How to improve your resume


If your resume isn’t landing you the interviews you want, then perhaps it’s time for a little editing session. Quite often, it is not you, or your qualifications that are not right for the position, but it is simply the fact that your resume isn’t doing its job of selling you quite as well as it could be. Here are some tips on how you can improve your resume and land that interview.

Get your priorities straight

You want to grab the attention of the hiring manager as soon as they start to read your resume, so make sure you list your most impressive (and relevant!) achievements first. Start by writing out all the achievements and accomplishments that you can think of, then start to put them in order of most to least impressive and relevant, before adding them to your resume. The order of these might change depending on different jobs you apply for, so keep in mind that it can be a flexible document.

How to improve your resume

Consider the computers

Resume robots are very often used by hiring companies, as they automatically scan resumes for present keywords. Make sure your resume is going to get through these process and on to a human by making sure you utilize keywords from the job description where appropriate.

Remember your soft skills

Soft skills are more intangible assets that candidates possess and are often just as important as hard skills. Soft skills include things such as the ability to work as part of a team, communication, and problem-solving skills. These need to be evidenced and should not just end up in a list under your ‘skills’ section,. Make sure they fit well as part of other areas on your resume.

Keep it flexible

Different jobs will require slightly different information on your resume so keep it flexible. Before you send a resume, check that it is best written for that particular role, and not just a generic job, as that will put employers off. Emphasise the skills they are looking for, and you will instantly seem a better fit.

Keep it short

Unless you have been working for over 15 years, your resume should ideally fit on just one page. Anything more than that and you have included too much information, and you may look a little desperate. Just like an elevator pitch, keep things short and catchy and remember that hiring managers are very busy and so they don’t have time to read your five-page resume.

Keep it simple

Unless you’re applying for a creative design based job, keep your resume design simple and professional. Keep the number of fonts down to one or two and keep all the text the same color. Do not include pictures, large fonts or any ‘quirky’ layout ideas, just keep it simple and clear.

How to improve your resume

Proofread

It sounds simple, but it is easy to miss your own mistakes. If you send in a resume that has errors or doesn’t read well, it shows you have no attention to detail and is likely to place your resume straight in the trash. Ask a friend to have a quick read through and make sure that everything is spelled correctly and makes sense.

It is easy to implement these tips into your current resume, so it shouldn’t feel like a mammoth task. If you follow this guide and do it well, the chances are you won’t need to redo it again. Good luck!

Recommended For You