Your resume is your ID when you apply for a new job. When created carefully, it will be appealing, and recruiters won’t skip on it. Sometimes you can use the available templates, that are proven to work, but sometimes, you need to try it yourself. The recruiters will only look at it for a few seconds, and they will decide to contact you based on how the CV looks. They simply scan it, and if it grabs their attention, they will continue reading it, and see if the candidate is eligible for the offered job.
That means, if you can’t make them believe you are the right one in that few seconds, you will probably never lend that job. Even though it’s pretty subjective how your CV looks, experienced HR experts know immediately who really wants the job, and who applied just because they needed to.
Finding a job is a long and complicated process. You may have the perfect resume, but something is missing or not enough to convince recruiters that you are the right professional for the position. On average, each of us faces a few setbacks and even ignorance until we find the perfect match. But even that process is not as simple as it seems. However, you can work on improving your resume to increase your chances of getting a job. So, if you want to make sure you are doing the right thing, you can compare your resume with the examples here at https://resume-example.com/.
Also, we will try to give you a few suggestions on how to make your CV stand out, and increase your chances to get hired:
1. List all the important skills
You are allowed to adjust the CV as needed, which means you can put the relevant skills on top, and then list the others. Make sure that those skills are listed next to your name and personal data. That will help the recruiter see if you have the needed talents to work for them. Make the whole thing as relevant as possible. While the HR experts scan your documents, they already know if you are a good fit or not. Take the example from LinkedIn profiles, and if possible, include your title next to your name.
2. Detect the keywords in the job description
As we said, you should adapt and adjust your resume as needed. Practically, you have an outline, and you keep different versions of the same CV, depending on the position. So, if you are, for example, a content writer, that covers many other fields, like SEO, technical writing, magazine articles, blogs, social media posts, etc. The trick is to see which of these are mentioned in the requirements or qualifications in the original job posting. We are sure that with a few swaps of the sentences, you can get an overview that shows you are eligible for the particular job position. It’s the same for all the professions. You only have to appear more appropriate, so you can increase your chances to get hired.
3. Answer what the hiring company is asking for
As we said, today’s professions can cover a few fields, so you need to find the right way to answer the demands. That means you have to read the job posting carefully and explore the company’s website. It gives you an advantage if you check on their previous work, and see how you fit into that plan. As you research these things, you will know if the role is for you, or not. Many people first apply to the posting, and next explore their options, and they don’t find the position interesting anymore. That’s why you need to give yourself a little time, to adjust your resume, and see if you are sure you want to work there.
4. Don’t skip on the summary
A summary is a brief explanation of who you are, what you are doing, and what are your strongest skills. You are putting it in the top position of the document, so the recruiter can easily read through it, and spot the keywords that are relevant to the job position. Maybe you don’t think it’s important, but knowing that every recruiter spends only a few seconds on your CV before they handle it to the hiring manager, it’s crucial to pay attention to this part.
5. Stay focused and relevant
Sometimes, the urge to add something up to the CV, to make it richer, seems like an innocent idea. But, it’s not really like that. You need to mention only relevant work experiences, and do it by order, from the most recent, and get back to the first ones. That’s the right way for the recruiters to see if you fit the job posting or not. Of course, match all the data with that on LinkedIn, since a lot of these hiring experts will look through your profile, to find more information about you.
6. Include your contract and freelance experiences too
These are important things to mention since many people improve their skills through short-term and freelance projects. There were some beliefs that it’s not appropriate to mention the short-term projects, but sometimes, something you worked on for a month or two can have more influence than five-year-long employment. So, don’t be afraid to put all of that in your resume, even if you were a seasonal worker somewhere. Who knows, maybe that skill will be the crucial one for you to stand out, and land that job.
Conclusion
We don’t say it’s easy to write an exceptional resume. Also, we won’t ever claim that you will immediately get the job if you have a perfect one. What we are trying to tell you, is to focus on the important things, and stick to the relevant skills when creating a CV. Use the format you find most appealing, which is also visually attractive. And of course, give yourself a space to improve. That will let you adjust the resume as needed, and find the perfect job too.
