple and Clean

The design of your resume matters. Go for a clean, professional layout with clear headings and bullet points. Avoid excessive graphics or colors that can make it hard to read. Remember : A recruiter goes through hundreds of resumes in any given day. She may look at a resume only for about 8-9 seconds! In those 8 seconds, your resume needs to grab her and get the key points across to her.

This means, your resume should be scannable very very quickly by the recruiters. It should make the key information jump out of the resume quickly for the recruiter to effortlessly understand your capabilities.

For example, Shalini, a marketing professional, simplified her resume by removing unnecessary details and organizing her experience into bullet points. This made it easier for recruiters to see her qualifications at a glance, and she soon received more interview calls.

Action Tip: Choose a simple, professional design for your resume. Use bullet points to organize your work experience and keep formatting consistent throughout.

2. Tailor Your Resume to Each Job

Generic resumes don’t work. Tailor your resume for each job application by highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position. This shows employers that you’ve taken the time to align your experience with their needs.

For instance, Anand, a software engineer, customized his resume for each job he applied to, focusing on the specific programming languages and technologies listed in the job description. This helped him land multiple interviews because his resume matched exactly what employers were looking for.

Action Tip: Before applying, read the job description carefully and adjust your resume to emphasize the skills and experience that align with the role.

3. Highlight Key Accomplishments

Instead of just listing your job responsibilities, highlight your achievements. Use numbers and data to demonstrate the impact you’ve had in your previous roles. This can include revenue growth, process improvements, or successful projects.

For example, Kavita, a sales manager, added quantifiable achievements to her resume, such as increasing sales by 20% and expanding her company’s client base. These tangible results made her resume stand out.

Action Tip: Focus on accomplishments, not just duties. Use metrics and data to quantify your achievements and make a stronger impression.

4. Use Strong Action Verbs

Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb that conveys leadership and impact. Words like “led,” “developed,” “implemented,” and “increased” are more powerful than passive phrases like “responsible for.”

For example, Manohar, a project manager, revised his resume by starting each bullet point with action verbs like “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “streamlined,” which helped him showcase his leadership and initiative.

Action Tip: Go through your resume and replace passive language with strong action verbs to make your experience sound more dynamic.

5. Keep It to One or Two Pages

Your resume should be concise and to the point. For most professionals, a one-page resume is sufficient, but if you have extensive experience, a two-page resume is acceptable. Avoid including irrelevant information just to fill space.

For instance, Jennifer, a graphic designer, cut her resume from three pages to one by focusing only on her most relevant experiences and skills. This made her resume more focused and readable.

Action Tip: Limit your resume to one or two pages. Remove any outdated or irrelevant information to keep it concise.

Action Summary

• Keep It Simple: Use a clean, professional layout with bullet points for easy scanning. Avoid excessive graphics that can distract from key information.
• Tailor for Each Job: Customize your resume for every job application by highlighting relevant skills and experiences, demonstrating your alignment with the employer’s needs.
• Highlight Accomplishments: Focus on your achievements, using metrics to showcase the impact of your work rather than just listing responsibilities.
• Use Strong Action Verbs: Start bullet points with impactful action verbs to convey leadership and initiative, making your experience sound dynamic and engaging.
• Be Concise: Limit your resume to one or two pages. Include only relevant information, keeping it focused and easy to read.

If you are more of a audio - visual person and would rather like to see / listen to this, check out my video on youtube : (it is a 15 minute video )

If you want to learn a little more about how you can create this magic, please feel free to get in touch with me. You may want to check out my course: "Unlocking the Secrets to Getting that Dream Job"??

Crafted with the 6 Step Career G.R.O.W.T.H Framework, this course has 6 Sections, 14 Modules, 85+ lectures, 15 hours of Video lectures, 30+ PDF Downloadable resources & 4 Mega PDF Resource Bundles to help you get going!

In case you know someone who is embarking on their career journey or someone who is feeling stuck in their career, share this with them - this course might be of some help to them!

Remember: Sharing is Caring!!

Thank you for reading my latest edition of GROWTH HACKING FOR PROFESSIONALS. Here at LinkedIn and Facebook I regularly write about Growth Hacks for Professionals and about Ways to Get that Dream Job of Yours.

To read my future articles simply join my network by clicking 'Follow'. Also feel free to connect with me via Twitter , Instagram , YouTube or Threads

About the Author: Visvanathan Sambasivam

I am a corporate professional, having worked as a Marketing / Consumer Insights professional in various Indian and Global MNCs for the last 30 years, with a passion for mentoring, teaching, and coaching; with a vision of helping 1 million people in their personal and professional growth.

I write regularly on LinkedIn & Facebook and have mentored many people in their professional journey.