Follow these five tips and you’ll be well on your way to making your resume stand out.
1. Create a Professional Summary Statement
A professional summary statement is meant to grab the attention of hiring managers and show them what you can bring to their organization. On your resume, you have a short window of time to show how you are a great fit for the position. It’s important to gain the attention of the hiring manager right away so they want to keep reading.
When creating your professional summary statement, consider what the hiring manager wants to know about you. By highlighting what you can do for the organization, they will be more likely to reach out to you for an interview.
Use descriptive words that add to your value as a potential employee. Instead of sticking with commonly used phrases, try to think outside the box and include active words that will spark their interest.
2. Incorporate Industry Keywords
One of the most effective resume tips is to incorporate information from the job description itself. For example, the job description might state, “Looking for a creative individual who has experience with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.” You can easily incorporate this into your resume by stating you are a creative individual who has experience with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. As simple as this may sound, it can go a long way! It is imperative though to refrain from copying and pasting information from a job posting into your resume, and to only list skills and experiences which are factual. Academic integrity extends beyond the classroom and should be practiced throughout your career.
3. Use CAR Statements
Another great way to make your resume stand out is to include accomplishment statements, otherwise known as CAR (challenge, action, results) statements. These state not only what you did in your previous experience, but also the way in which you carried out your tasks.
In the workplace, the past is a great indicator of the future. So, by listing the challenges you have faced in the past, the action you took and the positive result that came of it, hiring managers can get an idea of what kind of a worker you are.
4. Use a Professional Resume Template
The visual appearance of your cover letter and resume does matter. While the content of your resume is the most important, hiring managers can easily be turned off by a disorganized and unprofessional-looking document.
Today, there are so many great resources when it comes to putting together your resume. Just by browsing the web, you can view resume templates which may have a format or design you like. Resume templates may be difficult to format so be careful to ensure that any resource you utilize is user-friendly. Most college students can easily format a resume.
5. Formatting
Perfecting the format of your resume is a vital step of the process. If a resume is not easy to read, it can get tossed to the bottom of the pile. Choose and left-align a standard font, using bold and italics to designate headings and sub-headings.
Make sure there is a good balance of text to white space, so it does not appear too congested. Bullet points are your best friend! Reviewing a resume template can help you nail the format.
Lastly, you should never leave the best for last. The most important information should always be in the top half or one-third of the page. It is often said you should keep your resume at one page, but if you are cutting out valuable information to do so, it may not be worth it. A second opinion can help you judge what to keep and what to cut.