Your resume is the first impression you will make on a potential employer. So how can you effectively ‘Sell Yourself’ to someone with words on a screen, to someone who doesn’t know you, against any number of other candidates who also apply (dozens, maybe hundreds)?
It’s like professional tinder. They’ll see any number of potential matches for what they are looking for. So, when they see your resume will they swipe left or right?
Here’s my top 5 quick tips to help you stand out of the pack.
1 – Immediacy. Limit your resume to one page
If you had a 1-page limit to write your RESUME – what would it look like?
Think of the reader. They potentially have dozens or hundreds of resumes to work through. Don’t make them have to search endless pages to find what they are interested in. If I can’t get a clear gauge on your relevant working history, competencies, and qualifications within 10 seconds, you’ve lost my interest.
Make it easy for your audience and summarise all your relevant experience, qualifications and competencies on the first page of your resume. They’ll have an immediate impression of what you offer and will be encouraged to learn more.
2 – Presentation. Format for impact
Again, think of the reader. The majority of resume’s they will see will be in a bog-standard black & white format in either Calibri or Arial font (so, so bland…). When seeing any number of these in reviewing applications they can blend in with each other. If you otherwise have similar skills and experiences as many others – your formatting can be the clear difference between getting an interview or not.
The format of your resume should:
- Have a header on each page with your name & contact details.
- Be consistent throughout (e.g. headers, titles/subtitles, fonts, bullets, tables etc.)
- Reflect your own style (and that of the industries you are exploring)
- Have subtle, distinctive elements (e.g. colouring, fonts etc.)
- Use page space well (i.e. not crammed nor with vast vacant space)
3 – Content. Insights to Highlight
For each position you’ve held give the reader a clear impression of your environment, your key responsibilities and what you achieved for as a result (i.e. personal achievements and/or positive impacts for the business you worked for). You want them give the reader clear context and insights to your employment history.
And remember – responsibilities ARE NOT achievements. Achievements are positive results gained by the responsibilities you undertake.
4 – Less is More. It’s a resume, not an Autobiography
The longest resume I’ve ever seen was 27 pages in total. Of course, not all resume’s are that long but far too many resumes are unnecessarily lengthy.
The danger is having a long resume is that the reader is expected to trawl through many pages to find what may be important to them. They can either overlook key details or get bored in the process.
Don’t expect people will read everything in your resume. When reviewing applications, many readers skim through resume’s are part of their shortlisting process.
Condensing all the key details of your experiences, skills, qualifications into a concise resume will make is easier for them to find what they are looking for. My suggestion – 4 pages or under is ideal.
5 – Spelling & Grammar Check – don’t forget it!
Yes, you want to stand out – but not for the wrong reasons!
A resume with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors screams carelessness. And if you’re pursuing a position where reporting, writing and presentation is a critical aspect of the job, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot.
A spelling & grammar check is simple and free, yet so often overlooked. This should be the last thing you do in developing a killer resume.
The most commonly misspelt word on a resume in my experience, and by an enormous margin…..
Manager. A.K.A “Manger”.
Guy Wilson
Founder – Sell Yourself.
