10 Tips For Writing An Effective Resume

Writing or updating your resume can seem daunting at first and you may not know where to start. What should you include and what should you leave out? What attributes does an employer want to see in a candidate? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 tips that will help you write an effective resume and that will get you hired:

The best place to start when you are writing your resume is to look for the keywords that employers use in their job listings. They use these words for a reason: they want to hire someone with those exact keywords in their resume. When you find a job listing, look for those keywords and then add them to your resume if they are applicable to your experience and skills. Those keywords will pop out when a hiring authority is looking over your resume.

Look at what other professionals in your industry include in their resumes. For example, if you’re an accountant, it would be a good idea to ask your accounting friends what their resumes look like or find an example on the internet. Chances are, these other professionals are already in a job so obviously they have done something right in their resume.

Don’t include every little job experience that you have. No one wants to see that a couple of summers ago you mowed your neighbor’s lawn. Include the most relevant experience that you have that relates to the position you are applying to. Add the most important info in the first half of the page. You want to “wow” an employer when they first look at your resume. Make it easy for them.

Show off the achievements you are most proud of. Make these achievements stand out on your resume. Instead of just listing your job duties under the experience sections, list some of the achievements you had while in that job. Show your future employers past accomplishments to show them how you can positively affect their business.

Add real numbers to quantify what that success really looked like. This could be things like revenue you generated for your past employers or money you saved them, etc. Real numbers cut past the fat of empty words. Saying for example, “I increased revenue” doesn’t really mean anything unless you quantify it and employers will be looking for those numbers.

This might seem obvious, but some candidates fail to include this in their resumes. Include any contact information that might make it easier for an employer to contact you i.e. phone number, email, etc.

Show your soft skills – don’t tell them. Anyone can say that they are detail oriented or a passionate leader. Show these soft skills out by including real life situations where you used these soft skills. Think of how many times an employer has heard “I’m responsible, great in teams, and hardworking” … Show them don’t tell them.

How do you deal with gaps in your work history? Maybe you were out of work for a couple of months. When listing your job experience you don’t have to state the exact month of start and end date. Just use the years that you worked, for example 2014-2016 or just list the amount of years and months you were in a position.

Customize your resume based on the position you are applying to. Find exactly what they employer is looking for and tailor your resume to match what they are looking for. Emphasize some things that the specific employer is looking and omit it for others.

Always update your resume. Keep it up to date so that you don’t have to go searching for information or stats later. If you are always refreshing it, you can always be ready to make your next career move.