A resume is probably the number one thing that you must have when hunting for a job. It is your entry ticket into any new potential workplace and it has to be near perfect if you want to leave a good impression.
A resume is something we all have to have whether we are on our very first hunt for a job position or we are switching jobs and we need one to apply to the next place. If you are going from the second position here then you probably have had some sort of a resume before and you probably haven’t updated it in a while. This means that you have got some typing to do, and luckily for you, today we are going to help you make a resume that will help you shine in the eyes of your new employer.
Now, if we imply that everything up until now is going great in your job hunt and you have found something that interests you. You filled your info in every box, gave all the right info but there is a problem in a form of a button asking for your resume to be uploaded. What next?! Well with our help and the help of our friends over at resume-example.com we will help you make the best resume possible, just follow these steps!
Full disclosure first
There is no best way to craft a resume
Yes, we know that this is a bit funny because our title states that we will help you make a resume that will make you shine. This is true, but for full disclosure, we have to mention that if you Google best resumes you will get like 15 million different pieces of advice from a bunch of so-called resume experts and they are all different in some way. What you need to ask yourself is what is the purpose of the resume? It should be a summary of your skills, achievements and your experience and how those things relate to the job you are applying to. The job of that resume should be to get you in front of the boss or the hiring manager and help you explain in further detail why you are the person for that job. When you see all that your resume is an advertisement and as you all know advertisements come in all sorts of different shapes and forms which means that there is no one perfect resume or resume template for every single job. What you can do is use these tips and sections to make yours as great as possible.
First section / private info
Okay, everyone knows that in the first part of your resume you have to have your personal information. Name, email address and a phone number are the things that have to be on every resume no matter if you are delivering it by hand or sending it online to a company. Those who can, and have should include a personal portfolio and a website. These are a great idea because they give insight into your completed work first hand which is the thing that can instantly tilt the odds in your benefit, or against depending on the quality of your work.
Second section / work experience
Here people like to pile up everything no matter how important it is for their current position. This section should have your most relevant experience first given the job you are applying for. This means that you should be tailoring your resume to every single position you apply for. We understand it is a lot of work but this way you will make sure you pop out of the crowd of all other resumes that have everything piled on them. For all those who already had a career and that is not jumping into a completely new industry reverse chronological order usually achieves what we previously stated. This is great advice for grad students that usually have an awesome summer experience and internships, but when it comes to making ends meet you probably take on jobs like flipping burgers and mowed lawns. You don’t want these two last ones to be the first thing that your hiring manager will look at.
Third section / achievements over duties
Since hiring managers have very little time to look at every resume, and since they decide on the fly if someone is a fit or not for the company, make sure you focus on highlighting the achievements on every job rather than the duties you had. Another great piece of advice is, if you can, back up those achievements with solid numbers. Not one hiring manager will be interested in your duties on your previous jobs, they are a lot more interested in what you managed to do in that position. These things, however unimportant to you speaks volumes to them. Most of you will now ask, well what if I don’t have any experience?! And you are right to ask that. What you need to do is look up every company that is offering an internship to individuals that are promising candidates without experience but that show a lot of potentials. So if you are lacking experience dive deep into looking for places like that and rack up those XPs.
Fourth section / education
Some people tend to shove their work experience on the top of the resume for everyone to see first, but this is both wrong and not. By popular opinion of the hiring managers, your education should come after your work experience that is becoming more and more important, at least in some industries. For those that are still in college or fresh out of one, it makes more sense for them to put the education section higher up, but for those that have a career already and are switching jobs or industries, then this is probably a better resume look. GPA is another question that is frequently asked and people are wondering is it better to include it in their resume or leave it out. The best advice that we can give you is that if you have a GPA of 3.2 or above list it right next to your degree in your school, if it is lower than that you should probably leave it out of the resume.
Fifth section / skills
A skill section is something that not everyone needs in their resume. It solely depends on who you are and the skills section is almost always listed by people who have specific certifications or skill sets that a job is looking for. So if you know that the company you are applying for is looking for a specific skill or skill set, certificate or whatever make sure you have it listed.
Sixth section / extracurricular and awards
This section can bolster the work experience by showing the clubs and organizations that you are a part of. Listing any potential leadership positions in these clubs that you have taken add to that even more. Awards, honours and scholarships and other similar things are all the points on your behalf so if you have any feel free to include them in this part.
