Everyone wants to find a dream job. If you know what that is, it is time to start pursuing it. Companies will be coming for resumes as almost every firm needs to review it before inviting someone for an interview. Therefore, making a professional resume is the ultimate goal for many applicants. A strong CV will help you in putting the best step forward. However, composing one is not as simple as it might seem. It is easy to find what to include in your piece, but making it so impressive that it can speed up the hiring process and grab your recruiter’s attention is the aim of a great number of students. Here are ten hacks that will help you in doing so without having to worry.
#1 Research is a must
One can simply send his/her documents to every company that they want to apply to. However, recruiters can easily spot a tailored resume. If it is your dream job, making that extra effort to tweak your CV is worth it. Try to research the person who will be reviewing your documents and make inclusions and exclusions as per their preferences. Also, make sure that you highlight the keywords that the job description demands and place those strategically.
#2 Be selective about the things to include
It is essential to understand the importance of various pointers that you wish to include to your resume. Not everything that you have done or achieved must be put as a part of your profile. To decide on what to include in the resume, access the kind of job you are applying for. Include those achievements and skills that suit the job description. Adding all the things can lead to confusion as a recruiter would not be able to locate the relevant skills for the job easily.
#3 Seek help from reliable sources
It is always better to seek help from either an online service or a professional to guide you with your resume writing. For example, websites such as CraftResumes can help you create a stellar piece that will be effective. Since they are experienced in the field, they know the kind of formatting and details to be included that would be appealing to the recruiters.
#4 Quantifying your achievements or growth creates a better impact
Rather than just listing the tasks or responsibilities, quantifying them creates a better image of you in front of the recruiter’s eyes. That is, including sentences like ‘Led a project with 15 team members to a growth of 23%’ sounds better and more impactful. It brings out a clearer image of what you are capable of. Thus, this is better to showcase your skills rather than present generalized statements.
#5 Keep it simple and organized
Being creative about the presentation is a good idea only till the time it doesn’t make everything disorganized or confusing. The formatting plays an essential role in determining the quality of your resume, and thus, the way you will be judged by the recruiter. Be consistent about the font, color and size you have opted for. Make sure you have bullet points or lists to make everything readable and organized.
#6 Decide on an appropriate color scheme
To enhance your resume, you need something better than a plain, black-and-white text. You could decide on a color scheme with an additional one or two colors for the headlines or different sections. However, make sure that you aren’t choosing too many colors as that would make it less professional and shabby. It is observed that the chances of an HR manager looking at your resume with interest are enhanced if you add a little color to your piece.
#7 Revamp the objectives
As the trend changes, so do the formats and other aspects related to resume building. You can make use of catchy headlines along with other sentences that can easily portray the type of person you are and what you want to achieve. This will definitely leave a good first impression on your recruiter.
#8 Leave white spaces
Leaving gaps and blanks in your resume will make it look more professional. A lot of students try including all the details and accomplishments on a single page of the resume. However, this might provide the information but will not have a good impact on those reading it. Leaving some gaps in your resume will be the best tip that you will get. There are several resume builders, which opt for the right spacing and gaps between different sections.
#9 Grammar check
This is one of the simplest hacks when it comes to building a solid resume to fasten the hiring process. Applicants must perform a thorough grammar check as this will help recruiters to go through the pages without any issues. There can be simple mistakes and typos along with other grammatical errors that can take a lot of time for one to go through the resume. Not only will it be difficult for a recruiter, but it also will not leave a good impression. There are several grammar checking software tools such as Grammarly that can make your task simpler.
#10 Eliminate the vagueness
When your focus is on building a strong resume, try to eliminate all the words that are unnecessary. In a single page, usually, you will have to mention all your skills and accomplishments. So, make sure that there are no vague or generic words, which do not have a purpose. Also, use the wording that will show the person that you are. There are several basic and flat verbs like “was” or “did,” which can be replaced with more sophisticated and detailed variants. Words like “initiated” and “designed” can take your resume to the next level.
These hacks will surely help you to enhance your resume and elevate its value in the recruiters’ eyes. You might have noticed that these are just minor tweaks to your general resume writing methods.
