In today’s highly competitive job market, your resume can make you or break you. It is essential to have error free, correctly formatted document that highlights your abilities. So what is the difference between an average resume and one that shines?
The Secret to Writing Resumes That Sell
The secret to grabbing the attention of your prospective employer lies in your ability to match your skills to the job description. Before you can do this, you need to be aware of the key elements that go into a basic resume. You are then able to build upon these basics to create the masterpiece that will win you interviews.
The Key to Figuring Out How to Write a Resume is to Pick the Format
The first step in writing a resume that grabs attention is to know the correct format to use. The format depends on numerous things such as your career goals, your work history (experience), and the field into which you are applying.
- Chronological Resume – A chronological resume is, by far, the most common type of resume that people use. It lists your experience, in order, from the most recent to least recent. If you have a ton of relevant experience in the same field, have no large gaps between employment and you are planning to stay in the same field, then the chronological resume is for you.
- Functional Resume – A functional resume is one that highlights your relevant skills and functions into easily identifiable groups. It intentionally omits specific information such as employer names, dates of employment, and job titles. This format is good if you have large gaps in your employment history, or if you are looking to change career fields.
- Hybrid Resume – Another option is the hybrid format. This type of resume is written as a combination of the chronological and functional formats. It details skills and achievements that could be lost in the chronological format. At the same time, it displays your employment history in a way that de-emphasizes the importance of it.
The primary focus is on demonstrating how your job proficiency is related. This works well for many different situations, such as when you are changing career fields, or if you have limited academic achievements.
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A valuable objective will state your primary benefit to the company in a short phrase. The length of your objective statement is important. Try to keep it at no more than three sentences. Otherwise, the impact of what you are trying to say could be lost to the reader.
Write down your employment history. The employers name, dates of employment, and job title. Even if you choose to write a functional resume, you will still need this information at some point. It is best to have it documented beforehand, so that it will be there if you need it. If you are writing a chronological or hybrid, resume, go ahead and input this material. Do the same for your academic information.
Communicate any special skills that are applicable to the job for which you are applying. Spend a little time researching the position and brainstorm everything that you feel would be helpful to the company. This should be the most time consuming part of writing your resume. The better you are at matching your skills to the job description, the more likely you will be to secure an interview.
You can write an attention-grabbing resume by following all of the above steps. Incorporate the use of a thesaurus into your draft. This keeps the language from becoming repetitive and generic. Grammar and spelling should be accurate. Remember, your resume is a reflection of the quality you want to represent.