Sometimes the job market can be tough—it’s hard to know what employers really want, and with today’s economy, it’s hard to even know how to stick out from the crowd. One way to do this is to have a résumé that makes people take a step back and consider you not just as a two-dimensional application, but as an actual human being. We all respond to a common humanity, and your résumé is no different—by appealing to your potential employers as people, you’ll be sure to capture their attention. So if you’re looking to improve your résumé, know that with a bit of work, you’ll get your point across. Here are just a few tips on how to do it.
1. Improve your résumé – address the job posting
If the job posting lists the qualities the employer is looking for, see how you can fit your résumé to their needs. Knowing what to leave out is sometimes the best way to show what sets you apart. If you’re in sales or related fields, search for customer service jobs on sites like salesvacancies.com and see what companies are saying they want—and with a bit of work and a tailor-made CV, you’ll stand out from your peers when review time comes.
2. Keep it short
While it’s tempting to put all our experience on a résumé, this can lead to a lot of clutter. Making a résumé fit neatly on a single sheet of paper—with the right kind of experience listed—makes it easier for an employer to get the right info fast. And that can mean you’ll stand out even more!
3. Résumés are like news stories: put the most important info first
Sometimes journalists use what is called an inverted pyramid of information to write their stories. What this basically means is that you put the most important things first, and the least important at the bottom. So it is with résumés: you want to catch the eye of the person reading it. Placing the most relevant information up front is a great way to do that.
4. Unless you’ve got a design background, keep it simple
There’s been a recent trend in résumés to make them look a bit like an infographic. But unless you’ve got top-tier graphic design skills, that might leave hiring managers scratching their heads. So keeping it simple, with 10 or 12-point Times New Roman font, is usually the best way to go.
5. Check for grammar and spelling errors
Nothing is quite as big a blemish on résumés as grammatical and spelling errors. If you need to have someone proofread your résumé, by all means do so! A smooth read can give your résumé a sense of neatness and professionalism.
Now you know how to improve your résumé, grab one of these free résumé templates!