Writing a winning resume is no small feat – it takes time, dedication, and research to dazzle a hiring manager with your accomplishments and career history. While writing a winning resume may seem daunting, having the right strategy in place can help you cross the finish line and land your dream job.
Know Your Audience
Before you start writing a winning resume, it is crucial that you understand who exactly you will be writing for. While your audience may vary depending on the companies you are targeting, they typically consist of recruiters, hiring managers, and human resources professionals.
No two jobs are exactly the same, so take the time to research the organizations you will be applying to. A winning resume incorporates specific language to reflect the requested qualifications for a role as well as the mission and vision of the company itself.
By blending your technical skills with crucial soft skills, you can paint a holistic portrait of your candidacy to the audience of your resume – and be sure to emphasize the unique traits that are listed in the job description you are aiming for. When writing a winning resume, it is important to prioritize the most recent and relevant information for each role.
Your audience is different for each resume you submit, so be sure to make minor tweaks and adjustments every time you submit an application. Not only will this improve your visibility in a company’s applicant tracking system, but it will also show the reader that you took the initiative to tailor your resume for their needs.
Embrace the Digital
Human beings are not the only audience of your resume – in fact, it is far more likely than not that your resume will pass through an applicant tracking system before a person ever lays eyes on it. The digital aspect of the job search is often overlooked, but those who are committed to writing a winning resume will not make that mistake.
An applicant tracking system is an online tool that companies use to manage prospective candidates. When you submit a resume online, it will likely be stored in an applicant tracking system. From there, hiring professionals can input Boolean searches using key terms from the specific job description of note. Once the search is initiated, the applicant tracking system parses through the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of resumes it contains to identify and rank the ones that contain said key terms.
If you’ve taken the time to incorporate job-specific language into your resume, you will likely score high on this list. However, applicant tracking systems introduce a new set of difficulties. If your resume is not formatted correctly, the applicant tracking system may not be able to identify the key terms. This could result in your resume being rejected prematurely, even if you are the perfect candidate for the role.
Writing a winning resume is about more than the content itself – it is also about the layout and style that presents that content. To ensure your resume performs successfully in an applicant tracking system, opt for a clean and professional format with no superfluous graphics, images, or vertical layouts.
Tell Your Story
A winning resume is more than just a laundry list of your career accomplishments – it also incorporates key details about your professional brand. Creating a strong summary is one of the best ways to tell your story and set yourself apart from a sea of competing candidates.
When writing a winning resume, take time to reflect on your achievements to identify what makes you different from other job seekers. If this proves to be difficult, ask your colleagues and former managers about the unique skills that you bring to the table.
Referencing old performance reviews can be another helpful way to articulate your brand on the resume. Do you consistently receive positive feedback about your relationship-building abilities? Do you excel at working with complex data? Wherever your strengths may lie, you can leverage them into your professional brand.
With these tips in mind, writing a winning resume will be easier than ever. At Employment BOOST, we are dedicated to demystifying the job search and helping you get the results you need.