What makes a resume excellent? Mainly, a top-notch document displays a combination of solid education, relevant work experience, and an eye-catching format. There’s a misconception about the purpose of resumes: they’re not geared to get jobs but to get interviews.
Once the formal interview begins, the resume’s job is essentially over. From that point onward, the applicant’s personality and speaking ability are the two decisive factors that secure an offer of employment.
If you need help getting in the door and booking more live interviews, either in-person or online, consider using the following techniques to add power to the written words so they stand out and make a stronger impression on hiring agents.
Hire a Professional Writer
Even if you’re talented with words, grammar, and general writing, you need a resume that grows with your career, so it’s worthwhile hiring a certified resume writer. Fees range quite a bit, but for a basic document, you won’t need to spend much more than $100. If you want to reduce that price, let the writer know that you already have a completed document ready to go and just need it cleaned up. In most cases, that maneuver can cut the price almost in half.
Emphasize Your Education
The education section is a primary component of the document. Be sure to place your college degree front and center above the work experience segment. What if you don’t yet have a degree? Get busy financing one and taking courses as soon as possible. Full-time workers can attend online or weekend courses. If your credit scores aren’t strong enough to get a loan, ask someone to cosign for you.
Learn about the cosigning process before asking a parent, supervisor, or friend to help you get a college loan. The person who cosigns makes a legal promise to repay the loan in case of default or an emergency. The person is like a personal financial backer. They help your application get through the approval process by adding their good credit history to the mix. Don’t worry about appearances because millions of prospective college students use cosigners to help them get enough money to pay for a college degree.
An added benefit of having someone else’s name on the application is that you can get much better interest rates. Be sure to review a comprehensive guide about how to find a cosigner and how the system works. Needing a cosigner is extremely common, and sometimes unavoidable.
Few new college students have built enough credit to apply for loans on their own. Having a cosigner can also help you unlock lower interest rates that lenders might not otherwise offer. However, it can be tricky to ask someone to tie their financial future to yours. You can review a guide that explains what to consider and see what to consider here to get a better idea of borrowing for school.
Make It One Page Long
There’s a never-ending debate about whether resumes should be limited to one full page. For decades, students and others who were looking for work used a two-page format, but in the 1990s, the one-page version began to take preference.
In the computer age, human resource departments use automated scanning apps to find keywords within the text of fully digitized documents. So, it might not matter to the machines, but if you make it past the interview phase, upper-level managers might want to look at the original submission.
That’s when it helps to use the one-page format. Busy HR professionals and their counterparts in other segments of a company prefer a single page for fast review.
Never Use It Without a Cover Letter
For every application, use a cover letter to introduce yourself and the document that follows. Covers are essential to today’s corporate etiquette; if you omit them, managers can take a dim view of your ability to follow basic rules and adhere to professional standards. Make the letter two paragraphs long. Begin with a formal introduction and use the second part to let the reader know you want to sit for an interview for the position in question.
Use Stats and Action Verbs
- Source: findmyprofession.com
Use numbers, statistics, and action verbs to describe your relevant experience, even if it was in an unpaid internship position or as the secretary of a club at your college. Instead of writing, “I worked in the sales department as an assistant,” enliven the statement with facts and stats: “As second-in-charge of a busy sales unit, I increased daily income by 10% within six months.” Hiring managers want specifics, and they want to know what you can do in a work environment.
Make a Video Version
If you’re handy with a video camera or are willing to hire someone who is, consider making a short film in which you sit at a desk or stand in front of a display chart and review the key points about your experience and education. Don’t add new information. Use video submission to differentiate yourself from other applicants. The tactic is becoming more common in the digital age.
Include a Photo
Adding photos to the mix is a relatively new development in the world of job hunting. Be careful with the tactic because a low-quality image can backfire and end up making the entire page look bad.
Consider using high-resolution black and white shots that include your head and shoulders. Dress in business attire and smile. Remember, the picture is for an employment document, not a passport. There are many online service providers who will incorporate a photo into the page after the digital file is completed.
Don’t Include an Objective
For decades, job candidates felt the need to place a one-sentence career objective at the top of their documents. The latest thinking is that hiring managers don’t need to see such a statement. A stated objective can work against an applicant.
It narrows the potential scope of companies from which they can seek employment. Focus on personal data, educational background, and employment history. If an interviewer wants to know about your general career goals, they’ll ask.
