Strategies for Creating a Winning Resume

The average hiring manager spends about?eight to twelve seconds looking at a resume. This means that potential candidates have a very short time to leave a good impression. According to a survey done on 133,000 resumes,?only 10% of applications result in an interview.?

Your resume is in a pool with other competing candidates, so you need to find what gives you an edge and improve your chances of winning a job. ?

Have you had a promising career in the past? Have you developed a few “additional’’ soft skills? What about your use of various software that is relevant to your industry? You need to get hiring managers to see these! You should have all the right information strategically placed, such that at first glance, a hiring manager would spot them. This puts you above your competitors and gives your resume a huge boost.?

Note this:? Managers are particular about your most recent job and your contributions there.?Most?managers don’t?want to hire a job hopper, so they’re always looking for how long you spend at jobs on average and your involvement during your stay.?

Managers look within your last 3 - 5 years of professional experience to measure your relevance. And that’s because gap years in IT are not like in other fields. If you have some, you should note the skills learned during those times.?IT is one field where you can get left behind if you take time off, and managers want to know your relevance to recent happenings in your field.??

Let us see some helpful tips to help your resume stand out:?

You Should Tailor Your Resume?To?The Job Specification?

It is good to keep a template resume for yourself, highlighting all your skills and relevant professional information. It helps you keep track of your progress as you update your skillset and certifications. It also helps you note all the years of your professional career.?

However, when submitting your resume, it should contain information relevant to the job description for each job you are applying for. According to HR statistics,?63% of recruiters only look for resumes tailored to their job description.?Your resume should have laser-focused details that are aimed at the job in question. ??

For those with?many years of?experience, a three-page resume should be enough. One hack you can use is to talk more about your involvement in more recent roles. So, your last five years of work should have more description than those of older times. It speaks to experience and relevance!?

The Summary Section Is Optional?

Yes, the summary section is optional. Surprised? I know, right, because it’s literally the first thing a hiring manager would see. However, many hiring managers point out that they barely judge a candidate by the summary. The summary contains a lot, probably too much, about the candidate without an actual time value. “Mike designed cloud solutions and implemented….” When? That’s the first thing the hiring manager asks, so the summary section on top of your resume does not influence his decision. The time value of skills is a significant factor in IT because of how dynamic the field is. ?

Your Resume Should Contain Your Actual Skill Sets?

Your resume should be an accurate representation of your professional life. It should clearly show your career trajectory with the relevant and professional skill set that was valuable along the way. In the IT field, many candidates put out software in their resumes that they are not proficient with. And when they finally make it to interviews, they are not able to justify these outlined skills.?

So, be sure to tick as many boxes as possible in places where relevant skill sets are concerned.?

CONCLUSION?

Don’t Sell Yourself Short! You should confidently spell out what you have done and all the value you have offered previous employers. You are your own salesperson, and you should not sell yourself short. Structure and improve your resume with these hacks, and?you’ll increase your chances of getting hired!?