How to Write a Resume that Sparks Interest
When it comes to getting the job of your dreams, it’s often all about the resume. While a resume contains plenty of factual information about you and your previous experience, it also needs to be thought of as telling the story of who you are, what you’ve accomplished in your career thus far and what you offer an employer that others can’t.
While you dress for success for your interview, your resume should needs to hold up its end of the deal. To make sure your resume sparks the interest of an employer, here are some basic tips regarding layout, copy and other aspects that can be very important to take note of.
Get the Employer’s Attention
Since so many resumes often pass across the hiring manager’s desk, it’s vital yours stands out from all those other pieces of paper. To ensure this happens, list your most successful achievements and accomplishments at the top of your resume. Using bold type, italics, underlining or the occasional bullet-point list can get the manager’s attention long enough to let them see why they need to speak with you.
Custom-Design Your Resume
One mistake many job seekers make is thinking they can have a one-size-fits-all resume. To make sure you get your dream job, customize your resume to fit the particular job and employer. Reading the requirements of the job and describing how your skills, abilities and experience relate to it can be the key to getting called for an interview. Skill-specific language can let an employer know you are familiar with the industry and could step in immediately.
Keep it Clutter-Free
A good way to make a resume look and sound great is to keep it as easy to read as possible. The uncluttered look is best for your resume, making it an easy read for your potential boss. While most resumes today are sent via email, some employers still prefer paper copies. No matter how it’s sent, using a clean, distinct font that’s 10-12 point will look great. A 1-inch margin should be used all around the resume, and if you print a hard copy, use a laser printer and always print using black ink. Many job-seekers make the mistake of using colored ink when printing, thinking it will help their resume stand out, however, most employers view this as an amateurish tactic, and often the resume winds up on the bottom of a trashcan.
Limit Your Information
While it’s tempting to overload your resume with information, it can be more harmful than helpful. The resume should be no more than two pages long, and should never have personal information such as your age, political affiliation, religion or marital status. As a general rule, previous salaries or salary expectations should not be included on a resume. These are best left discussed in an interview setting or after an initial job offer has been made.
Helpful Links
If you’re looking for assistance with writing your resume, here are some great online resources:
www.freeresumehelp.net
www.moneycrashers.com/write-job-resume-tips-example
jobs.aol.com/articles/2014/05/14/great-resume-writing-tips
www.careerplaybook.com/guide/resume.asp
