No matter how experienced you are, applying for a new job is an emotional rollercoaster. There’s the time spent searching for your next role, writing a resume, the job interview and all the painstaking waiting time in between. Over the last few years, it’s felt increasingly more difficult to land a quality gig in your area of expertise.
Personally, job interviews have always been a strength of mine. As a natural-born yapper, once I’m in the room having a chat, I know I’m in with a chance. The hardest bit is getting that job interview based on my resume.
In theory, writing a resume is simple. A resume should include your relevant job experience to show your potential employer how qualified and great you are. While resume requirements can change between industries, there are still some must-have details you need to include in your resume.
So, to make sure we’re all creating the best resume possible no matter the industry, I had a chat with two business experts on their top tips, tricks and no-nos for writing up a resume.
Pssst. Looking for a new job as we speak? Check out the latest on Pedestrian JOBS.
What are some resume must-haves?
There’s a lot to remember when you’re getting your ducks in a row to apply for an exciting new gig. Just don’t forget these important tips and tricks for making your resume stand out.
Make sure you’ve got the important bits
According to entrepreneur and the host of The Boss In Heels Podcast Lara Nercessian, sometimes these obvious details get missed.
“Ensure your resume contains your personal information such as name, phone number, email and link to your LinkedIn profile,” she says.
Lara also notes that it’s important to ensure the information you provide on your resume matches up with what you’ve got listed on your LinkedIn page.
“Whilst discrepancies may be innocent in nature and may have simply been overlooked, it is important that you showcase a resume that is solid and aligned across all channels,” she explains.
Make sure your spelling and grammar are perfect
Although it sounds obvious, ensuring that your spelling and grammar are correct is incredibly important.
Roxanne Calder, author, founder and managing director of successful recruitment agency EST10, says that the clarity of a well-formatted resume can help set you apart.
“Your resume needs to be easy to read and visually balanced with consistent font, formatting and spacing,” she explains.
“Ensure that grammar, punctuation, and layout is accurate and clear. Whilst this may seem obvious, these details are often overlooked. Your resume is the first impression that you provide to prospective employers and is ultimately a reflection of your work.
“You should also use full dates, months and years, and it is very important to explain career gaps.”
Tailor it for each job
Although it’s tempting to send out the same resume to all the jobs you apply for, both Roxanne and Lara agree that every resume and cover letter you submit should be tailored for each job application. This way, you can make sure you’re aligning your skills with the particular skills that the company is looking for.
“A broad resume that generally speaks to what you are looking for and your experience will yield vague outcomes,” Lara says.
“The more tailored and specific you can make your resume, the more chance you have of standing out.”
Keep it short ‘n’ sweet
Just like Sabrina Carpenter, it’s important to keep your resume short ‘n’ sweet. You may be super experienced in your field, but employers don’t want to flick through a stack of pages.
“Keep your resume to two or three pages, maximum. If you have a long list of previous jobs, focus on the last ten years of experience,” Roxanne suggests.
“Briefly summarise earlier roles or give employers an option to view your earlier career by including a line like ‘Full resume upon request’.”
Resume no-nos
Just like there are a bunch of recommended tips to make your resume stand out, there’s a bunch of things you should avoid, too.
Ditch the irrelevant experience
As we go from job to job, our relevant experience shifts and changes. For example, I worked at McDonald’s throughout high school and uni. When I first started applying to media jobs, I would include my McDonald’s experience to show that I was a reliable employee who had real-life job experience — even if it was in a different industry.
Now that I’ve got some solid relevant media experience under my belt, I ditch the McDonald’s experience for more relevant info.
“Don’t include personal information that is outdated or irrelevant to the position you are applying for,” says Lara.
“Whilst you may be proud of winning a swimming race in high school, refer to accomplishments that are more recent and relevant to the role.”
Leave the salary and working preferences info for later
Whether you’re gunning for a certain salary or amount of days from home, the experts suggest keeping that info for later on in the hiring process.
“Don’t include details such as salary expectations, working preferences or other requests on your resume,” Lara advises.
“This shows the prospective employer that you are more interested in your own personal agenda vs. what is required of the role. Leave those details for discussions that you have throughout the interview process.”
Know your own resume (and tell the truth)
I think most of us agree that it’s not uncommon to add a bit of extra flair to your resume. I once said I was competent with Microsoft Excel. I know how to enter data into the little boxes but don’t you dare ask me to enter those automatically calculated codes.
However, companies have methods in place to clock when you’ve taken it a bit too far and are straight-up lying about the experience.
“Companies today are on the lookout for people who have embellished their resume,” Roxanne warns.
“With this in mind, many companies will test your knowledge of your own resume! It might sound a little crazy, but if you don’t have a good handle on what you’ve written down, you’re definitely going to trigger some red flags.
“Employers expect you to speak intelligently about your job history and any other information on your resume, including dates of employment. Remember that the resume is the road map for the interview, so be ready to answer questions based on its content.”
Well, there you have it. With these tips in your arsenal, you’re in the running. Happy job hunting, everyone!!!!
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The post How To Make Your Resume *Actually* Stand Out In 2024 appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
