Your resume is, without a doubt, the most essential tool in your job search. No matter how qualified you are, if your resume does not communicate that fact, hiring managers will not realize it and give you a chance. Ensure your resume is as effective as it can be by including these important elements:
● Defined Sections
The appearance of your resume is just as important (if not more) than the actual content. If it is difficult to scan quickly because of blocks of text, hiring managers may not realize your qualifications. For maximum readability, your resume should have defined sections with bold headings and bullet points. Resumes with plenty of white space are more visually appealing since they appear less cluttered, allowing hiring managers to realize at a glance that you should be considered.
● Clear Connection
What your resume should not be is an exhaustive collection of every job duty you have ever had. Your resume needs to demonstrate a clear connection between your work background and the job you are applying. Ensure you filter your past job duties to only include the ones most relevant to the job. This may mean that you need to tailor your resume for each job, such as reordering your bullet points or removing unrelated ones.
● Achievements
Once hiring managers see on your resume that you meet the necessary requirements, they want to know one major thing: whether you made an impact on your previous employers. Just completing your assigned responsibilities is not enough to be considered a top performer, so make sure your resume has written examples of your achievements. Prioritize any achievements that include metrics, such as "increased by XY%" or "ranked in top Z," which are objective and trustworthy indicators of your work ethic and abilities.
● Optimized Keywords
Most resumes are now collected online and scanned using applicant tracking software (ATS). ATS saves hiring managers time by filtering out unqualified applicants by reviewing the resumes for keywords that align with the job description. Even if you meet all the qualifications for the job, your resume could be filtered out if it does not contain optimized keywords. As you craft your resume for a specific job, review your wording, so you are using the same phrases and terminology as the job posting.
Are you ready to see what opportunities are out there? Team up with Nesco Resource for your job search. As one of the leading national staffing and employment agencies, we are dedicated to working with job seekers to match them with the positions that are the best fit. Contact us today to learn more.