Creating your resume should be a simple, painless process, but the reality is that there’s a lot of pressure involved. After all, this is the document that might land you a job, so while it’s important to make sure it’s the best it can be, don’t overthink it to the point of putting it off.
Once you’re ready to take your resume to the next level, there are some effective resume boosters to follow that are sure to help land you the job.
Read on to learn more.
1. Use the Right Keywords
You’ll want to use the right keywords to improve your resume. You can check which keywords are popping out by dropping your resume into a word cloud generator and seeing which keywords stand out. If the most prominent ones aren’t what you’re going for or if crucial words are missing, find ways to tweak your resume and maximize your chances of your resume standing out.
2. Get Certifications for Resume
If you really want to get ahead of the game or feel like your experience is lacking, consider getting certifications for your resume. There are various career-boosting options that are great tools for taking your resume to the next level. Look for online diploma programs that you can start, many of them are free, and you only need to pay a small fee for the certificate!
3. Check Formatting
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people don’t pay attention to how their resume is formatted. It’s okay to make some creative choices, but if your resume is hard to read, it’s going to be difficult for an employer to want to hire you.
The three most common resume formats are functional, chronological, and combination. You should choose a format based on your job search objectives and background. If you haven’t worked in a handful of months, that will impact the resume format you choose – be sure to do your research and see what works best for you.
4. Highlight Achievements
You should not only highlight your achievements that you want to showcase but also try to add the essential qualities that will impress the employer. Think of interests, skills, and experiences that make you stand out. This is the time to really sell yourself, so make sure that your focus is on all of your impressive accomplishments.
5. Make Your Resume Stand Out
On average, each corporate job offer receives about 250 resumes. Don’t let that intimidate you; use it as motivation! Companies are going through a lot of resumes, so you’ll need to stand out.
This doesn’t mean having an interesting color combination or unnecessary graphics; it means knowing what the employer wants so you can tailor it accordingly. It’s a combination of a visually appealing document that highlights all of your accomplishments and skillset.
6. Adjust Resume to Job Offer
This ties to the idea of making your resume stand out. There’s no better way to differentiate from the pack than to know what company you’re applying for so that you can show them that you’re the right fit. Be sure to make your points relevant to what the company is looking for, make the resume design appropriate for the job title, make it clear exactly why you’re applying to this job.
7. Eliminate Clutter
Have you ever looked at a document and found it difficult to read? Maybe it was too busy or lacked direction. You never want your resume to be that trouble document.
Step away from your resume for a moment and then look at it with fresh eyes. Does it have a lot of clutter? Then it’s time to do some housekeeping.
Eliminate anything that acts as fluff or irrelevant information. Focus on the most impressive and clear information about you and what makes you right for the job. Everything else is just a distraction.
8. Focus on Top Third
The top third of your resume is arguably the most important. This is the first thing that employers look at, and if it’s not doing it for them, you’re unlikely to get the job. Place your most impressive accomplishments and skills at the top, along with your contact information for easy communication.
9. Use the Right Font
As much as people like to dismiss it, the look of your resume is important. This doesn’t mean you need to find the most elaborate design, but it does mean that you should put thought into it. Even a basic white background – black text resume can stand out with the right formatting and font.
A good font is vital to design, and it reflects the tone and personality of what you’re trying to say. If the font is ordinary or difficult to read, it will be evident to your employer that you didn’t put much thought into your resume.
10. Remove Your Grad Year
If it’s been three years since you graduated, it’s time to remove your grad year. Employers aren’t interested in that information, and it should be reserved for more crucial bullet points. While you’re at it, eliminate anything to do with high school unless it’s essential.
11. Utilize Bullet Points
Bullet points are a great way to highlight important aspects about yourself and your past jobs without taking up too much space. They a clean, easy way to process information. They’re also good to utilize if you feel like there’s not enough to fill your resume with.
12. Proofread
Most importantly, be sure to proofread. It’s easy to finish your resume and be eager to send it off, but if there’s even one typo or poorly written sentence, it can mean losing that dream job. Be sure to check your resume thoroughly, it’ll only take a couple of minutes, and it can make the difference between getting hired or not.
Effective Resume Boosters
Job searching is already strenuous enough without the added stress of having the right resume. Although there is no such thing as the perfect resume, there is a way to get yours to be the best it can be. These resume boosters are sure to take your professional document to the next level, the job of your dreams is right around the corner.
Looking for more posts like this? Check out the success section of our blog!
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