Write a resume that brings home interview requests

Getting a chance to meet an employer for a job interview is one of the biggest wins in your job search. Your resume is the ticket to your dream job, and you want to make sure that it does its part to the best of its abilities. But what constitutes a winning resume ?

Sometimes, a job opening can attract around 250 job applications. Among all these applicants, only a very few candidates manage to stand out. What do they do differently when creating a resume? They use tried-and-true resume writing strategies to make sure their resume checks all the employer’s boxes.

Choose a job-winning resume template

If you take a few minutes to browse the internet in search of resume templates, you can find more than a hundred of those. However, only a few resume templates are attractive to recruiters. Most candidates make the mistake of going for the fanciest resume templates that they spot instead of considering things from the recruiter’s perspective. An ideal resume template is:

• ATS-friendly
• Easy to navigate
• Easy to read
• Formatted professionally

Structure your resume right

Now that you know the kind of resume template you should select, let’s look at what you should do once you’ve picked one. You should ensure that the most important and valuable information for you is brought out through your resume. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to do:

• Choose a professional font or two for the content of your resume
• Add uniform margins on all sides of the document
• Adjust the line spacing to improve readability. 1.5 works best
• Create the necessary resume sections
• Use reverse chronological order to enter information
• Ensure that your contact information is visible

Tailor to the job description

Now, it is time to start entering information into your resume to customize it for the open position . Before customization, you need to have a clear understanding of the employer’s expectations. Reading the job description and highlighting the keywords will help you do that. Treat the job description as a giant question and write your resume to answer it. Show the employer that you have all the qualifications that they are asking for.

Highlight your achievements

Achievements and accomplishments are important for a resume . There are a few places where you should emphasize your achievements on the resume. You can use the summary statement, work experience section, skills section, and education section to emphasize job-related accomplishments. You can also share academic achievements in the education section if you are a recent graduate. Some job seekers choose to create a dedicated achievements section in their resumes to highlight important professional wins.

Talk about the right skills

One of the most important elements of your resume is the skills section. It is the best place to add job-related keywords to your resume as well. Before you create the skills section, read the job description carefully. Identify the skills the employer expects to see in an ideal candidate and incorporate them into your resume.