Do you know that resumes are the first impression of sorts that can set the tone with employers? It is your personal marketing tool and serves to promote yourself as a professional. That is why it is vital to make an effort to ensure it’s as accurate, professional, and praise-worthy as possible.

Usually, employers use resumes as a preliminary way to narrow down applicants, especially for a high-demand position. So if you’re interested in applying for a job but aren’t sure how to approach your resume or make it stand out, this article is for you. 

I’m going to share with you three main reasons your resume is being ignored, as well as five things you should do to help you stand out among other applicants and increase your chances of employment. 

3 Reasons For Ignored Resumes

• Your resume is not tailored to the position for which you applied.

You aren’t doing yourself any favour by using the same resume profile for every application. Every day, recruiters and hiring managers sort through piles of resumes, and yours is likely to be overlooked.

Your resume profile is your best bet if you want to catch someone’s attention and show them your value. It should be a concise, persuasive paragraph summarizing your essential skills, achievements, and experiences. The goal is to make the reader want to keep reading by enticing them with an attractive summary.

It would be best if you also tailor your resume to each role, like a cover letter. In your resume profile, use the keywords and specific skills highlighted in the job description. By doing so, you will be able to demonstrate that you are qualified for the job.

• Your resume Doesn’t Prove Your Impact.

It’s less important to recruiters what you did on a day-to-day basis in your previous roles than how you impacted the company. Regarding your work history, you have to do more than just state what each position involves. Prove the value you brought to your company by including facts, figures, and metrics. For example, if you worked for five years as a “sales manager,” include the revenue generated by your company and how it rose in those five years. Or, if you held a position with the title “data architect,” mention the number of new customers acquired in each year.

The more you quantify your achievements, the more likely you are to be able to support your statements. A recruiter or hiring manager may not believe you without a good reason.

• Your Resume Is Difficult to Read, and it’s boring.

Simply put, You’re using lousy resume templates. Your resume could be perfect for the job, but if it looks sloppy, you’re unlikely to be contacted for an interview. Simply put, the easier your resume is to navigate, the more likely a recruiter will read it.

Think about how your resume looks and spend some time revising it. It would be best to use whitespace to separate sections; fonts should be clear and straightforward. Try using bullet points to make the text easier to digest because the bold text is a great way to highlight necessary skills and achievements relevant to the job.

Don’t forget to include a resume profile and core skills section, which will ensure recruiters will see your skill-sets, even if they only scan your resume for a couple of seconds.

Important tip: If you plan to submit your resume digitally, save it as a PDF to avoid any accidental formatting errors.

5 Ways To Help Your Resume Stand Out

1. Include professional contact information

The first step toward standing out when submitting a resume for a job application is to ensure you provide employers with accurate and professional contact information. If you have an email address from your past that references an element of popular culture, consider changing it or making a new email that includes your first and last name. Using a nickname on your application materials is okay if it’s appropriate and is something you prefer people to use when referring to you.

2. Narrow down your certifications

The next step when crafting a distinct resume is to take a moment to write down all of your information and narrow it down to your most relevant credentials. 

Try to keep your resume length to a single side of a page so that employers can easily read and file it. Also, be sure to include education, experience, and skills that you feel are most relevant.

3. Keep it brief

Employers want to get all the information they want about potential employees within seconds, which can be especially true for in-demand positions like IT. When listing your job roles, try to be concise & amp; only mention the duties, you did most within each role. You can also use your bullet points to emphasize notable accolades or accomplishments you experienced in that role.

4. Emphasize your strengths

It is essential to keep in mind that your resume serves as a showcase of your strengths and special skills. Use this opportunity to emphasize any unique skills you can bring to a position, whether that involves being multilingual, experience with coding software, or physical strengths like dancing or flexibility. As I already mentioned, keep your resume to one page because that’s what most employers expect. If you must exceed, do so by listing relevant skills and specializations in the “Experience” section rather than on your resume. The specific point of your resume is to make you much more ‘appealing’ among other applicants, so try to use words such as “passionate,” “enthusiastic,” and “success-driven” when describing each of your roles.

5. Be truthful

Once you’ve completed your resume, the last step is to review it for errors and ensure it accurately depicts your abilities and credentials. You never want to be dishonest about your experience or qualifications on a resume, as this can deceive employers while also setting you up for a job you may not have the capabilities to succeed in. If you feel uncomfortable saying that you have no previous experience, try to include relevant work experience from your past. For example, if you rented out a machine for a company or worked on its accounts for three months, mention this in your resume. You also might want to include previous internships or co-ops toward the end of the summary.

Bonus point:  After drafting your resume, check for grammatical errors and mistakes. That will go a long way to show your employer that you pay attention to details.

That’s it, guys! I hope these tips were helpful. And I wish you all the best in your job search.