Perfecting your resume is crucial as it’s an employer’s first impression of you. There are many variations of resumes, from professional to creative, depending on what industry you’re in. To create a lasting impression just from your resume, utilize elements that will draw the eye and cause you to stand out.. Keep reading to dive deeper into how to do just that.
General Tips
According to Indeed, you should be updating your resume at a minimum every two (2) years. New trends and formatting options are constantly evolving, so staying on top of them will improve your chances when job searching.
A professional, white, and black resume is standard and preferred in many industries, but this type of resume doesn’t leave much creative freedom. However, there are still many ways to increase the appeal of your resume in this standard form.
Length – Keep it Short and Sweet
Having your resume not exceed one page is usually preferred, which can be difficult if it’s too wordy. Keeping your resume short and concise will increase its readability and allow you to add more content. Ways to achieve a more concise resume are to condense your experience descriptions, change up your formatting, and get rid of unnecessary personal information.
Statistics – Show Your Value
In place of experience descriptions, you can put statistics instead. The addition of statistics is more eye-catching and helpful to employers because it shows that you take pride in and pay careful attention to your work. So, instead of having “Worked to increase sales each month” on your resume, try adding in how much you actually increased sales by. By stating, “Increased sales by a minimum of 15% each month,” you give more than just an illusion of how much you actually helped your team/company.
Applicant Tracking Systems – Standout Amongst Competition
Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter out resumes that don’t match their job description; some words that an ATS could be looking for are communication skills, leadership skills, or experience with Excel. To pass through an ATS and get in front of the recruiters’ eyes, you can change a few words in your resume to select words that pertain to the position. You can often find these in the job description and work them into your resume.
Formatting – Standout, Be Unique
In order to boost the creativity and eye appeal of your resume, you can utilize formatting. Using formatting on resumes helps guide the eye, highlight important information, and break up the text. There are thousands of templates online, but one of the best places to find eye-catching and easy-to-use templates is Canva.
Canva has hundreds of resume templates to choose from. Still, it’s important to build and design a resume that is unique to you, so if you choose to utilize a prebuilt template, ensure that you make some changes to the layout, choose a new color scheme, and give it a personal touch. It could be helpful to choose one that is farther down on the popularity list (while also making unique changes) to really ensure that you don’t have the same resume design as someone else applying to the same position.
Tailoring – Fit the Description
Resume tailoring is very crucial when applying to multiple jobs with different descriptions and qualifications. Let’s say you are applying to a few positions in the marketing industry – a Social Media Manager position, an Event Manager position, and a Brand Strategist position.
The job descriptions among these positions will differ, so your resume should as well. By adding or subtracting experiences to cater to each position’s criteria or changing the descriptions of your experiences will help you pass through an ATS and highlight why you would be a match for this specific position.
Resume tailoring can also be helpful when applying to different industries. If you’re applying for a Marketing Manager position for a tech company, your resume will be toned down and professional, but if you’re applying for a Marketing Manager position for an apparel company, it should be more creative and design-heavy.
Creative Tips
While some think that a black and white resume is the industry standard, you can choose to head a different route and add some creativity and personalization to your resume if that’s your preference. Adding color, pictures, and graphics can boost the individuality of your resume and allow you to stand out from your competition.
Socials
If you are active on LinkedIn, it’s great to include your profile link on your resume; you can also include your Twitter handle if you use your account professionally. Your LinkedIn profile can showcase more experiences than your resume can and lets recruiters see what your connections are saying about you. This addition can add a personal element and save the recruiter time doing social checks. If you’re not sure that your LinkedIn profile is up to par, learn the steps you can take to ensure yours stands out.
Color
The addition of color in your resume, small or large, increases the individuality of your resume and is an eye-catching element. When marketing and design recruiters are looking through hundreds of resumes, they often see many of the same black-and-white ones. Adding color will set your resume apart and leave a lasting impression, so when they send out interview requests and offers, they will be able to remember you by the color of your resume.
Headshot/Graphic
Adding a headshot or a graphic of your initials adds a highly personal element to your resume. This will help the recruiter assign a face to the resume and be able to identify it quickly among the others. If you are going to move forward with the addition of a headshot, it’s crucial to make sure it’s professional and clear.
Resumes are essential in the professional world, and there is constant room for improvement and change. It’s vital to utilize tips like the ones listed above in order to stay ahead of other candidates and improve your chances while job searching. Still need help perfecting your resume? Contact Burkhart to see how we can help you stand amongst your competition.
