Resume tips to make your job application stand out


Your resume is often the deciding factor of your job application. Creating a resume that attracts the attention of seasoned hiring managers is a must, if you want to win the job of your dreams. If you have ever applied for a job for which you believed you were 100% qualified and never heard back from the employer, it could be because of an unfortunate mistake you made on your resume. Today, we will discuss what you should and should not be doing on your resume to make your job application stand out.

You should always use bullet points

Instead of writing long paragraphs describing the role of your previous job titles, you should summarize the contributions you have made to your previous companies in compelling bullet points. Bullet points help you highlight individual achievements.

You should not mention your salary

You don’t need to mention your salary expectations on your resume. Salary negotiations usually happen after the employer makes a job offer. Until that, you can hold off on the conversation. Most employers list the compensation for the position in their job description so that you can have an idea before applying.

You should customize each resume

If you are applying for five jobs this weekend, you should prepare five versions of your resume, tailored to the requirements of each employer. This way, every company you apply for will believe that you are the ideal candidate for the position.

You should not use the wrong layout

Whether you are writing a chronological, functional, or hybrid resume, you have the liberty to move resume sections around on your document. For example, if you believe that your educational qualifications will give you the upper hand for an application, you can move the education section somewhere prominent on your resume.

You should keep it short

Your resume does not have to be four pages long to impress recruiters. There are many design and formatting tricks you can use to get your resume down to one or two pages. If you are writing a C-suite resume, you may have to go up to a third page.

You should not only mention soft skills

Potential employers are mostly interested in the hard skills and tech skills you possess. When creating the key skills section of your resume, you should first focus on the hard skills requested by the employer. Your transferable skills and soft skills can go next on the list.

You should emphasize the results

When creating a resume, it is important to display the results you have achieved over the years. Include at least one or two bullet points per job entry that quantify the results you have achieved. If you are talking about an achievement, always back up your claims with results.

You should not use the same tense throughout

When writing your resume, be careful about the tenses you use to describe your work experience. Describe your past jobs in the past tense and your current position in the present tense. Mixing up the tenses on your resume will make it appear unpolished.

You should create additional resume sections

Most candidates only add the basic Contact Information, Summary, Work Experience, Education, and Skills sections to their resumes. One way to make your job application stand out is to add sections such as Resume Headline, Volunteer Work, Publications, Achievements, Languages, Projects, and Certifications and Licenses.

By Resume Mansion



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