What Makes a Successful Resume

With the current low unemployment rate and job shortage, employees looking for jobs have a great advantage in applying for their desired positions. However, that doesn’t mean you should go empty-handed. You need a professionally written resume to stand a chance of getting the job of your dreams.

Every employer is trying to get the best employee for every position in the company, and they start with checking the resumes. Therefore, when writing your resume, you need to be keen to add important elements that will increase your chances of getting a job.

You need to include several things in your resume to show that you are the right candidate for the job.

An original resume template

What every employer like the most is originality. While it may be important and useful to follow a professional template, try to be flexible. According to research, more than 50% of employers consider customized resumes. This is one of the best strategies you can use when writing your resume to stand a chance of landing your dream job.

The good thing about creating resume templates is that there are many free resume templates you can create and customize by an online tool. Take your time to format your resume to make it easy for managers to identify your qualifications.

Numbers and metrics

It is recommended to quantify your success when writing a resume. Metrics and numbers are important when quantifying your years of experience or school years. Numbers can highlight your success or achievements to give the employer or manager a clear vision of how important you were in the previous workplace.

For example, if you previously worked as a sales representative, you can write, “I accomplished more than 100 cold calls daily, with a 10% conversion rate”.

Text optimization

If you apply for a job in a company that uses ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to scan resumes, the manager or employer may never see your application. Therefore, it is important to increase the chances for your resume to pass the first validation stage. Use the right keywords when writing to pass the screener.

Always tell the truth but remember your resume might go through ATS first hence the need to include the keywords for the job you are applying for. Use online tools to get the frequently used terms and add the right ones to your resume.

The right language

A trite description of your accomplishments and job duties will not help you secure a position in a company. Therefore, ensure you use the right and strong action words like designed, achieved, established and improved to describe your projects and roles. This will make the manager see the confidence in your actions and, at the same time, give vital information.

Social medial profile

Many employers are looking for more information about key candidates on social networks. You can save them time by providing your social media handles on your resume. Your social media platform can come in handy by providing necessary information about your achievements and experience as an expert in the field.