When meeting with hiring managers and recruiters often, you only have one chance to make a positive first impression. However, a strong resume showing your skills and why you are the best choice for the job can help set you up for success before your interview.
The way you present your education, skills, certifications, and experience on your resume can show potential employers a great deal about your personality and professionalism. Focusing on creating a professional and easily understood resume can give you an advantage over the competition. Does your resume need an overhaul? Continue reading to learn United Career Institute’s top five resume tips to help you stand out!
1. Utilize a template
Using a template to create your resume can help you keep your resume uniform and professional, making it easier to navigate for hiring managers. When your resume has a strong layout and is not too cluttered with information, it will help make the important pieces of information stand out and be easily remembered. For example, having sections that outline your name, work experience, and education can help potential employers quickly learn about you through your resume.
Choosing a template that aligns with your industry is also important, and there are many free online resources to help you design a resume that best fits your chosen career path. Some resources to help you perfect your resume are Canva, Resume.com, and Microsoft Word. Once you have created your resume, save the document as a PDF to ensure that your design and formatting remain consistent no matter where you submit it.
2. Keep it simple
When writing your resume, keep in mind that hiring managers can review hundreds of resumes daily, so it is crucial to make yours easy to read and include important information about your experience and skills. Keeping your resume to one page is a good practice; however, for positions that require more extensive experience, it can be common to extend it to a second page.
Including bullet points rather than long paragraphs can be a great way to break up content and shorten the length. It can be challenging to sort through what is important enough to include on your resume, especially when each experience offers unique lessons, but utilizing action verbs can be a helpful way to prove your skills in a measurable way. For example, words like accomplished, developed, executed, completed, supervised, and other power words can show employers that you have proven to get the job done.
3. Use keywords
When writing your resume, remember that hiring managers often skim resumes for specific words related to the job they are hiring for. So, for example, if you are applying for a position as a phlebotomist, it would be worthwhile to include that you possess venipuncture skills.
Hiring managers often keep your resume on file in a database for future positions, so having keywords in your resume can help them find you at a future date. Other worthwhile information to include could be exact education, certifications, skills, and experience.
4. Check spelling and grammar
Having spelling or grammar errors in your resume can come across as non-detail oriented, so it is important to double-check your work before submitting it to an employer. Online services such as Grammarly or Writer.com can assist you in picking out minor errors that the human eye can sometimes overlook.
Having a second set of eyes look over your resume before completing it can be helpful. Asking a friend, teacher, or family member to proofread your resume as if they were a hiring manager can allow them to give you a different perspective on your work.
5. Sell yourself
The most important thing to remember when drafting a resume is that it is ultimately your step in the door to land your new job. This is often the first thing a potential employer sees about you, so you want to ensure you show a great version of yourself. Your resume is the place to show off your work and education experiences, skills, certifications, and other accomplishments you are proud of. When you include information that catches the recruiter’s eye, you will be more likely to get called in for an interview.
Some other important pieces of information it is essential to include on your resume are your full name, professional email address, phone number with a work-appropriate voicemail message, and social media accounts if relevant to the position.
Follow Our Tips and Set Yourself Apart!
Now you have a resume that will stand out and get you noticed, so you’re ready to shine! United Career Institute students and graduates can contact our career management team for additional resume, cover letter, and interview assistance!
If you are interested in attending one of United Career Institute’s accelerated career training programs, contact our admissions team at 724-515-2440 or Request Information!