It takes an average of 5-10 seconds to review one resumeFound a great job? The first step is to get your employer interested in emphasizing your best qualities. Here is a step-by-step guide for you to write a resume that will at least get you to the interview and, at the most, help you get the dream job!
It takes an average of 5-10 seconds to review one resume. Not much, right? That’s why it’s important to make a good impression right away. A resume is a self-promotion that should get you the best and sell it to your employer. Therefore, your task is to make sure that all the points in the resume are “touched”.
Where to start?
Before drafting a resume, it will be helpful to know what HR managers, recruiters, and employers primarily look for in a candidate’s resume. According to the Orange County Resume Survey, these are:
• previous work experience (45%);
• qualifications / skills (35%);
• ease of reading / reading information (25%);
• achievements, benefits, projects (16%);
• spelling and grammar (14%);
• education (9%);
• clear goal (3%);
• keywords (2%);
• contact information (1%).
Then decide what type of resume is right for you – chronological, functional, or combined.
A chronological summary describes your jobs chronologically, starting with the last one. It suits those looking for a job in a familiar field, have considerable experience and seek a career.
How to write a resume correctly?
Not only your career but possibly your entire life depends on how this document is drafted. So we invite you to find out what the resume should look like. How William Bolton, a project manager at PaperLeaf, once said: “There is nothing better than to be sure you did your work properly, even if the task was small.” No matter how you look for a job – through friends, newspapers or the Internet, the moment comes when you are asked to show (or send) your resume. Today, it is obvious to everyone that without a well-crafted resume, the job search will be ineffective.
What is the summary for?
A resume is one of the most effective job search tools. Of course, you should always try to do things yourself first, but you may always use great and trusted tool like resume writing service to do the job for you or to at least to assist you in making it a stand-out resume/CV. Nevertheless, here is a summary of the most important facts for your prospective employer in your CV related to your work experience, skills and knowledge.
Summary structure.
The summary is usually contained on 1-2 pages and includes the following blocks:
Contact Information
• Name (surname can be omitted).
• Address (fully, including index).
• Telephone (home, contact, work with city code; work phone is indicated only if you are able to communicate freely in the workplace).
• Email address (if you do not have a personal mailbox, be sure to create one before sending your CV).
Purpose (optional, but recommended).
A summary of what position you want to get and why you are applying for it (max 6 lines, preferably 2-3). If you think when to apply for jobs, the most preferable time is at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, so remember to apply at the right time. If the resume is sent to a specific vacancy, then the name or code of that vacancy is written instead of the purpose. If you have several different goals, there are two or three CV options. It is better to do several focused on different aspects of the resume than one overall.
Qualification.
The most important information for your potential employer about your professional skills, strengths and achievements is briefly stated.
Work experience is indicated in reverse chronological order (first place of work is indicated first). This is the most important summary block describing professional experience (usually over the last 10 years) in the following way:
• the company name;
• direction of activity of the company;
• working hours;
• position;
• job responsibilities;
• professional skills and achievements.
When describing your accomplishments, use verbs such as developed, saved, increased, or reduced.
Education.
The more time elapses after graduation, the less space this should occupy in the resume/video resume; for graduates and students, it should be placed before the previous one, because if there is experience, then it is less significant. You can announce the rewards, emphasize those disciplines that are relevant to your goal. It is also worth mentioning additional education: courses, seminars, trainings, internships, etc.
Additional information.
Knowledge of foreign languages and computer, driver’s license, membership in professional organizations, etc. (a hobby should be mentioned only if it is closely related to the desired job).
Recommendations.
Please provide recommendations.
It is not necessary to specify or include in the summary:
• your entire job biography (in fact, your potential employer is only interested in the last 3-5 jobs and a maximum period of 10 years);
• your physical data and health description;
• your weaknesses;
• reasons why you left work;
• lies – all truth always comes to the surface, so any lie is not worth your reputation. Sometimes, and only in some cases, it is possible to decorate reality a bit creatively, but it is best to always be honest with yourself and others.
• letters of recommendation or names of people who may recommend you (prepare this list separately, it may be required for an interview).
What should be in summary:
Structure. All information in the resume should be presented in a certain sequence and in accordance with the chosen form.
Selectivity. When considering your resume, first determine its purpose, and decide what job you want to get. Analyze your professional experience and choose only one that clearly fits your goal. A selective approach will save your resume from unnecessary, unnecessary information.
Objectivity. When describing your experience and skills, be realistic and objective. You must be prepared to justify everything you have stated in your resume.
Brevity. The size of the resume should not exceed two pages, so the information should be summarized briefly, emphasizing the most important moments for the employer.
Specificity. It is necessary to be very specific in the choice of formulations.
Literacy. All efforts can be in vain if the resume is illiterate. After all, regardless of position, employers want to see their employees educated people who will not make gross mistakes in documents and business letters. Please re-read your resume sometime after writing it or ask someone to help you find and correct your mistakes. It will be very unfortunate if you do not receive an invitation to interview because they have been working on the project for a year.
Uniqueness. It is clear that your resume will not be copied from another candidate, but you must create one that will be remembered by your employer. Again, do not write the commonplace things that every other candidate can find. Your CV should be the answer to the vacancy. Then the employer will get an impression of you as a responsible person who wants to work in this company, not just put his resume everywhere possible.
When you ask a professional to check your resume, be open to feedback.
You may be very proud of the position you had 5-10 years ago, but there is a good reason why professional resume writer may want to remove it from your new resume. Mind that you hired an expert for a reason. While it is natural to question some of your writing options, trust that your writer uses all their knowledge of the current job market and recruitment practices to create a polished, professional resume to help you avoid a black hole resume.
Conclusion:
According to a CareerBuilder poll, 1/3 of employers find it a mistake to use pre-written resumes from the internet, as they are usually too general and do not give a full understanding of the candidate. But a personalized and sufficiently detailed summary will show you the advantage. Information in this article will help you gather information to prepare a worthy resume that you can pass to a professional to check it, or send directly to HR.
Remember that finding the perfect job won’t happen in one day, however, if you stay patient, persistent and stick to the plan, your job search will surely pay off!
