A summary is the most powerful document in your job search arsenal. A good resume can open doors to a variety of career opportunities. While writing the ideal resume can be a significant challenge for many of us, you can simplify the process by incorporating the following steps:
1. Decide if your resume should be chronological or functional. A chronological resume emphasizes your work history, with your most recent position first, while a functional resume focuses on your skills and experience. Opt for a chronological resume if you have a consistent work history. On the contrary, if there are significant gaps in your employment, a functional resume may be a better option.
2. Focus on accomplishments, not job responsibilities. This is perhaps the biggest mistake I see on resumes. Your resume should not consist of a list of your duties and responsibilities. You should tell potential employers what you have accomplished. For example, don’t just say you were responsible for managing a $ 10 million budget, discuss how you were able to cut expenses by 10 percent and save a million dollars. This makes a much more powerful statement about what you can bring to an organization.
3. Use specific examples to demonstrate your accomplishments.. For example, if you are a salesperson, describe when you persuaded a reluctant customer to buy your product. If you are a training specialist, take a look at the online training courses you developed that significantly reduced your educational expenses. If you are a marketing manager, describe the promotional strategy you developed to increase the company’s sales.
Four. Create a keyword-rich resume. You can do this by reading job descriptions and company information, and then listing the keywords used by the employer. For example, if an organization is looking for candidates who are “results-oriented” and “trustworthy,” they should include these terms on their resume. Also, if a position is looking for someone with “HTML programming” experience, it should include this phrase.
5. Pay attention to the length of the resume. Generally speaking, newcomers to the workforce should have a one-page resume, seasoned professionals can have a two-page resume, and senior executives can use a three- or four-page resume. Academic resumes, also known as a resume, can be longer. However, never make your resume longer than necessary.
6. Use a career summary, not a career goal. A career summary tells employers what you have to offer, while a career objective tells them what you want. It is better to communicate the value you bring to an organization. Additionally, your cover letter will communicate your career objective. Remember, your career summary should be a brief statement about the skills and credentials that qualify you for a particular position.
7. Tailor your summary for a particular job offer. Don’t create a single, all-purpose resume to submit for every job opening. Rather, think of your resume as a template that you will modify based on the requirements of a particular opening. Don’t worry, you just have to make small adjustments for different openings on the same field.
8. Develop multiple summaries. If you are applying for jobs in different occupational areas (for example, marketing and human resources), you must create more than one resume. This also applies if you are looking for opportunities in the same occupation, but in different industries (for example, manufacturing and education). Resumes won’t be much different, but they should reflect differences in job expectations and keyword usage.
9. Include accurate and well-written content. Your resume is a reflection of your professionalism. Bad grammar and misspelled words will diminish your perceived proficiency and credibility. Worse still is using inaccurate or false information. Most of the time, wrong resume information won’t help you get a job and can come back to haunt you.
10. Correct, correct and correct again. Yes, read your entire resume at least three times. Then ask a friend or colleague to review it. They will find the errors that you missed, even if you have reviewed them multiple times.