How to Create a Resume That Will Get You Hired

Have you ever wondered why you didn’t get a job you were qualified for??

If you notice you’re not even getting to the interview stage then it may be time to look at your resume.?

Your resume is often the first contact between you and the potential employer.

While you may possess the necessary qualifications for the job and perhaps even be the most suitable candidate, it is important that the HR manager recognize this through your resume.?

Therefore, you need to make a strong first impression before you get to the next stage.?

Your resume needs to immediately demonstrate your skills, experience, and accomplishments.?

Here is how to create a resume that will increase your chances of getting hired.?

What is a Resume?

A resume is a one- to two-page document that provides a summary of your experiences, abilities, skills, and accomplishments.

At its core, a resume is a marketing tool to sell a candidate to an organization.?

It strategically highlights your strengths while presenting a professional image, showcasing accomplishments, and utilizing persuasive language.?

If done right, your resume will significantly increase your chances of landing an interview.?

What Makes a Resume Strong?

The truth is, a well-crafted resume has the potential to significantly impact your prospects. So, naturally, you’ll be wondering what makes a resume strong.?

We reached out to other experts in the field to get their opinion.?

Shelly-Ann Burton, CEO of A1 Resume Enhancement Services says that the layout, precision, and the ability to concisely tell a story about your industry experience, qualifications, and competencies for the job in question is what makes your resume strong.

When asked the same question, Tasheera Duggan, Director of Professional Resume Writing says “Once you have a clear understanding of what hiring managers are looking for, you tailor your resume to that specific industry. Add keywords, job-related skills and as much metrics as possible. Keep the resume clear and concise and visually appealing.”

Tailoring Your Resume for Specific Roles

Employers always include job descriptions and a list of required (or preferred) qualifications with job postings.?

Tailor your resume to include those credentials and incorporate the same terminology or key phrases throughout to demonstrate your suitability for the position.?

A tailored resume demonstrates that you have the abilities the hiring manager is looking for and have previously applied them to produce the best results at work.?

A few tips to help you tailor your resume effectively are:

Research the Company

Do extensive research on the company you are applying to before modifying your resume.?

You can research a company by:

• Visiting their website
• Taking a look at their mission statement
• Finding their values and culture by checking out their social media profiles, website, and newspaper articles and by talking to someone who worked there or used to.
• Get to know their offerings. You can find this information on their website.?

You can use this information to align your resume with the needs of the company and better understand them.

Analyze the Job Description

Carefully review the job description for the position you're applying for.?

List the main abilities, credentials, and experiences that are mentioned in the job description.?

Pay attention to specific keywords and phrases that highlight what the employer is seeking in an ideal candidate.

Align your resume accordingly

Match the required skills and qualifications from the job description to your own experiences and skills.?

Use the keywords and phrases found in the job description throughout your resume and whenever possible, quantify your achievements and impact in previous roles.

Elements of a Resume?

A strong resume will have the following elements:?

• Contact information
• Professional Summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Relevant skills?

Here’s how to construct these sections so that you can stand out.?

Contact Information?

Arguably, this is the most critical section on your resume.

No matter how qualified you are, your application won’t get very far if your contact information is missing or incorrect because HR won’t be able to contact you.?

In this section, make sure you include:?

• First Name
• Phone Number
• Email Address?
• Location

Professional Summary

We know that first impressions matter. That is why having a convincing professional summary is key to standing out.?

The professional summary is a two to four-sentence summary of your career and your most important achievements, including your professional accomplishments, educational background, and top skills and expertise.

A professional summary gives the reader a general idea or a snapshot of what your resume is all about. It allows the recruiter to know whether you’re relevant for the job or not with a single glance.

When constructing your professional summary, Burton says to include:

• Key words that are strongly associated with the job function and competencies
• Words that demonstrate expertise in the field
• Quantifiable achievements such as increased productivity levels,? revenue margin, and sales targets.

If you’re unsure of how to start your professional summary, Duggan says to look at the job description to see exactly who and what they’re looking for then starting your professional summary with that information at the forefront.?

Duggan also recommends focusing on your accomplishments when writing your professional summary.

She tells us, “Once you focus on accomplishments, then quantifiable achievements fall into place. It’s basically like the domino effect.”

Work Experience

Your work experience is the meat of your resume.?

Your experience is what you’re being hired for.?

The other sections act as supplements.?

The work experience section should include:

• Position?
• Company Name?
• Dates Employed?
• Responsibilities & Achievements?

To truly stand out from the crowd, your work experience should be achievement-focused. Take a second to think of what you achieved at your job and relay that information in a quantifiable way to demonstrate the impact of the role. When relaying this information, use strong verbs such as executed, delegated, headed, and directed.?

