Whether you’re a fresher or a veteran in the job market, your resume isn’t going to be good enough for you to get callbacks, let alone interviews. It’s a huge barrier that new grads face on an almost daily basis. But don’t worry!
There are ways around it and tips you can use to make your resume stand out so much more than it already is. These tips will help you create a great first impression with your resume and show recruiters that you are ready for the world of work. Resume formatting is one of those things that many people overlook when creating their documents.
I know from personal experience that when I was first starting out, I didn’t care about how my resume looked, just as long as it got me into interview after interview without any red flags popping up about my background or why no one else had applied for the job.
Be consistent with your formatting
All the formatting on the planet is going to make or break your resume if the content isn’t really what recruiters are looking for. Every job is different, and every hiring manager will have different expectations.
To be successful, you need to create a resume that’s tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a general admin position that primarily looks at the experience section of your resume, you might want to try a different format. Be consistent with your resume formatting, and you’ll find it much easier to create a resume that stands out.
If you’re not sure what formatting to use, you can check out your favourite search engine for examples of different resume formats. You can also check out resume templates online and make tweaks to suit your needs.
Use the right fonts and colours
There are a few things you can do with the fonts and colour on your resume that can completely change how it looks and how well it gets read. First and foremost, make sure the typeface on your resume is consistent with the font you use on your cover letter.
For example, if you’re using a bold typeface in your cover letter and resume, don’t go back to mimicking a childish font in your resume. You want to make sure that your resume is using the same typeface and colour scheme as the rest of your materials.
The same goes for your font size, margins, and spacing. Too big and too small, and you’ll ruin the whole effect. Also, be sure to use colours that are appropriate for the job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying for a position at a university, you wouldn’t want to use a red, yellow, and purple palette on your resume.
You also want to avoid using black or white on your resume, unless it’s standard throughout your entire document. You can use colours that are neutral and relate to the industry or company you’re applying to.
Highlight your skills and accomplishments
The biggest mistake people make is not highlighting their skills and accomplishments at all. You’re going to want to start using bullet points in your resume, but you need to make sure that each one is highlighting a skill or accomplishment.
You don’t want to be listing every single thing you did on your resume as an employee, you want to focus on the skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
For example, if you’re applying for a position as a programmer, you might want to highlight your experience with coding in your cover letter, but in your resume, you want to focus on how you solved a problem with code or how you improved a system with your work.
Keep it simple, but not boring
Once you’ve got your bullet points and font consistent, and you’ve highlighted your skills and accomplishments, you’re ready to move on to the next step. The best thing to do is to take the examples in your job description and use those terms throughout your resume.
You want to make it as easy as possible for a hiring manager to scan through your resume and pick out your skills and accomplishments. You also want to avoid using too many words and phrases.
Furthermore, you have a maximum of two sentences per each skill and accomplishment, so don’t go overboard with unnecessary words or sentences. Keep it simple and to the point, and you’ll find it much easier to stand out in the crowd.
Don’t send a resume without a cover letter
One of the most important steps in creating a great resume is to send a cover letter along with your resume. That’s right. You can’t just send resumes these days, you have to send cover letters, too. And why would you send a resume without a cover letter?
First and foremost, cover letters are much easier to read than resumes. Resumes are typically one page and are typically full of graphs and pictures. Cover letters, on the other hand, are one paragraph long and are meant to introduce you to a hiring manager and highlight your skills and accomplishments. Sending a resume without a cover letter shows a lack of professionalism, which will reflect in the way you’re interviewed and, ultimately, in the way you’re hired.
Wrapping Up: Is your resume ready to be submitted?
Your resume is ready to be submitted when it is formatted properly, has all the correct information, and stands out above the rest. You can’t force the right formatting and information into your resume without the right formatting software or templates. If you’re using Microsoft Word, your resume is probably not ready to be submitted.
Make sure that your resume gets submitted and that the content is clean and crisp before you go off and blindly apply for jobs. This will make sure that you don’t waste time applying for jobs that aren’t a good fit for you.
