In today’s competitive job market, the resume that you prepare will be your first introduction to the prospective employers even before you meet or get interviewed by them. The prospective employers check your professional resume to establish whether you have the right qualifications or not. A good resume can go a long way in helping you get shortlisted by prospective employers.
There are numerous candidates who miss some excellent opportunities simply because they have poor resumes which cannot display their capabilities. That is the reason it is very important to know what a good resume looks like.
The Importance of Professional Resume
Huge numbers of candidates apply for one vacancy. Most often, recruiters spend just seconds glancing through the resumes in order to decide whether to consider a certain candidate or not.
Your resume represents your marketing instrument where your qualifications, achievements and benefits you offer are being promoted. You need to show recruiters right away why you are the most suitable candidate for this job position.
A professional resume allows you to:
Create a good impression
Promote your skills and experience
Look professional
Get more interviews
Stand out among other candidates
Start With a Good Professional Summary
This is the first thing that will come out of your resume and it provides a glance into your background and career goals.
The following aspects are very essential in a professional summary:
It should be clear
Should have your important skills
Should contain your important experiences
It should tell about your career goals
If you are a fresher then it may contain your education background and internships while for experienced people it may contain experience in the industry.
Maintain Clarity in Your Professional Resume Format
Clarity in terms of formatting will make it easy for you to write your resume. The recruiters like a resume that is clear in its presentation without any fancy format.
The resume must contain:
Personal Information
It must consist of:
Complete name
Contact number
Email address
LinkedIn URL (optional)
Do not include any irrelevant personal information about yourself.
Professional Summary
Write a summary of your qualifications and career goals.
Education
Your educational qualifications must be mentioned in reverse order.
Work Experience
In the case of someone with job history show:
Job title
Company name
When you worked there
Your jobs & what you accomplished.
Rather than listing a job description, include your accomplishments and measurable results when possible.
Skills section
Include your hard and soft skills that are applicable for the position.
Examples of skills include:
Soft Skills
Communication,
Team management,
Hard Skills
Digital marketing,
Data analysis,
Customer service,
Project management.
Make sure those skills correlate to meet the employers’ criteria.
Creating a customized curriculum vitae for each job posting is an applicant’s biggest error. Each job may have a different skill set, ability, competency, history, etc. Therefore, a candidate should carefully review every job posting and revise their CV to match the qualifications and specifications outlined in the job posting.
By doing so, it:
a) increases the likelihood that an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) will allow the CV to pass through the ATS’ anti-spam filters; and
b) allows the applicant’s CV to be distinguishable from all other applicants’ CVs for the position.
Additionally, disclosing verifiable results instead of just listing duties will allow employers to determine how much value the candidate will add to their organization. When developing your CV, be sure to include the scope of responsibilities but also provide the verifiable accomplishments and also any measurable results that came from the accomplishments or improved performance in the role.
For example, instead of:
“Managed Social Media Profiles.”
You would write:
“Managed Social Media Profiles.” / “Increased Social Media Engagement by 40% through a targeted Content Strategy.”
Providing accomplishment points based on the inclusion of measurable results from your accomplishments will also improve your level of visibility to employers for consideration.
Concluding Thoughts
Your professional resume is a core element of your job hunt. It’s the first thing employers see when considering you for a job or when referencing you as a candidate. In so many ways, your resume will determine whether or not you will have that opportunity.
Creating a clear, structured and achievement-oriented professional resume will be instrumental in enhancing your chances of being shortlisted for the role and getting that much closer to achieving your career aspirations.
At BrandBliss HR Consultancy, we provide job search assistance to help strengthen the professional profile and credibility of candidates looking for new job opportunities. An effective resume can create many opportunities for you now and in the future; it just takes effective guidance to expedite your journey.