Let’s say you were a social media manager, think about the results you achieved for your clients.

Did you see an increase in engagement, sales, and leads? The more specific you are about what you achieved, the better. Therefore if you accomplished a 50% increase in engagement for a client as a result of your content, then include that.?

Your resume would have something like this: “I executed a social media campaign that resulted in a 50% increase in engagement and a 30% increase in email sign ups.”

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to add every single work experience you’ve ever had.?

Instead, pick the ones that are most relevant to your job. Doing that requires taking a look at the roles and responsibilities for the job you’re applying for as well as the roles and responsibilities you had in your previous jobs. Where do they overlap??

Finally, make sure you include them in chronological order, that is, your most recent job goes to the top of the list.?

Education?

This section should include your educational background, starting with your highest degree.

Make sure to include the:

• Institution's name
• Degree earned
• Graduation date
• Any academic honors or relevant coursework

Please do not include any educational accomplishments and achievements before high school.?

In addition to that, you don’t need to include every single CSEC, CAPE, or any other subjects you have done. Pick the most relevant ones for the job you’re applying to.?

For example, if you’re applying for a marketing job, business subjects would be the most relevant ones.?

Relevant Skills?

Another must-have section for any strong resume is the “Skills” section.?

There are two types of skills you can mention on your resume

• Soft Skills - Soft skills are personal skills such as leadership, communication, and critical thinking.
• Hard Skills - Hard skills refer to measurable or practical skills such as copywriting or operating machinery.

A good resume has a mix of both.?

At the same time, you shouldn’t just list ANY skills.?

Make sure the skills you include are relevant to the job you’re applying to.

You should also think about transferable skills you have from a job or educational experience you deem irrelevant to the job you’re applying to.?

As Burton tells us, “Transferable skills are best showcased by listing in order of importance as best associated with the job role or function.”

Formatting Tips

Your resume’s format is just as important as the information in it.?

Employers are looking for a clean, simple, and easy-to-read resume.?

However, instead of the typical black-and-white format, get creative.?

However, two things you should keep in mind are:?

1. Don’t go overboard with the design. Your resume should be both creative AND professional. So, unless you’re a designer, you’ll want to ditch that infographic resume.
2. If you’re in a conservative industry (banking or legal, for example), you might want to stick to a traditional, black-and-white resume.

Here’s what you need to consider about your resume layout:

• Margins - A one-inch margin on all four sides of the resume.
• Font - Choose one that’s easy to read and a bit creative (but not too much!) You can try fonts like Arial and Helvetica.
• Font Size - 11–12 pt for standard text and 14–16 pt for section headers.
• Line Spacing - Preferably, 1.15.
• Entry Bullets - When describing your work experience, don’t go over 6 bullets per position.
• File Type - Save your resume in PDF format (this is the preferable option for recruiters). Have a Word version only if asked in the job ad. Most recruiters usually ask for one or the other (and both file types are readable by applicant tracking systems). You should, however, NEVER use a graphic resume (.jpg or .png).

Proofreading Your Resume

Finally, to ensure there are no mistakes or inconsistencies after customizing your resume, proofread it carefully.?

Pay close attention to the formatting, spelling, and grammar. To ensure clarity and effectiveness, think about asking a friend or coworker you can trust for feedback.

Burton and Duggan provided a checklist for reviewing and finalizing your resume before submission. Check for:?

• Appropriate font size/ format layout (look and feel)
• Cross-check of sectional areas (accuracy and completeness)?
• Grammer/ punctuation checks
• All the important elements of the resume
• Alignment between your experiences and skills listed and the target job

Conclusion?

In this competitive job market, where many qualified candidates go after limited positions, standing out is crucial. You can stand out by creating a strong and carefully constructed resume.?

Remember, a resume is usually the first point of contact and has the power to capture the attention of hiring managers, distinguish you from other applicants, and leave a lasting impression.

Resumes are a tool for personal marketing, effectively showcasing your skills and accomplishments to prospective employers.

After you've learned and put these pointers into practice, you can make sure that your resume accurately captures your contact information, creates a strong first impression with an engaging summary, and builds on it with your work experience, education, and pertinent skills while using an attractive format.?

Don’t forget to tailor your resume to each job description and proofread proofread proofread!

If you’re ready to transform your resume into a powerful marketing tool, reach out to us, Career Docs at: https://thecareerdocx.com/ . We not only specialize in resumes but we can help you craft compelling cover letters and help you show up professionally on LinkedIn.?

We also offer resume and career counseling for corporations in partnership with their HR department. Reach out to us to find out how we can improve your employee’s professional life.

Source: Career Compass Newsletter