As a candidate for any job position, a resume is your first impression to your Hiring Managers. Research suggests that a Hiring Manager/recruiter has only 6 seconds to look at one resume at a time. So, for a candidate, it is important to have such a resume that not just successfully makes it to the recruiter’s hand but is effective enough to impress him in seconds. Let’s see what are some essentials to take care of while creating a perfect resume that can land you an interview call.
1. Create a perfect match with a Job-Specific Resume
You applied for more than 20 Jobs and still didn’t get a single interview call? Maybe you need to change your strategy and action plan. Instead of just focusing on your reach by applying to several jobs with one same Resume, try to focus on fewer jobs and use Job-Specific Resumes. Always remember that different jobs require different skills and personalities and you need to highlight those areas in your Resume. Act smart, carefully go through the job requirements and company’s profile. Re-design your resume according to that and create a perfect match.
2. Irrelevant Information May Have a Counter Effect
You may feel like there is no harm in adding something extra to your Resume believing that it will be good value addition. But in reality, it’s not. Your recruiter has just a few seconds to go through your Resume and the irrelevant information can easily overshadow the important one. Try to accommodate the relevant information as much as possible than the irrelevant ones. Let it be the skills, achievements, hobbies, or your profile summary. Relevancy to the job requirement is important.
3. Ignoring ATS Optimization is a Huge Mistake
The applicant tracking system (ATS) is a widely used tool today helping recruiters to sort out job applications. In the very 1st phase, your Resume is processed through ATS way before it reaches your recruiters. It is unwise ignoring the significance of ATS optimization in your Resumes because if your Resume is unable to pass through the ATS algorithms, it is never going to make it to the recruiters’ desk. More than 65% of the organizations are relying on ATS in their recruitment process, so not optimizing your Resume according to the ATS is technically decreasing your chances for an interview by 65%. Go through the job descriptions, and always try to incorporate matching keywords in every section of your resume, also opt for the ATS-friendly formats to pass the ATS algorithms.
4. A Précised Resume Can Serve The Purpose Well
There is no need to be too wordy when the same idea can be presented in fewer words. Writing sentences that contain too many redundant words and unnecessarily detailed explanations of your skills and achievements is not just gonna affect the impression of those on your recruiter, but it is also going to take the useful space that could have been used for something impactful. Try to use precise language with help of acronyms, statistical or graphical representation, and powerful words that serve the same purpose with fewer words and space.
5. An Organized Resume is Always a Step Forward
You must organize your resume in such a way that it doesn’t confuse your recruiters. It should be so well-designed that recruiters don’t have to put in an extra effort for extracting the information they want, everything should be in front of their eyes and easy to catch. To ensure that, always create well-defined sections with well-defined titles for each resume element like; Experience, Skills, Education, Research, etc. Arrange all the sections professionally and add a timeline to provide more clarity.
6. Think Twice Before Choosing any Random Template from the Internet
You should better know that a resume is to impress your recruiter, not yourself. Rather than choosing a template that visually appeals to you, look at it from the recruiter’s perspective and try to go with one that would appeal to your recruiter. Always keep in mind that how this specific template can help you to make the most of those fewer seconds that your resume will get and how it would help your recruiter to know you better by just giving it one look. Never use the most used/downloaded template and always make some personal improvisations in the template to stand out from the crowd and to get the desired attention.
7. A little bit of Creativity Can do Marvelous Things
Considering the tough competition in the market, being a little creative and innovative with your Resume can give you an impactful result in getting an interview call. It is always those little steps that help you to stand out from the rest, and enable you to seize the opportunity. Recruiters who are loaded with thousands of applications for every vacant position tend to prefer such applications which at least reflects some sort of hard work and creativity rather than ones with barely worked on with just fancy templates. Apart from that, creatively changing the presenting methods also influence recruiters to give your resume a shot, for example; using statistics and infographic to visually appeal your recruiters.
8. An Expert Advice is like a cherry on top
There is always room for innovation and improvement when it comes to resumes. Different organizations for different jobs may have diverse expectations from their candidates’ resumes. Therefore, it is always advised to get your resume reviewed by an industry expert or an HR specialist before submitting it. A short review of your resume from an experienced fellow will allow you to recognize the common mistakes that generally candidates make in their resumes, it will help you to correct those in yours and will increase your chance to get an interview call. Always look around for such experts in your social or professional circle who can help you with the review, you can easily avail these services online as well from some renowned resume writing websites.
It doesn’t matter how many skills and capabilities you have for the job. In the initial phases, you will get judged based on your resume until you don’t seize the opportunity for an interview. If you fail at that, your skills and capabilities are of no use. So never underestimate its importance and focus on little things that will make difference on your resume. Take into account all of the above methods while designing your Resume so you can get an interview call to impress your recruiter with your personality.