As of 2022, 65% of people who were employed were looking for other jobs. Research from 2023 shows that the average time to find a position is five months.
With so many people looking for jobs, the competition is harder than ever. Because of this, you need to make sure your resume is polished to perfection.
Different writing tips can help you to achieve this on your next application. You want to make sure your resume stands out and showcases your skills.
Keep reading to find out what writing tips you can use to improve your resume.
There is nothing worse than applying to your dream job only to never be contacted. In some cases, this could have been a mistake.
This is why it is so important to make sure you have contact information on your resume. This should be one of the first sections of information that they see.
Check over your contact information to make sure there are no errors. A single typo or a missed digit can result in you never getting contacted.
You also need to make sure you are updating your contact information as necessary. If your contact information changes, immediately change the information for potential employers.
As you find different jobs and gain work experience, you need to update your resume. This should reflect all of your skills and the knowledge you have accumulated.
Potential employers are going to look at your history to decide if you are the right fit. Before you send your resume out, make sure your latest jobs have been added.
Even if these jobs don’t necessarily apply, you want to bulk your resume up. Too few references, and you will potentially risk looking like you lack experience.
Even though you want to write a resume that has a lot of information, you need to be careful. You don’t want to add too much irrelevant information.
For instance, you may have added different jobs you had when you were younger. This may have helped you to land jobs when you were just starting.
But if you are in your late 20s or 30s, these jobs are no longer impressive. You don’t want to be referencing that job you had at the grocery store when you were 18.
You want to pick through the information you provide and leave behind the most valuable. Also, make sure to remove other information that isn’t useful.
You may have added too much information about each job or too much on your personal bio. Remember that employers aren’t taking much time when they are looking at resumes.
The best resume is going to include transferable skills. This is something that you may forget about when applying for your dream job.
Transferable skills are also referred to as soft skills. These could include things like being able to work in a team or analyzing information.
You will want to add transferable skills that you have from past jobs. Keep in mind that you could also include skills you learned from your education and life experience.
These soft skills can be very important depending on the requirements of the job. Avoid adding too many transferable skills, as this depletes their value.
You should be using your writing skills to also list your accomplishments. You don’t want to brag, but you do want to show off your best side.
Try to identify your best accomplishments and how they helped you with your work. You can give examples to better describe what you were able to accomplish in those situations.
For example, you could say you can work well in a team situation. You could describe these skills by listing how you incorporated yourself into team environments.
Try to use plenty of action words when describing your accomplishments. These are more impressive and elicit a greater response.
Another one of these writing tips is to tailor your resume. If you are applying for your dream job, don’t send your basic resume to them.
Take a look at your resume and polish it up specifically for that job. This may include tweaking your job skills or your list of accomplishments.
You could even go so far as to remove or add job experiences. Try to include only the most relevant experiences to show that you are an expert.
Your personal profile should also be customized for the job you are applying for. Make sure you are being accurate but also describing the kind of person they would want to hire.
By doing this you will be cutting down on your resume significantly. This is a good thing since it allows them to focus on what is most important.
Something you may have never tried is mimicking the language of the job description. This is a way to show that you are the right fit for that job.
This will immediately make your resume stand out as you are a good fit. For instance, if the job description says you need to be able to work independently, remember that.
When you go to customize your profile, add that you can work independently without much help. Potential employers will key into this and remember your résumé.
When you are designing your resume, it is easy to get carried away. But you mustn’t go overboard with the design and layout.
Resumes should be simple with plenty of blank space. Having a minimal design with few colours and plenty of open space will keep it from feeling cluttered.
You also don’t want to have any design elements that could pose a distraction. No one is judging the design of your resume; they are evaluating its content and organization.
Make sure you choose fonts that are simple and easy to read. Don’t go crazy with calligraphy or cursive that could make you look less professional.
One of these writing tips includes having URLs on your resume. This is something many people forget about doing if they are focused on other aspects.
But potential employers will definitely be impressed if you have URLs listed. One of the best ones to add is a link to your personal website.
This could help to guide them to more information about what you can do. You could also include a portfolio link or a link to samples of your work on the Internet.
The links you include will depend on the type of work you are applying for. Make sure you don’t go overboard and include more than three or four URLs.
Too many links can start to look very spammy and unprofessional to employers.
There’s nothing more intimidating than a big block of text. When designing your resume, you need to make sure everything is broken up adequately.
Include headings that guide the reader through the resume. This could include headings like your personal profile, contact information, and job references.
Headings are larger pieces of text that help guide the reader through the information. You should also make sure your paragraphs are short and easy to read.
This helps to create more whitespace and allows the reader to get through the information quickly.
Never send off your resume before you have proofread it completely. This is a step that is vital and yet so many people fail to do it.
Even the smallest error or misspelled word could turn off potential employers. For one thing, this shows a lack of professionalism since you didn’t edit your work.
This will also show a lack of attention to detail, which is a big red flag. As unfair as it may seem, grammatical errors could easily get your resume thrown in the trash.
If you are creating your resume, these writing tips may help. With so many people applying for jobs, you have to make sure your resume stands out and impresses.
One of the best ways to do this is to hire resume writing services. These services can help you to create the best resume that will immediately grab attention.
Do you need help creating your resume for your dream job? Contact us today at Career HD for resume writing services and coaching.
