Key steps to make your resume stand out.
Customise your resume for each career path. Highlight the most relevant skills and experiences. Avoid sending the same generic resume to multiple employers. Show your enthusiasm for the specific role and company. Make it bespoke and tailored.
Quantify Your Achievements-Statistics are important
Use numbers and metrics to demonstrate your accomplishments. For example, “Increased sales by 25% in Q4” or “Managed a team of 10 employees.” Statistics and financial achievements are always well received.
Use Clear Formatting
Choose a clean, consistent format that is easy to read. Use clear section headings, bullet points, and appropriate font sizes. Ensure your resume looks professional and polished and is no more than 3 pages. A photograph can be impactful. Ensure your contact details are on the footer of each page.
Highlight Relevant Skills
Summarise your most relevant skills in a dedicated skills section. Focus on both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (communication, leadership, etc.) Align these skills with the requirements listed in the job description.
Showcase Your Personality
Use your resume to showcase your personality and unique value proposition. Include relevant hobbies, interests, and volunteer work that demonstrate your fit for the role and company culture. Avoid generic statements and aim to make your resume memorable and make sure some of your hobbies and interests are listed. This will help make your information more memorable and give the hiring manager or recruiter further insight which may lead to a discussion in an interview.
Proofread Carefully
Check, check and double check. It is amazing how many resume’s have errors. Attention to details is essential. Thoroughly proofread your resume for any spelling or grammar error. Ask a friend or family member to review it as well. Errors can make a poor first impression and cause your resume to be overlooked.
When detailing your professional experience on your resume or during interviews, it is crucial to provide a clear and concise description of each organisation you have worked for. This includes highlighting the dimensions of each company to give the recruiter a comprehensive understanding of the context in which you operated. Specifically, outline in a sentence the name of the organisation, the size of its turnover, and the number of staff. This information is especially helpful for recruiters who may not be familiar with the organisation and provides a clearer picture of the scale and scope of your experience.
For example:
– Company A: A leading global technology firm with an annual turnover of $5 billion and a workforce of 10,000 employees.
– Company B: A mid-sized financial services company with a turnover of $200 million and 500 employees.
– Company C: A boutique marketing agency generating $10 million in annual revenue with a team of 50 professionals.
By including these details, you not only help the recruiter understand the scale of the organisations but also the level of responsibility and impact you had in each role. This approach enhances your credibility and ensures that your experience is evaluated accurately.
Understanding how tech is involved
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are widely used by companies to manage the hiring process and screen resumes. Here’s a summary of how ATS scan CVs for keywords:
How ATS Scan CVs for Keywords
- ATS use algorithms to scan resumes for specific keywords, phrases, and information that match the job requirements
- The software extracts relevant keywords from the job description and looks for them in the candidate’s resume. Resumes with more of the targeted keywords are ranked higher as a better match for the role
- Some ATS give a percentage match score to the job based on keyword density
- However, only about 2% of recruiters actually use this keyword scoring feature
Importance of Keywords in CVs
- Keywords are important for human readers to also understand your skills and experience
- Tailor your resume to include relevant keywords from the job ad in a natural way
- Use variations of keywords, not just exact phrases
- Include a “Skills” or “Areas of Expertise” section with top keywords
Use Relevant Keywords
Incorporate relevant keywords throughout your resume, especially in the skills and work experience sections. Carefully review the job description and identify important keywords related to the role. Use these keywords naturally in your resume to demonstrate your fit for the position.
While ATS do scan for keywords, they are just one tool used by recruiters. Tailoring your resume to include relevant keywords is important, but not the only factor.
Important Keywords to include in your resume:
- Mentored
- Increased
- Accomplished
- Managed
- Developed
- Promotion
- Ideas
- Volunteered
- Simplified
- Presented
- Trained
- Won
- Modernise
- Planned
By incorporating these strategies, you can create a compelling, tailored resume that effectively showcases your qualifications and helps you stand out to recruiters. Remember to regularly update your resume and customise it for each job application.
Citations:
https://www.hanken.fi/en/students/career-services/jobs-vacancies-and-career-portals/job-hunting-guide/how-write-successful
https://resume.co/blog/cv-format
https://novoresume.com/career-blog/resume-keywords-how-to-use-them
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/crafting-standout-cv-guide-capturing-recruiters
https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/resumes/basics/resume-keywords-can-hep
https://www.jobscan.co/blog/top-resume-keywords-boost-resume/
https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/job-search/
https://standout-cv.com/blogs/cv-writing-advice-blog/cv-format
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