As a professional recruiting firm, we filter through hundreds of resumes each month. Most are unique in how they are formatted and how they market the candidate to a hiring organization. Because of the importance of the resume, it is no surprise the market is saturated with books and articles offering advice on successfully writing a professional resume. So it might surprise you at how many poorly written resumes we work with on a daily basis. This article is not intended to replace any of the amazing resources out there, but to simply give readers a quick guide to easy strategies to get your resume noticed.
Consider your resume an advertisement of your greatest asset – you! A well-written resume entices the reader to learn more about you and invites them to personally contact you. The goal of your resume is to secure an interview. Don’t feel pressured to convince the manager to hire you through a resume. Your opportunity to expand on what is in your resume will come at the interview. At this stage, you want to accurately demonstrate who you are and what skills you have to share. Your resume is the first attempt to make a strong first impression and should convince employers that you won’t be a short-term investment.
Hiring managers want to know what sets you apart from competitors. Start out by asking yourself that same question – Why you? Brainstorm and review your professional and personal achievements. We are often our hardest critics so if you struggle to start this process, pull out your current job description. Chances are you are doing all the things on that list and much more. Make a list for each organization you have worked for. At this point, do not worry about formatting, just let the words flow! Once you feel you have a good list for each organization you worked for, you are ready to build your resume.
A basic resume should include up to five different sections: header, objective, professional experience, education and recognitions. While a cover letter and reference list are very important and may be included in an employment package, they are not part of the actual resume.
HEADER: Create a header that includes your full name, address, phone number and email address. Consider your email address. If it can in anyway be misunderstood as inappropriate, get a new one.
OBJECTIVE OR SUMMARY: Because this is the most difficult for most of us to complete accurately, we recommend doing this last! Choose to include either an objective or a summary statement at the beginning of your resume (or both). Objectives are your personal goal for your professional career, while a summary is a statement highlighting specific qualifications, skills and years of experience. Regardless of the option you choose, this is a wonderful place to customize one to two sentences you want to stand out to your prospective employer.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: This will be the longest section in your resume as it provides details of your employment history. Begin with the most recent position and work back through your employment history. At the top of each position, include your dates of employment, name of the organization, location (city, state) and the title of your position. Do not write paragraphs. Keep it simple with a list of bulleted highlights. It is now time to pull out your list of brainstorming for each position. For each of the positions, group similar job duties together. For example, if at one position you were responsible for maintaining seven different pieces of equipment, then list those as one bullet point.
TRAINING & EDUCATION: Include your most recent education and list the date, the degree, major and institution attended. Mention any academic honors and specific certification activities. If you are applying directly for a position that requires specific training, list it here.
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS: Perhaps even more important than your employment record is showing your performance and accomplishments throughout your career. This section should focus on your skills such as what you have done to improve operations, reduce costs, enhance procedures, upgrade technologies, improve services, etc.
You might not think much about how your resume is formatted, but please do!
- Avoid using resume templates. When resumes are uploaded onto websites or online databases, headers are dropped and the resume is put in a plain text format. This means text boxes are lost leaving a jumbled mess of dates and positions without formatting.
- Keep your resume to a maximum of two pages that are clearly written.
- If printing, use a high-quality white or cream paper.
- To ensure readability, use the same font throughout and keep the size to 11 or 12 point.
- Use a bolded and slightly larger font for headings so they stand out. Save bold and italics for headings only, and avoid underlining.
- Be consistent in the format for writing phone numbers and dates throughout the resume.
- Check your spelling and grammar carefully. It counts!
- Present yourself accurately and positively. Avoid embellishments.
- Keep it professional and do not include desired salary, slang, text symbols, hobbies or personal information (kids, family, etc.).
Review and edit your resume the first time with key words in mind. Look for opportunities to use strong action words (managed, coached, planned, directed, etc.) to clearly communicate your achievements. Remove complicated sentences, jargon and “buzz words.”
Utilize documented numbers or percentages when conveying achievements. Replace “reduced costs” with “Reduced service contracts on sterilizers $100,000 annually by training in-house.”
Many recruiters and HR professionals rely on key words to find candidates. If you are specialized in certain areas such as imaging, use key words that apply to your field and avoid acronyms. Remember you may know what you do but someone in HR who searches for candidates ranging from accountants to X-ray service technicians does not.
Review and edit your resume a final time to ensure it reflects you as a person an employer wants to hire. Be critical of everything from the layout to language used. Ensure everything is accurate including your name, phone numbers, address, email, dates of employment … everything. When you “think” you are ready, ask someone else proof it.
While a well-written resume cannot guarantee an interview, one that is poorly written can put you at the bottom of the pile fast. We wish you well in your career!
– See more at: https://1technation.com/career-center-resume-strategies-to-get-you-noticed/#sthash.Km0DbF7n.dpuf