Resume Tips Top 12 Tips for Making Your Resume Standout

Resume Tips Top 12 Tips for Making Your Resume Standout If your current resume isnt garnering calls for interviews, it may be time for a re-do.I dont care if your prose is sparkling or if you spend $2,000 on a professional resume writer. The goal of a resume is to be a marketing document that entices recruiters and hiring managers to feel compelled to meet you.Most hiring managers spend their days wading through resumes from qualified job seekers. What will set yours apart?Put yourself in the hirer’s place. There’s a position to be filled. Which candidates are most likely to be the best fit for the job?You, as the one entrusted to fill the vacancy or new position, do not have the luxury of a lot of time to complete the process. You are doing all of this in addition to all your other responsibilities, and you are tired and stressed out.As you sort through the hundreds of resumes youve received, youre looking for any reason to knock someone out of the running.  You will spend only a few seconds scanning each resume before deciding rej ect or consider? Would you be impressed with your resume under these conditions?Here are some tips to consider if your resume isnt getting you the results you want:TIP 1 You Have My Attention:Your first few lines are crucial.  Grab the readers attention quickly and then back up that positive first impression with relevant details.TIP 2 Nail the Summary:Tell your future employer how your value translates into his specific needs with a compelling summary statement.This should be a section at the top of your resume. You can call it Overview, Summary of Qualifications, or something similar. It can be a paragraph or a list of bullet points.The key is to pull out your most relevant and impressive qualifications from throughout your career and highlight them where they can be appreciated at first glance. Dont bury your most important qualifications on page 2.  Hiring managers wont take the time to search or even read carefully.TIP 3 Customize It:This means that you must customize your resume at least slightly for each job opportunity. Make sure that the summary statement is customized based on the job description if you want to catch that recruiters eye.You may also want to edit other sections of the resume to emphasize the experience and achievements that align with the requirements of the opportunity in question.TIP 4 Repeat After Me:Incorporate keywords from the job description in your resume. This helps to ensure that youre speaking the employers language and that any keyword-scanning software will find what its looking for. You should review and edit the keywords in your resume for each opportunity.TIP 5 Lose the Objectives:In most cases, a statement outlining your objectives is a waste of the most valuable real estate on your resume. Your resume is about communicating what you can do for the hiring company, not detailing what youre looking for.TIP 6 Short N Sweet:Keep your resume length at 1-2 pages. If you are still in the early years of your career, l imit yourself to one page. The descriptions of your most recent and most relevant positions should be the longest.TIP 7 Youre a Star:Focus on your achievements, not your boring, generic job responsibilities. Many résumés simply list the duties that ANY breathing human would have performed in the role. This will not set you apart from the competition. You must communicate what you did to excel in the role.TIP 8 Show Em The Money:Whenever possible, flaunt the specific numbers. Show them the money, the percentage improvement any statistics that back up your claims of greatness. Your purchasing plan saved $100,000 or your revamping of the personnel policy slashed the turnover rate by 20%.TIP 9 Lose the References:Dont waste space on References Available Upon Request. They know.TIP 10 Personality Matters:Show some personality. Achievers tend to be interesting people, and if the hirer thinks you are interesting, he’s more likely to want to meet you in an interview. That doesnt mea n you should describe your tattoos or love of fondue. Keep it professional. However, it can be useful to mention interesting volunteer activities and hobbies that demonstrate skills relevant to the job (creativity, determination, initiative).TIP 11 Lean on a Friend:Ask trusted friends and contacts for feedback on your resume.  Sometimes a friend with a little distance will be able to see weaknesses that you cant. When the subject is you, it can be difficult to evaluate objectively.TIP 12 Spell-check can be a Backstabber:It may seem obvious, but spelling and grammar are criticalâ€"even if you are in computer programming or sales. Spell check is not foolproof. Just because its a word doesnt mean its the word that you want to use. Ask a detail-oriented friend to help you proofread.Conclusion:Creating a great resume is a little bit of a balancing act. You want to show some personality but not come across as unprofessional. Clearly, given how competitive the job market is, you need to give yourself every advantage. Hopefully some of the resume tips spelled out above will help yours stand out from the crowd.