Tips for Writing a Resume That Gets the Attention of Recruiters

Mihai-Alexandru Cristea 08/07/2021 | 16:09

Lately, there have been a bunch of online tools that allow you to design your resume – whether it’s resume builders, resume templates, or even hiring a professional resume writer to do it for you. The availability of such tools doesn’t mean much if your resume isn’t prepared for the right job. A resume is a great way to introduce yourself and get an employer’s attention, but you can’t bet if it will be read closely.

 

Here are some tips for designing your own perfect resume that suits the company you want to work for.

How to choose a resume template:

With so many options for creating your own resume, or downloading a resume PowerPoint template online, how do you know which one is the best for you?

Before making your choice, try reviewing a template that you like. Find a resume that’s similar to the one you want and see if it’s designed for specific job positions or industries. Many templates are general and may not be the perfect fit for your job. For example, if you were applying for a place in a pharmaceutical company, it would be inappropriate to use a template that would otherwise have been suitable in the design and entertainment industry (with lots of pictures, colors, etc.).

 

Create an effective header:

Incorporate a job title that includes your name, your location, and the type of position you’re applying for. For example: “Billy Smithson, New York City—Editorial Specialist for Regulatory Affairs”—this layout is very professional looking since it sets up a good impression on an employer.

Add an action verb such as “Responsible,” “Accurate,” or “Diplomatic” for the responsibilities and achievements of your previous positions. Some verbs are strong enough to tell a potential employer that you are skilled in handling things—they may make him take notice of your skills without any further information like how you are described in your resume.

Your LinkedIn headline is also super important and should synergize with your resume title. Your headline can be the same as your resume headline, but it’s sometimes even better to use something slightly different to showcase a different side of your career accomplishments. A LinkedIn headline can also be far catchier and more creative than your resume headline – so there’s room here to really innovate and show-off your professional flare.

Include a relevant picture on your resume:

Depending on the industry you’re applying to, it might be a good idea to add a picture of yourself.

If the industry you’re applying to has a very high level of professionalism, then the use of a picture is not mandatory. Resume template companies usually provide space for displaying your photo in an optional area.

When you decide to use the optional part, make sure that your picture isn’t too distracting and doesn’t needlessly take up space on your resume.

A great example would be if you have a job like an animal trainer, where most of the time you are working alone with animals—you could just describe in one photo “Determined to teach every dog how to play fetch.

 

Improve your resume with the following sections:

1. Thank you and your contact information:

This section can be very long, and you should include a job title, the name of the company you’re applying for, your contact information (phone number, office address), and your email address. Sometimes it’s handy to include your nationality in this section.

2. Your objective:

Many experts advise putting your objective on the top of your resume. This will help you make a good first impression because it shows that you’re very clear on what job you want and what skills you have to offer.

If you do decide not to include an objective on your resume, make sure to pick some other section for displaying that information. The usual section is “Summary of Qualifications”.

3. Honors and awards:

When listing your education details on your resume, there are many resources online that will help you choose the best option. Use this list that highlights our top 3 honors and awards that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for.

 

Make sure you choose the right font (and size) for your resume:

When doing a resumé review, it’s essential to make sure that the font you choose is appropriate.

For example, when using bold or all caps, make sure that your resume doesn’t start looking like an angry cat’s claws! Likewise, it’s better to use a more neutral font size and tone to not draw attention away from your skills and experience instead of highlighting them.

 

Use appropriate spacing:

Spacing is vital in resumes because you want to ensure that you don’t end up with sentences that look all messy and wonky. Again, the goal is to make it easier for the recruiter to go through your resume – remember, they might spend less than a minute on your resume and so make the process easy for them!

Don’t go overboard with spacing either; use a bold touch for important information like start and end dates or more formal typefaces, but avoid filling every available space in your resume with large spacing.

 

Use effective indentation:

Indenting is an interesting trick that can help visualize where each word should be placed on your resume. For example, if you’ve applied for a position at a law firm—you might want to indent the “Brief Summary” area of your resume slightly. This will make it stand out from the rest of the text and draw more attention to it.

 

Use effective subheads:

Subheads are great in resumes because they help break up sections or lists. They also bring information together, making it easier for an employer to understand what you want. Subhead will also help make your resume look less cluttered.

 

Use more than just bullet points:

Bullet points are a great way to tell employers about your skills and experience, but they might not give them enough information. Employers need more detail to understand what you have to offer and want to know how you can help their company—so these points must be detailed and include the why and the what. For example, instead of saying “Responsible for X” say something like “Responsible for X, which allowed us to do Y successfully” or you could describe an action verb that gives a better visual of how you worked on this project.

 

Conclusion:

Overall, when writing a resume, you want to remember that although all of this detail is important and might make for a fantastic resumé—it’s not the most important thing. In the end, what recruiters care about is your experience and how that can contribute to their company.

Many essential points could be said about writing a stronger resume, but in the end, it comes down to how well you can sell your skills and experience. It’s not about what formal school degree or extra classes you have – instead, it’s about what you learned from those experiences.

Writing resumes isn’t always an easy task, but there are plenty of available resources, including professional resume writers, who can help you craft the perfect resume!

Good luck in your future job search!

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Mihai-Alexandru Cristea | 27/03/2024 | 17:32
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