Crafting a Great Resume Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
Summarize your work history. Highlight your best skills. Showcase why you’d be a great employee. The key elements of a winning resume seem relatively simple. So why are the documents sometimes so hard to write?
Part of it comes down to the stakes involved. Your resume acts as an introduction to prospective employers. A well-crafted version will start you along the way to your perfect job. However, the wrong resume could potentially cause you to miss an opportunity.
Meanwhile, you don’t always make the best judge of your top qualities. Most people don’t like to brag. That natural humility makes promoting yourself and trumpeting your accomplishments challenging to undertake.
That’s why a partner makes things easier. A top recruiter, like SmartTalent, will help you at every step of the way, including preparing the most effective resume. Connect with SmartTalent to accelerate your job search.
There are other ways to take some of the challenges out of preparing your resume. Here are some tips to keep in mind to crafting a great resume:
Select a Format
The traditional resume presents your work experience in reverse chronicle order, highlighting the most recent events and going back in time. However, there are other formats you can choose. For instance, a skills-based resume organizes the presentation based on specific skills rather than on a timeline.
The format you select will depend on the positions you are chasing, as well as your own best qualities. Research the possible alternatives and focus on the structure that gives you the highest probability of landing the job you want.
Stay Focused
Keep your resume lean and focused. You might be tempted to include every job you’ve ever held or every skill you’ve acquired over your career. However, you don’t want to dilute the message. Make sure your most marketable abilities don’t get buried by irrelevancies.
Customize for Each Opportunity
Part of the process of tightening your resume involves targeting it toward specific opportunities. Each position involves a slightly different mix of skills. As such, customize your approach for every application.
Start with a template resume that includes all your potential selling points. From there, trim and rearrange as necessary to tailor the presentation to the particular opportunity.
Get Feedback
Don’t formulate your resume in a vacuum. Rather, get as much feedback as you can. Check with loved ones and people in your network, adjusting to any good advice you receive.
Professional input can take your resume to the next level. SmartTalent can give you the guidance you need to make the best first impression possible. Reach out to SmartTalent to maximize your chances of finding your dream job.
Maximize Readability
As you structure your resume, keep your audience in mind. The more readable you make the document, the more likely hiring managers will gravitate toward you as a candidate. Invest the time necessary to craft a clear, straightforward presentation.
Many elements go into this process. Here are some things to consider:
- Format
- Font type
- Font size
- Word choice
- Length of sentences/bullet points
- Methods of emphasis (bold, italics, etc.)
Include the Ideal Keywords
Think about all the readers of your resume. That includes machines. Many companies now use AI to scan resumes for keywords. As such, you need to ensure you get the most out of this process.
Consider the terms that the employer will most want to see in your resume. You can use the job description and other materials provided by the company to discover the information you need to include. From there, you can tailor your document to include as many of these keywords as possible.
A great resume is a key part of any successful job search. SmartTalent can help you get the most out of the document, as well as upgrade every other part of the process.
Contact SmartTalent today to learn more.
