When you are creating your resume, you want to create the kind of document that is going to make potential employers sit up and take notice, as well as ensure that you stand out from the crowd. Of course, the actual content of your resume is going to depend very much on the job role that you are applying for, but certain characteristics can shine throughout every single resume out there. The following blog post will be looking at exactly what some of these happen to be in a higher level of detail.
Designed to a High Standard
The first thing that potential employers are going to notice about your resume is exactly how it looks on the page. It no longer has to be the case that you are only reliant on the pros to put together a resume for you. Instead, there are plenty of resume samples that are going to give you a helping hand on this front. You should ensure that whatever you do, the eye can glide over the page easily and the key information should be simple to pick out. It is worth giving other people the chance to look it over to see how well you have been able to achieve this feat. You do not want to make the mistake of it being ‘over-designed’ for any reason at all.
Well Written and Organized
The resume needs to be organized into clear sections that allow the looker to get a good idea of the different areas of your life, such as your work experience, your education, your special skills, your interests etc. Not only does this clear sense of organization need to be present, but there is also the sense that you will do better if your resume is well written. Everyone has spellchecker software in the modern world and there are also grammar tools that can give you a major helping hand on this front as well. At the same time, if you are not the most literate person in the world, it is certainly going to be useful to have somebody cast their eyes over their resume who is a skilled writer and editor. This can certainly help to give you the edge if the employer happens to want to go into a higher level of detail.
Targeted to Each Position
There are occasions in which the jobs that you are going for are quite different, and other times in which they are similar. Whatever the case, it is going to help you out no end if you are making a special effort to tailor your resume to the job in question. This way, employers can see that you have made the effort and you are interested in that specific job role. There also may be parts that are less relevant and parts that you want to emphasize. Ultimately, to save time here, it may well be worth having a larger document that you can take bits from rather than having to rewrite the CV repeatedly.
Results Orientated
As well as the skills that you have managed to build up over the years, there is also the sense that employers want to be able to take a closer look at what sort of results you have managed to get during your working career. This can help you out in a significant manner if you can showcase one or two statistics that truly help you to stand out from the crowd. While there are a lot of inspirational and motivational words that are repeated time and time again in a whole host of different resumes, the cold, hard stats cannot be replicated, but they can tell you a lot about a candidate.
To the Point
While it may be tempting to go on and on about your achievements, you must think about how much a hiring manager is going to have the chance to read. It could well be the case that they have a whole stack of different resumes that they are having to sift their way through, and they are simply not going to have the opportunity to look through every one of them in a high level of detail. You also must bear in mind that there will often be a covering letter that you can use to get additional points across, so you do not want to make the mistake of creating a resume document that is too long to the point that it can end up getting put right to the bottom of the pile.
Include Interests Section
When many people like to put a high degree of focus on their achievements in terms of work, it is also a good idea to bring a bit of color to your resume to show that you are well and truly a well-rounded person by including your own interests section here. This way, you are going to be able to demonstrate that there is more to you beyond work. You should think about any passions that you have outside of work that can help to set you apart from the crowd.
These are just a few of the crucial elements that can make up an excellent resume document that will help you to land the next big position that you are trying to get. Essentially, your resume needs to have a great sense of structure, but there needs to also be some real stats and evidence in here to ensure that it is not going to come across as being too woolly. At the same time, this does not mean that you should be excluding entirely any personal info that can help you to stand out from the crowd and can give you the certain edge that employers are looking for. Keep working on it for each position, so employers can see that you have made the effort to display why you are the right person for the job role they are wanting to fill.
