5 Tips for Resume Writing Success

Writing your resume? Thinking of ordering a professional rewrite of your resume? There are a lot of things to consider in order to stand apart from the crowd when applying for a job. Here are 5 success tips for effective resume writing:

Eye Catching

An eye-catching resume can make a difference. But you need to be cautious as well. Weird fonts, colours, and unusual elements may turn a potential employer off. Imagine reading through dozens of resumes. They'll all look the same after a while. Good tips for making your resume POP include:

Bold important areas or use a slightly larger font. Don't mix and match haphazardly but consider making headings bigger, your objective slightly larger, and formatting accomplishments so they stand apart from other text.
Go for symmetry. Make sure your resume prints properly and that everything looks aligned. You may find some great resume templates online that you can follow.
Use an easy-to-read font, such as Arial or Verdana.
Keyword Optimize

Some companies use software to take resumes from a general delivery box and route them to the appropriate person. Look carefully at a job posting and tweak your resume to match it. Are there requirements for a Bachelor's degree or for a specific software program? Make sure your resume contains these elements (only if you possess these skills, of course). Look at what sort of person the employer wants and if you are, in fact, qualified...optimize your resume so that you look like a natural fit.

Action Verbs

Action verbs add PUNCH to your resume. When listing accomplishments, start them off with an action word. Look at the job posting and the company website to help you determine the buzzwords and language the prospective employer uses.

Accomplishments

A company doesn't want to know the minutia of your last job down to how often you used the photocopier. An overview of what you were responsible for is important but what can help you stand apart from others more is what you've accomplished for other companies. Did you save money? Did Resumir make them money? How? Show them that you're a go-getter who slashes costs and boosts revenue, optimizing processes or empowering team members and this can demonstrate that you would make a positive difference if you joined their team.

Get Opinions

Before you submit your resume to a job you're really interested in, do some comparisons and get some opinions. Ask successful friends and other professionals to see their resume. Consider getting a professional opinion through a career counsellor or from a professional resume writer. And, see what success rate you have. If you apply to 20 jobs and don't get a single nibble, you might need to look and see if there's something off-putting about your approach. There are some great resources online that can help you see resume samples, get success tips, and even get a critique, rewrite, or resume edit. They say you have to put effort in to find a great career. It's true! Put forth some effort when writing your resume and you could soon be wading through offer letters.