5 Ways to Make your Resume Stand Out from the Crowd

Today’s job seekers are up against a lot of competition for the best opportunities.

While looking for a job can be stressful, a well thought-out and professional resume will help make the search process go smoother, faster and more rewarding. The following tips will show you how to  create a strong resume that makes a favorable impression and increases the chance of being called in for an interview.

Include a Header and Summary or Objective

Hiring managers and recruiters review tons of resumes each day – so make it easy on them by including a header and summary or objective. When adding a header, include your name at the top and make the font size slightly larger. Include your address (or just city and state), phone number and email address. Include contact information where the hiring manager can reach you.

Below the header include a summary containing your relevant experience and skills as well as an objective. The objective should explain your career goal and what skills you can bring to the company – but keep it to a couple of sentences.

Emphasize your Education

If you’re looking for a position in the healthcare, technology, legal or educational fields, many positions require specific degrees and certifications. The school you went to can be important – certain schools develop reputations for being competitive or demanding or for excellence in certain specialties. So place your Education section near the top of your resume and give hiring managers an immediate sense of your education.

Be Accurate

A resume should be clear, and concise and provide relevant information in an easy-to-read fashion. It should also be factual and not include information that’s not quite true. The resume is your first opportunity to impress the reader, so it pays to review your qualifications to ensure you’re presenting your skills and background clearly and correctly.

In addition, proper spelling, grammar, and formatting are all incredibly important when it comes to submitting a strong resume. In fact, it’s been documented that over 75% of hiring managers will dismiss a resume immediately if they notice it includes spelling or grammar errors. Avoid this mistake by asking a friend or family member to proofread your content and/or use online resume checking tools.

Tailor your Resume

One mistake many jobseekers make is to provide a generalized version of their resume instead of tailoring it for the job opening. Read and understand the job requirements in the recruitment ad and include information from your background that addresses them. For example, if you’re applying for a position as a marketing manager, elaborate on your work history and background, how your creativity solved a challenge, highlight your team leadership qualities, etc.

Use Active language

Your resume should be written using active language without extraneous words. This means incorporating active and positive words such as “achieved,” “earned,” “completed” or “accomplished.” If your resume is too long or seems hard to read, you should also consider making sentences shorter or ideas more concise. Remember – you want the hiring manager to keep reading, so clearly calling out your strengths is important.

Inter-Connect is a free permanent, temporary and temp-to-hire placement service agency that partners with companies throughout the Illinois, Missouri and Iowa Tri-State region. As staffing experts, we partner with our job candidates to connect them with the right opportunities to meet their career goals. To learn more, contact us today.