Stand Out & Get Hired In 2021

Anyone who is currently looking for work will tell you that the job market is tough to break into, with more people looking than there are job openings. While the news may seem gloomy, take heart. Companies are listing new roles and people are getting hired by the day, and you can be one of those new hires! With a few simple strategies in-hand, you'll be ready to submit a resume that gets you noticed and lands at the top of the pile, every time.

We’ve come up with a list of things you should do and others you should avoid at all costs when it comes to curating a modern resume. Follow along with our job-winning list of resume "do's and don'ts" to prepare yourself to really rock a resume that far exceeds expectations.

UNDERSTANDING AND USING SEO KEYWORDS

•  DO have a basic understanding of how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) works. Simply put, SEO means using keywords, or buzzwords, in your resume. Keywords are words that jump off the page at a recruiter or attract more attention in an online search. Recruiters will quickly scan your resume (5-7 seconds on average) looking for the right keywords to make sure that your skills match the job they’re trying to fill.  
•  DO keyword research to find the best ones for you. If you spend a little time on Google – still the most popular search engine – you will find lists of popular industry-specific keywords. Look for in-demand soft skill keywords as well. Jobscan offers a handy list of top keywords to boost your resume. Use keywords liberally throughout your document.
• DON’T use overused keywords too often. LinkedIn puts together lists of the most overused buzzwords each year; here’s their list for 2020. This isn’t to say you can’t use words like ‘strategic’ or ‘leadership’. Just back them up with solid examples and try to find alternatives so you’re not repeating the same terms all through your resume.
•  DON’T miss out on using keywords. These days, recruiters put resumes through an AI program called Automatic Tracking System (ATS) and will throw out the ones that don’t have a high match with the job they’re trying to fill. After all your hard work, you don’t want to end up in the trash!

STRUCTURING YOUR RESUME

•  DO use a Career Summary at the start of your resume. This is two to four lines that describe your qualifications for the job.
•  DO follow the Career Summary with an Area of Expertise section. You can use job and industry-related keywords here and highlight your skills quickly and succinctly.
•  DON’T add an objective statement or references. Modern resume writing experts say that an objective statement is outdated and these days, you only need to provide references when asked.
•  DON’T compress your CV to one page. While you may think that a one-page resume is easier to read and covers your work history, particularly if you’re starting out in your career, studies show that recruiters will spend almost twice as much time reading a two-page resume.
•  DON’T forget to add sections for volunteering, education and professional credentials after your work history.
• DON’T add personal details, like age, race or physical description. Definitely don’t include a photo. Job site BeHiring found that 88% of resumes with a photo attached were rejected.

SPEAKING THE RIGHT LANGUAGE

• DO use professional language. Keep slang and a laid-back attitude for your social media accounts.
•  DO use action words in your resume, like achieved, accomplished, designed, created, led, directed and so on.
•  DO provide good details – using strong descriptive words – about each of your past jobs, the skills you used, as well as your key achievements and stellar accomplishments.
•  DON’T use industry jargon and obscure terms when you describe past and present jobs. Explain clearly what your job responsibilities were and how you carried them out, and how you went above and beyond.

CUSTOMIZING YOUR RESUME FOR EACH JOB AND COMPANY YOU APPLY TO

• DO customize your resume for each job. Tweak your resume each time you apply to a different job to exactly match the skill requirements and company values.
• DO understand the values of the company you’re applying to and use keywords that reflect these values in your resume. Check out the company’s website, particularly their “About” or “Mission” statements and look for words the company uses to talk about itself.
• DON’T use one general resume for every job you apply to.

WRITING A COMPELLING MODERN RESUME

•  DO keep your resume at 2-3 pages.
•  DO format your resume professionally. These days, almost all resumes are prepared electronically and submitted online or by email. Both Word and Google Docs offer standard templates for resumes, with all the formatting and design already done for you.
• DO talk about what motivates you, drives you, about your successes and about what makes you stand out from others in your field. The days of resumes being just a chronological list of jobs is long past. Whereas once hiring professionals discouraged listing your accomplishments on a resume as ‘bragging,’ now they want to know why you stand out and why they should hire you.
• DON’T just highlight professional skills. Try to draw out your personality and make it shine through.
• DON’T list your work history past the most recent 15 years. Recruiters often won’t read that far back and skills you learned over a decade ago (depending on your industry) may already be out of date.

Now that you're equipped with these job-winning resume writing basics, you're ready to get started on search for, and landing, that dream job. You deserve to feel confident within today's competitive job market, after all, you're the expert in what you do, and there's the perfect job out there waiting for your unique skill set.

In the meantime, check out our free resume analysis service to see just how well you stack up against the competition. If you’re pressed for time, or still don’t feel confident selling yourself to a future employer, or writing your resume – let us do it for you!