9 Resume Template Format Changes to Land a Job Fast

Making a mid career switch can be challenging. You've worked hard to get to where you are, but now it's time to work your way up from mid-management to the next level. So how do you stand out from the crowd and make your resume shine above the competition?

Follow these 9 tips below on making practical and effective changes to your resume template format.

Craft a strong personal resume summary

A strong personal resume summary or brand statement acts an elevator pitch to recruiters and potential employers — capturing their attention quickly. This section should be placed right at the top of your resume, and highlights your achievements and skill sets relevant to the position you are applying for. Be sure to also include more action verbs and action words in your copy. Here are our quick tips to crafting a killer personal brand statement.

Highlight your professional title

By including your current professional title in your resume template, it gives recruiters a clearer understanding of the type of role you are looking for. This also allows you to stand out immediately from other resumes who may not be as suitable as you for the job.

Remove entry-level jobs

Prospective employers and recruiters don't have much time to spend on each resume they receive, so reduce the clutter on your resume template and make it as concise as possible by deleting irrelevant information such as your entry-level jobs, as well as birth date, marital status and religion. Instead, expand on accolades achieved in more recent positions. Here's our Step-By-Step Resume Builder Kit to help you create a fantastic resume format with relevant details only.

Prioritise experience details above the education section

Education is important and allows prospective employers to gauge how qualified you are for the job. However, nothing can compete with the real-life experience you have already amassed till now, so prioritising the experience section above education in your resume format is critical. Read this helpful guide for how to answer possible interview questions regarding being overqualified.

Also read: Revamping your resume? We have downloadable resume samples for you

List your promotions

Listing your promotions outline your career progression to prospective employers and how you've gone from strength to strength. More importantly, it helps make the resume appear sharper, and that you are committed to taking your career to the next level. As a middle manager, be sure that you frame your resume in a way that shows you have gone up the ladder. Include achievements and key projects involved for more credibility if you are looking to advance to a higher position.

Quantify achievements

If you have helped a company increase revenue, be sure to quantify it when you edit your resume format so that it is more impressive. This is particularly important if you are applying for a role in finance or business development. A figure or percentage is more impactful to highlight your achievements in your resume to potential employers, and increases your chance for an interview.

Minimise periods of inactive employment

Sometimes it is unavoidable to have gaps of unemployment in your resume for reasons ranging from taking a sabbatical, medical reasons, taking a break or being made redundant for example. A few inactive months are acceptable, but be tactful when listing long periods of unemployment. Share the information using the year as the start and end date, instead of particular months. For instance, a gap from January 2010 to October 2012 can simply be shown as 2010-2012. Here are some more ways to articulate your reasons in clear and tactful ways

References are archaic in the age of social media

Providing references used to be a very important section on one's resume. However in today's age of social media, recruiters can easily check the candidate's online social profiles such as LinkedIn to assess their professional track record. Confirm that you're happy to provide references upon request, but remove the references section from your resume template so that you have more space for other important information.

Provide active hyperlinks

If you're able to provide links to some of your previous accomplishments (for instance, a TV interview or a published article), be sure to include an active hyperlink that works. There's no excuse for providing a dead link.

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