Rome was not built in a day. You can’t possibly make a perfect resume in like an hour (negative brownie points if you thought you could!).
It’s your best chance to make an impression and so you’ve got to do it right. There’s nothing easy or quick about drafting and creating your resume. It takes a considerable amount of thought to make headway and think in the right direction. You’ve got to ponder very carefully and put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes to figure out what you want to exactly convey because it’s not just a plain piece of document, it’s your self-marketing tool. Like the recruiter is your buyer, and you’re the product and the resume is the reason why he should buy you. You can check out the secrets of a good resume here. Let’s look at how you can write a compelling resume.
1. Powerful Start
The resume summary, which essentially is a brief of your entire purpose, contains vital information and gives the recruiter a head start on your abilities. You can consider that as your elevator pitch. It’s very critical as it catches the attention of the recruiter. Keep it concise, short and to the point. Avoid cliches in your summary and use powerful keywords. The start if impactful, will affect the recruiter’s impression positively and he will give your resume more attention.
2. Relevance
Changing jobs might still happen but if you’re changing industries, then the previous work experience won’t be relevant for the hiring manager. Throw the spotlight on the most important aspect you want to highlight in your resume- your skills and your achievements (make sure they align with your job description!). Make it the star performer for you. The recruiter should be compelled to pick up the phone and talk to you because of that. Then you can add the experience section and take a call on what to include, whatnot.
3. Be Choosy
Yes, being choosy would be the right attitude to adopt here. Your resume needs to only have selective content and not everything you’ve done in your work life. If it’s contributing to you being selected, only then should it be there. Else, take it out. It’s tempting to show all those NGO experiences or that extra certificate in sports or nutrition you’ve probably done, but it’s moot if it’s not relevant.
4. Legibility
Gone are the days of a one-page resume. If you need a gripping and powerful story to be told, you’ll need space. Up to three pages are accepted in many places now. Stick to the common fonts, and avoid paragraphs. Use bullet points and keep enough white spaces for the hiring manager to keep reading.
If you abide by these principles, you’re sure to have a stellar resume in hand!
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