If you’ve ever wished for a few minutes in the elevator with your idol, an investor, a thought leader, the boss, or the CEO at the company you dream of working for to pitch your idea or yourself? Well, every time you sent out your resume, you are doing just that. Your resume is your elevator pitch, on paper, to the person who can help change the course of your career. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to craft an eye-catching resume that will land them a callback for an interview. We’re here to help. Below, we’re giving you the tips and best practices for crafting an attention-grabbing resume.
What is a resume?
Your resume is a formal document that prospective applicants use to give an overview of your qualifications, work experiences, skills, notable accomplishments, and goals for a position. The purpose of the resume is to show potential employers what makes you the best candidate to assume the position advertised. At a basic level, your resume contains:
- Contact information
- Introduction
- Educational history
- Work experience
- Skills
Types of resumes
There are different resume formats. They each serve a specific purpose and emphasize areas of focus that the company will be looking for. Certain organisations and job roles may need you to submit a particular type of resume that highlights what the company is looking for. These are:
- Chronological resume: this type of resume leads with an introduction and then gives an overview of your working history, starting with your most recently held post. This is best if you have different experience levels.
- Functional resume: a functional resume focuses more on your skills and abilities instead of showing your career growth. It’s ideal for those who have gaps in their career or those looking for a career change and thus has a short work experience section and a larger portion dedicated to your skills.
- Combination resume: as the name suggests, this resume combines aspects of the chronological and functional resume. The combination resume is a fine balance of your work history and skills. This type of resume is ideal for individuals with extensive work experience and a high calibre of skills.
- Targeted resume: this resume is for those applying for a specific position and wants to highlight the key skills and experience related to the advertised position. Each section of the resume emphasizes the qualifications and includes the skills, traits, and responsibilities you have and the requirements for the job post.
Best practices for crafting a resume
You can easily be tempted to include all your skills, experiences, and qualifications on your resume. What you should do is avoid going overboard. Here are the best practices for crafting that attention-grabbing resume.
- Keep it simple
The first and probably most important rule of crafting a resume is to keep it short and simple. The way to do this is to succinctly detail the relevant information for the job you’re applying for. You don’t have to include every detail of your job history. Too much information and your resume become too busy and difficult to draw out relevant information. Simple. Succinct.
- Give a career snapshot
Career experts now suggest that instead of adding a statement at the top of your resume, instead give a summary, a “career snapshot”. A career snapshot is your personal brand statement. It answers the question, “Describe your work experience in a single sentence”. You share the value you bring, your skills, and your qualifications. Below this, add a few bullet points to highlight your experience but make sure what you include is relevant to the position you’re applying for.
- Make it readable
Employers see hundreds of resumes. Choose an original template that will make your resume stand out from the others and clearly identifies your qualifications. If you’re applying for a job in tech or graphic design, find a template that best demonstrates these skills and plays to your assets. You need to structure your resume in a way that the information has a nice flow and your strongest points and qualities shine through here.
Alison has a fantastic Resume Builder tool that can help you build the perfect resume tailored to each job application and position you’re vying for.
- Use your words wisely
You have a short time to impress the reader so make sure you choose keywords in your resume that will get past the screener like an applicant tracking system (ATS). Include words used in the job post that apply to you and add these to your resume.
Here, you want to use active words like accelerated, achieved, improved, drove, and leveraged that show the work you have done. They read much better than passive words. Also try not to repeat the active words you use so that whoever your resume lands in front of, doesn’t get bored. Be sure you get the message across, your suitability for the position, as effectively as possible.
- Highlight your success
Let your resume highlight your past successes for your team and organisation. You want to put your best foot forward showing what you have done and what you can do for them. Don’t skim over the challenges you experienced, but speak specifically about the results you achieved, how you overcame them, and your accomplishments by using numbers for effect.
- List your soft skills
Soft skills, the personal attributes that enable you to interact well with others, are highly sought after in the workplace. Briefly list which soft skills you possess and believe qualify you and would help you flourish in the position you’re applying for. A tip? These are usually found in the job description. Add these throughout your resume in your work background and skills sections.
Additionally, before hitting send, proofread it. Spell Check is your friend. Mistakes do happen but you don’t want your resume to be filled with silly typos and grammatical errors. Come back to your resume after time away and look it over for any mistakes you may have missed.
Crafting an attention-grabbing resume takes time and needs special attention to get just right. Remember that you want to focus on your positives and outline your career background that shows your quality and suitability in the best possible light. Alison’s Workplace Personality Assessment tool can help you discover your strengths, and the results will serve as a guide to what career path you’re best suited for.
Follow these best practices and you’ll be well on your way to receiving that invitation to interview.
