While you have likely spent a lot of time on your resume, there are always opportunities to improve and things to learn. If you are looking to assess the calibre of this document or fine-tune it, here are five resume tips that will help lead to success.
Clearly Define Your Target
The first step of a great resume is understanding your audience. Knowing who will be reading it will help you anticipate their desires, wants, and needs. Thus, you can tailor your resume to reflect the skills and experiences most in demand. This is why you should not have one resume you use for everything; rather, have a resume for each type of position you apply for.
Provide a Career Snapshot
One thing that will really make your resume stand out is to provide a career snapshot. This should be a brief section that highlights your most relevant accomplishments over the past 10-15 years. It should also directly relate to the role you are targeting. This is where you provide your “greatest hits” of work-related outcomes.
Include Job Title Applying for Near Top
It needs to be clear what role you are targeting. Thus, you want to have the job title that you are applying for near the top of your resume so the employer will see it. This is a great way to ensure that your resume seems well-aligned with the role you want to find.
Include Relevant Keywords and Phrases
Look through your resume and make sure you are using jargon, phrases, and keywords that are directly related to the job that you are applying for. You can usually find these phrases in the job description under the core competencies. Peppering these phrases is a great way to make your resume seem directly related to the role you are applying for. This is also important to get past the screening process for companies that use automatic screening in Applicant Tracking Systems.
Have a Powerful Professional Summary
Another important tool in making your resume stand out amongst the competition is to have a strong professional summary. This helps to highlight your core values, competencies, and goals. It should speak to your future rather than your past. Think of this as your professional vision statement. A well-crafted one will resonate with potential employers and show you how you will advance their organization.
Conclusion
While there are many things that you can incorporate in order to deliver a top-notch resume, these are five tips that many people overlook. Be sure to carefully review your resume to ensure that you are incorporating these things before applying for your next position. Improving your resume will land you more interviews, giving you the opportunity to truly show your skills in person.
The Resume ReWork is a self-paced course where I teach you how to craft an interview-winning resume that makes a lasting first impression.
The course includes:
- Signature trainings with a Certified Career and Resume Strategist
- 2 Resume Samples (used by past clients to get hired!)
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- Personal Branding + Storytelling Worksheets
- LinkedIn Checklist & E-Book
