Before the interview, your docs are the only thing the recruiter has to determine your fitness for the position. Moreover, they form the first impression of you as a candidate.
That is why lots of Internet platforms for job seekers encourage junior professionals to pay greater attention to the wording and layout of their documents. Compliance with established standards will help you if not land a position but to be selected for an interview. Otherwise, your resume is at risk of being lost among hundreds of other applications.
If you have no clue how to write your first CV, order it from the WritePaper team. It helps students refurbish their CVs, resumes, and cover letters. This service is quite popular since many students do not know how a professional resume should look like. But if you want to learn how to DIY it, keep on reading!
We tried to collect the most useful advice from various sources to help you craft the best resume by yourself. Here is what you should know.
Get Inspired
The Internet is full of great resume examples that fit your target position. No one forbids you from reading samples before actually getting to write one of your own. Of course, do not copy and paste the example into your document. However, reading a few samples should be enough for you to come up with the idea of how your doc should look.
Find a Template
Do not try to reinvent the wheel and use one of the templates available for free. Ideally, use a simple black & white theme with blocks or sections. Modern recruiters use applicant tracking software (ATS) to rank candidates based on certain selection criteria. For your resume to get through the scanning process, it is better to keep it neat and simple.
Think What Format Fits Your Work History Best
You can choose between a chronological, functional, and a combination type of resumes. If you have several positions that are not related to your professional field, you can use functional type. That will help you highlight your soft skills gained through work.
If you have experience that shows you as an inspiring junior specialist, you’d better list them in order. A combination type is good to use if you want to list all your previous jobs in order while highlighting the key skills you’ve gained.
Choose the Right Font
Overall, formatting is very important to make your resume look appealing. Make sure you choose a font that is easy to read. Too small and too fancy fonts are not good for documents used to show off your professionalism. Also, choose a font size that does not require any extra effort from a recruiter to read the file. The safest bet here would be Times New Roman 12 pt font. Leave showing your personality using a font to middle schoolers.
Insert Numerical Information
The most general rule in resume writing is to be concise and use only those words that actually add value to your professionalism. Too wordy and too vague resumes never make it to the interview. Thus, instead of writing narratives, use the real figures and numbers to show how important your contribution was.
Check Your Contact Information
Many people unintentionally make a mistake in contact information and do not get any feedback on their resumes. Make sure you used the right phone number and email for recruiters to contact you. Also, it is better if you have a work email like johndoe@gmail.com rather than something like ladyboss1998@gmail.com. Such things catch the unnecessary attention of employers.
Craft Your Profile Section
Do not miss an opportunity to write a summary of 3-4 sentences about your hard and soft skills. Remember: it takes about 8 seconds for a recruiter to see whether they want to continue with your resume or not. Your summary is the best way to make them interested.
List Your Accomplishments First
There is nothing wrong with showing off a bit. You can, and you should list the most important and relevant accomplishments at the beginning of your letter for them to be noticed first. This will provide recruiters with the impression of what kind of professional you are. Also, this will help them understand whether you are the kind of professional they look for.
Never Skip the Cover Letter
A cover letter is the first thing your recruiter and employer see. It is designed to let them know you better since a resume or CV is too short and too formal to see what personality is behind it. Thus, do not think that a cover letter is something totally unnecessary. In fact, it wins people’s hearts, and if followed by a strong resume, grants you an interview.
Fill Your Docs With Keywords
All docs that compose a job application package should be filled with relevant keywords. Again, many recruiters use ATS to filter candidates. If you miss keywords that characterize your expertise, your resume or CV will not get noticed.
Wrapping It Up
There are lots of other suggestions and pieces of advice on how to make your resume look better and appeal more. Such things as customization, optimization, and refinement work well for resumes and cover letters. However, the 10 rules listed above are fundamentals that will definitely help you get a position you want.
