Written by Justin Cooke
Making sure your resume is noticed by employers can be challenging, especially when it’s in a pile with numerous others that look virtually identical.
At majer, we sift through hundreds of resumes. We know what our clients are looking for and what they are trying to avoid. Here is a quick list of 7 tips to give you the best shot at being noticed by a potential employer.
1. Be concise, don’t waste words
Being concise is important. While it’s vital your resume is informative, flowery language has no place in it. Keep in mind how many resumes the employer will have to sift through. The best thing you can do for yourself, and your chances, is make yours easy to read.
A great tool to use in this endeavour, is bullet points. They help the eye track easily where each new piece of information begins and ends.
2. Be sure to plug resume gaps (why didn’t you work between april and july?)
Be sure to have an explanation for gaps in your work history, especially if there are numerous ones, or long ones (more than a month). Unexplained absences from the work force can make you appear lazy, or indicate nobody wanted to hire you. By explaining that you were travelling, on maternity leave, engaging in an entrepreneurial endeavour; you’re assuring the reader of your work ethic.
3. Use a basic font
Theoretically it might make sense that using a fancy font will make your resume stand out. But there’s a reason the basics are so popular – they’re easy to read. Keep to a simple font, and focus on showcasing your skills.
4. Customise your resume for the position you’re applying for
There is absolutely no point including your RSA or RSG on an application for a Secretarial or Administrative position. You need to tailor your resume to display the skills and prior experience you believe will make you the best fit for the role you’re applying for. By all means, include your hospitality/retail experience, but show the reader how the experience translates into their role – working in a team, meeting sales targets, computer literacy, building relationships etc. rather than detailing how much food and beverage preparation or cash handling you did. Make sure the only information they are reading is relevant to them.
It can feel like a daunting task, to update your resume for each position, when you’re applying for multiple jobs a day but it can make all of the difference. Remember, people know what effort looks like.
5. Include your accomplishments, not just your responsibilities
It is important to detail the responsibilities and duties carried out in your previous roles but make sure you also include any achievements or accomplishments you feel indicate how you excelled in your previous employment. How did you go above and beyond for your employer? Remember, your resume is the place to show off! Let them how good you are!
6. Keep the employer’s submission requirements in mind
This is one of the most important points because if you miss any of these requests, it could mean your resume is thrown out before anybody even gets a chance to read it!
Often an employer’s advertisement will involve some specific formats (.pdf, .docx, ,rrt, etc…). They may also request a certain subject line, or keyword in the email to show that you’ve actually read the ad description. It is important to pay attention to all of these details if you want your resume to get through the screening process.
7. Check for typos!
It’s hard to believe how many resumes we read that contain typing or spelling errors. The accuracy of your resume goes a long way in displaying your work ethic and attention to detail. If you can’t be bothered to double check your own resume, why should the employer believe you would double check your work? Be careful of shooting yourself in the foot before you even get started, with this common and easily-avoided mistake!
For further assistance with your resume, give us a shout! We’d love to help!
