Are you tired of sending out resume after resume, only to hear nothing back? You’re not alone. Crafting a standout resume is one of the most critical steps in your job search—and it’s easier than you think! Let’s walk through some practical tips to create a resume that grabs the hiring manager’s attention and lands you interviews.
1. Tailor Your Resume to the Job
The first thing you must do is begin thinking of your resume as a marketing tool—it’s not one-size-fits-all. Hiring managers spend only a few seconds scanning your resume, so it needs to be as close a match to the description as possible. Here’s how:
Use keywords from the job posting. For example, if the job requires “project management skills,” include that exact phrase in your resume.
Highlight relevant experience. Focus on skills and achievements that match the role you’re applying for. Leave out unrelated details to keep it concise.
Tailoring your resume shows employers you’ve done your homework and understand what they’re looking for. However, you do not want to keep changing your resume all the time, because this is also inefficient. So, stick to applying to jobs in the same industry that require the same or transferable skills. Look for roles with similar job descriptions or job titles. For example, a resume that highlights your project management skills can be used to apply for several different project management roles; project manager, program manager, project coordinator, or project director…You get the idea.
2. Focus on Results, Not Responsibilities
Hiring managers want to see the impact you’ve made in previous roles. Instead of listing what you were responsible for, try highlighting your achievements with measurable results. For example:
Instead of: “Managed social media accounts.”
Say: “Increased social media engagement by 30% through targeted campaigns.”
Numbers and specific results catch the eye and demonstrate your value. Additionally, they show your competency in taking on the role you are applying for. Hiring managers want to know you can do that job and will not waste the company's time.
3. Keep It Clean and Professional
Use standard fonts like Arial or Calibri and keep your resume clear and organized. It is always a good idea to use bullets for easier readability. This also helps the resume look well put together. Keep your font sizes between 11.5 to 12.5 so that your words are not too big, taking up too much space and not too small, making it difficult to read. Keep in mind these three things as well:
Organize with clear headings such as “Professional Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills.”
Avoid graphics or images. They can confuse Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which many companies use to scan resumes.
Save your resume as a PDF unless the job posting specifies a different format. PDFs maintain your formatting across devices. However, you should always have a backup copy in a word document. This is because some older ATS systems which are less advanced may not read your PDF well and a word doc format would be better suited for such instances.
4. Include Keywords for ATS
Many companies use ATS software to filter resumes before a human even sees them. To beat the system:
Include keywords directly from the job posting.
Use simple, straightforward language.
Avoid tables, columns, and complex formatting that ATS might struggle to read.
You may use free tools like Jobscan (www.jobscan.co) to check if your resume is ATS-friendly. Additionally, try leveraging the use of AI such as ChatGPT ( https://openai.com/)
to see how well your resume aligns with the job description.
5. Proofread Like Your Job Depends on It
Nothing kills your chances faster than a typo or grammatical error. Before you hit the submit button, read, reread, and proofread again. Here are three quick ways you can do this:
Run your resume through tools like Grammarly. This tool will not only spell check your writing but will also suggest better sentence structures and punctuation to help your resume stand out more.
You can also ask a friend or mentor you trust to review it for mistakes you might have missed. A new set of eyes can easily spot any mistakes you might have missed because you have been looking at the document so many times and know what it should say.
Double-check your contact information to ensure it’s accurate. Remember, not to include any information such as your street address or house number as this can be used to count against you in your job search (more on that later). However, including your city and state is just fine.
By taking the time to give this attention to detail you further show your professionalism and care.
A Word of Advice
Your resume is often your first impression with an employer, so you need to do your best to make it count! By tailoring it to the job, focusing on results, and keeping it clean and professional, you’ll stand out in a crowded job market.
If you’re ready to take your job search to the next level, grab my free Job Search Checklist Job Search Checklist.pdf to ensure you cover all the bases. And if you have questions, leave them in the comments below or reach out—I’m here to help you land your dream job!
Good luck, and happy job hunting!
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