At the very outset let me tell you that resume writing has no specific format. Neither there are any strict set of rules that you might have heard through the grapevine. You can say that a resume is kind of a marketing communiqué that should be tailor made to your situation. Its aim is to do what you want it to do.
Now, let me cut the chase short and provide you with a step-by-step guide to create a professional resume:
- Use titles/ captions that match to your jobs
Remember, your employer is getting hundreds of resumes everyday. So, you have to make sure that the stuff you are sending hooks your possible employer’s attention with a 3 second glance. Thus, using the most appropriate title to your resume is a great way to do that. The catch here is to use a skill heading that would promote the accurate nature of your job responsibilities. This is greatly helpful in generating more interviews and higher paychecks.
- Use catchy designs
After your resume reaches your potential employer’s desk, what you face is a snap judgment and that too through a single glance. So, if your job title is an irrelevant one, you are going to face a rejection. Remember, your potential employer doesn’t have the time to walk through your every job description to find out your suitability to the position they are offering. Thus, it’s you who have got to do that for them. This is where the design of your resume, plays a crucial role. You must do it in a way that emphasizes the most relevant part of your experience, education and skills. The style of your presentation should be such that at the very first glance, any employer will be convinced about your employability in his/her organization.
- Create a good content
It’s important for you to remember that whereas your resume design holds the key of getting noticed, it’s the description you put in there about your skills and abilities i.e. your content which gets you the interviews and decide your would-be-paycheck. To make it clear, let’s do a comparison between two resume mentions.
“I had maintained and managed files for receivable and payable accounts” and “I had managed more than 2000 receivable and payable accounts and had worked directly under the Chief Financial Controller.” Out of these two, it’s the latter one which illustrates the job description better and thus elevates the employment potential of the candidate.
- Quantify your job
As shown above, quantification of your job done by using numbers…like 2000 files…enhances your chances of employment. This is because numbers create a vivid image in an employer’s mind. Remember, general statements are usually skipped over by an employer. So, the more you are specific, the better it is.
- Use power words
This is another very important strategy. You need to make use of power words/ verbs matching to the position you are seeking for. For instance, if you are looking for a position in the organization’s management team, try to use “management oriented” words/ verbs as much as you can. Some examples are “Assigned work to staff of entry level accounting clerks”
And power words can include directed workflow, supervised accounting staff, posting to general ledger, accounts receivable and payable accounts…etc.”
- Identify keywords
Do a thorough analysis of the advertisement and the job descriptions there. This will help you in identifying keywords which is necessary to create a professional resume. For example, if the ad is for the position of an Accounts Receivable Manager, the possible keywords/ phrases could be…seeking experienced A/R Manager to oversee accounts, manage billing work, build up status reports for management and set up monthly balance sheets Management of A/R Accounts
Billing and Collections etc.
- Find out the hidden needs of your employer
Yes, you have got to know this too and give those a place in your resume and cover letter. So, you need to sharpen your power of anticipation and make out the complete range of your employer’s needs and represent yourself as the best person to handle the issues.
- Highlight the benefits of your skills
It’s important that you mention about your previous job responsibilities. But never forget to highlight how your skills will be beneficial for your employer. Let me tell you that, many candidates, falter in this area. Take for example, the resume of a secretary. That she can type 90 words per minute accurately is an inefficient statement in his/ her resume. What he/ she has to highlight is how his/ her skills can be helpful for the employer.
- Build up an image that matches with your expected salary
Make sure that through our resume you build up an image that helps you in asking for the salary you want. Present our resume matching to that level. Frame the content and language accordingly. Remember, it should contain the material that would convince your employer to hire your service. Be specific and reasonably elaborative in your statements to elevate your image and bargain for a higher paycheck.
- Prioritize your contents
This is another very delicate area where I have seen many candidates committing blunders. Always put the significant facts in the upper portion of our job description. So, while gathering statements for your resume make it a point that you prioritize them as per their relevance and significance. Take this example:
“I had managed records and files in respect of office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance”…is a statement from the desk of an amateur. A prioritized statement would be like “I had monitored and supervised the front office functions to support the Chairman and staff of 20 Sales Representatives.”
- Keep your resume and cover letter targeted
It’s very important that you keep your resume and cover letter targeted to meet up your employer’s needs. . Scan the advertisement, before you frame out your cover letter. Make sure, it fits what your employer wants.
“Re-label” your skills if needed. Remember, re-balling is crucial to get you more interviews and make you qualify for a wider range of jobs.
So, this was about how you can draw-out a perfect resume. It’s good if you can do that yourself, else you can always hire the high-quality services of leading organizations like www.writer4me.com , the most popular ghostwriting site of the world, as per Alexa ranking.