We all know that time is a valuable commodity. It is valuable because it is limited in quantity. Regardless of the latest technologies, 24 hours in a day is all you have. Depending on how many hours you sleep, you could have only 16 to 18 hours to be productive. Hours can be broken down into minutes; minutes into seconds. What you do with the available time can determine where you go next. The same goes for your resume. These are 5 minute tricks that will help you write a better resume.
The job market can be competitive. Every day people are sending out their resumes via e-mail or pounding the pavement knocking on doors and submitting hard copies of their application.
According to statistics, on the average, every job opening attracts 250 resumes. Only 4 out of 6 or 67% will be invited to an interview and only 1 or 17% will get the job.
Given these percentages, you can understand why it is difficult to land a job much less the interview. But when applying for a job, you have to take it one step at a time.
The first step begins with your resume. You should submit a resume that grabs the attention of the recruiter and compels him or her to place you ahead of 249 other applicants.
It may seem like a daunting task but you can transform your resume from drab to fab with these simple tricks that should take no more than 5 minutes:
1. Set the Look of Your Resume
Now you know recruiters go through hundreds of resumes every day. It is not an easy job and requires efficiency and attention to detail particularly keywords.
The first thing you need to do is to make sure your resume has the appearance of an easy read. This will encourage the recruiter to prioritize your resume over another that looks like it requires a magnifying glass. Here are some valuable tips to give your resume a recruiter- friendly look:
Set your margins at 1” all- around.
Use appropriate font styles like Calibri, Cambria and Helvetica.
Use 12 to 14 font size; adjust accordingly.
Set single spacing between lines; although with Helvetica, you may have to adjust to 1.15 spacing.
Use Left Align format.
Adding a little color on your resume is a good idea if you want to emphasize certain areas but don’t go overboard. For example, a light blue border could provide a stylish frame without detracting from the content of your resume.
2. Compile Correct Keywords
Read the job posting by the company and take note of the keywords they used. Using the correct keywords on your resume are crucial to pass the ATS or Applicant Tracking System.
The job post includes keywords that describe the hard and soft skills the employer is looking for in an applicant.
Hard skills refer to qualifications and proficiencies such as specializations and tools needed for the job including software programs. Soft skills are the personality traits or attributes the company wants in their employee.
3. Lead Off with a Resume Summary
According to studies, recruiters spend only 6.25 seconds reviewing a resume. 6.25 seconds encompasses the top third of your resume.
That means the top third of your resume must contain the most important content including keywords.
Keep in mind that recruiters are not only interested in what you can do. In fact, a great majority are more interested in knowing who you are. This is the reason why you should lead off with a resume summary.
The resume summary is a short introduction that gives the recruiter an idea of your personality. A good idea is to use a compelling narrative or a story line that sets the tone for the entire resume.
If you can hook the recruiter with your narrative, you can be assured he or she will peruse the rest of your content.
4. Validate Your Accomplishments with Numbers
Without numbers to validate your claims, these accomplishments may come across as fluff and bluff to the recruiter.
For example, if one of your work milestones was to turnaround gross sales during your period of employment, it’s not enough to state this accomplishment in your resume as:
“Improved sales.”
Instead you should spice it up with actual statistics and other relevant figures:
“Generated the highest sales turnaround in the history of the company; 474% within a five year period.”
You should apply the same approach to the other sections of your resume including Educational Attainment and Skills.
5. Update Your Online Resume
Before submitting or e- mailing your resume, make sure your online profiles are updated and present the same information.
Recruiters require applicants to include links to relevant social media accounts. LinkedIn is the preferred social network by recruiters. They use it themselves to scout for talent and conduct due diligence on applicants.
If your online profile is not updated it may create disconnect with your submitted resume. The recruiter may view this discrepancy as a potential red flag and disregard your resume.
6. Proofread Your Resume
There is nothing recruiters hate the most than wrong grammar and coming across misspelled words. For them, it shows irresponsibility, lack of regard and carelessness. These qualities are not sought after in any job opening.
Take the time to review your resume. Here is a three-tier Quality Assurance procedure you could use to check the accuracy of your resume:
After you’ve finalized the draft, run it through the word processor’s default spell and grammar check feature.
As the second tier, run your resume to a third party spell and grammar checker like Grammarly.
Finally, ask a trusted friend who is either highly proficient in English or a former recruiter to review your resume.
Do not rush through your resume. Make sure grammar and spelling are no less than perfect.
Perhaps implementing these tricks may take more than 5 minutes. The point is you don’t have to put in much time and effort to feel confident you have submitted a resume that will improve your chances of winning the job over 249 other applicants.
Author Bio
Felix Tarcomnicu is the CEO & Founder of ResumeOK, a website that helps job seekers find a better job by writing professional resumes that attract attention. You can get in touch with him on Twitter.
