Landing the perfect job continues to be an uphill task. The employment market has proved to be one of the most competitive markets in the world. The high level of competition calls for job seekers to find ways to highlight their qualities, so they can stand out from the crowd, and land a good job. So how does one land that all important interview at a blue chip company? You will be happy to learn that all you have to do is write an amazing resume. To help you out, below are some very good tips on writing a resume.
What’s Your Goal?
The first thing you need to do is to establish your objective before you even start writing your resume. You need a clear employment goal in mind. It is also necessary that you establish the kind of skills and experience required for any particular position you are looking for. Once you have a clear objective, you can then get down to writing your resume.
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What’s Your Format?
As with all other formal documents, a resume has a format too. You do not just jot down information on a piece of paper in any order and expect to land a job. There are many formats for writing resumes. The kind of format you choose depends on the kind of job you are looking for, and the amount of experience you have. Thus when selecting your resume format, it is very important that you choose one that completely suits your circumstances. Remember, a poorly formatted resume will be a complete turn off to your potential employer. Job seekers forget that resume reviewers, like interviewers and hiring managers, know a good resume when they see one. Conversely, they know what a poorly formatted resume looks like. Your resume and cover letter are your introduction to people who can change your life. Is this the time to cut corners? Properly formatting your document is one of the tips on writing a resume that you must not forget.
Your Resume Sales Effort
Once you have established your objective and chosen the best format, you now need to sit down and market yourself. This is one of the tips on writing a resume that simply works wonders. One way you can market yourself is by highlighting any key points on your resume. For example, if any of your current responsibilities match the job description, it is important that you highlight it. This will help the recruiting officer spot that skill, characteristic or experience easily.
What’s That Listing For?
The job listing that describes the position is a gold mine. It contains an insight into the mind of your prospective employer. Most do not pay attention, but the job listing is your blueprint to getting the job. Before you write or rewrite your resume, you should have a copy of the job listing, and you should verify that each point mentioned on the listing is highlighted in your resume. Once you apply this trick, it will only be a matter of time before you get that all important call.
What Have You Accomplished?
More on marketing, just highlighting key points is not enough. The next thing that you need to do is couple up your current job responsibilities with your accomplishments. Merely detailing your job description does not cut it! It only tells the recruiter what you have been up to, but not how good you are at doing what you do. It is therefore necessary that you include some of the things that you have accomplished at you current job. Here is an example:
Detailing your job history: As a customer service rep, I help customers find the clothes that fit them best.
Detailing your accomplishments: Provided customer service increasing sales by 40% in the last two quarters.
Demonstrate your value to your prospective employer by detailing your accomplishments, rather than detailing your history. This will help the recruiter assess your abilities and your qualities, rather than review a routine list of raw data. This is one of the tips on writing a resume that can have a major impact on your ability to get hired.
Less is More
The last thing is to ensure that your resume is condensed to one page. Try as much as possible to be short and precise. If you implement the above tips on writing a resume, your success is within your reach.
Lee Evans is an author, and is founder and CEO of Free-Job-Search-Websites, a career advice website for job seekers. Tips on writing a resume is one of many employment issues shared at the site.