How to Create a Perfect, Job-Winning Resume
You have finished school, now what? It is time to find a job. The first step in finding a job is an awesome resume. A resume is usually the first introduction that an employer has of you. For this reason, you want to make it as eye-catching as possible. Having a good resume is important to get you to the head of the line above others who are applying for the same job. However, in today’s market, your basic standard resume will unfortunately not grab the attention that you are looking for achieving.
What is a Resume?
A resume is a document that should list all your skills, jobs, education, and background. These things should be listed in chronological order. This will give your prospective employer some history and information about you. Your resume sells you on your experiences. There are many different types of resumes out there. The key is to choose the one that will enhance you and your expertise.
Let’s look at some ways to write you a fantastic resume and land you the job of your dreams.
An Eye-Catching Design
Let the employer know that you are creative, motivated, and willing to put in the work to go above and beyond. The design needs to be modern and clean. You must choose a design that will show your professional identity. The right design will let the employer know about your skills and personality. Add some color or maybe even a picture or two.
Prioritize Your Best Material
Forget the old formats. Your resume won’t stand a chance if you don’t interest the employer right off the bat. Put your best material at the top of the page and work your way down. First, show your core skills that relate to the job you are applying. By doing this, you are promoting how you will fit into the organization instead of letting the hiring manager trying to figure it out.
Keywords, Keywords, Keywords
Fill your resume with keywords and industry phrases applicable to the job you are seeking. You want whoever is scanning the resumes to see the keywords that show your industry know-how and expertise. Relevant keywords will stand out and get you noticed.
Include Your Real-World Success
What have you achieved that has created real-world success for you? Go beyond the responsibilities of your job and discuss your practical achievements. Put in your significant accomplishments, but make sure they are relevant to the job. Try not to list more than five accomplishments for each position.
Avoid Consistency in Your Formatting
Keep your formatting from being boring and predictable. On the same token, don’t confuse the reader with over the top formatting. The right resume format will highlight the areas that you want to grab the hiring manager’s attention. It will also help you hide the areas that you want hidden, for instance, a gap in your job history.
Ways to Write a Resume
There are four basic types of resumes: chronological, functional, combination, and targeted. They are all great resume styles; you need to pick out the one that works best for you. Below we will further discuss each type.
- Chronological. This is where you list your work history in chronological order. You will want to list the last five to ten years of jobs starting with your most current and work your way back through the years. This type of resume is good for people who have a long complete work history without any lapses in jobs.
- Functional. This type of resume focuses on skills and experience and not your work history. This is great for somebody who is just starting out in the job market or who have had to take time off due to illness, raising a family, etc.
- Combination. With the type of resume, you will focus on your skills and job history. Space is limited so remember to keep only the stuff that relates to the specific job that you are applying.
- Targeted. With this type of resume, you will need to study the job description of the job that you are applying and gear your resume to show only the skills, work experience, and the traits you possess that are relevant to the job.
Now that you have chosen the resume format that is right for you lets put one together.
Contact Information
First, you need to list all your contact information. Your name, address, phone number, and email address should be included. If you have a profile online such as Linked in you will want to list this also in your contact information.
Resume Introduction
Now, create an introduction to resume. You will want to catch the employer’s attention by showcasing your skills and telling why you would be a great asset to their company. You want to give a summary of your qualifications, your career objective, and a professional profile of yourself in your introduction.
Experiences
Here you will want to list any of your experiences that you have that pertain to this job. This can be work, professional, and volunteer experience that you have. List this information in chronological order starting with your current or most recent experience first. Make sure for each company you list: company name, address, start and end date, and your job title. Only list experiences relevant to the job you are seeking.
Education
Next is your education section, in this section, you will want to list your school’s name, address, years attended, what degree or certificate that you received. These are also listed in chronological order starting with the most current one.
Additional Section
This is the section where you want to list any special skills, certificate, and awards that you may have. Again, make sure they pertain to the job at hand.
Formatting Your Resume
You want to keep your resume down to one to two pages. The font you choose is up to you but make sure that it is readable and the same font throughout the entire resume. There are numerous font styles, but you two most used ones are Arial and Times New Roman.
Final Words
Once you’ve created a resume, ask someone (your friends or family) to review it. This will help you identify the flaws and make necessary changes. Always remember to have a resume that is updated and have many printed copies so you can access at any time.