7 Tips on Writing a Killer Resume

Employers go through many resumes in one day, so how should you go about writing a good resume that will help you get that interview? When writing a resume, keep this one important thing in mind: Short and Sweet.

1. Keep it to a page.

While keeping your resume to a page is a hotly debated topic, most employers would appreciate a short and concise resume which shows them what you're good at, and if that is relevant to the company or position that you're applying for. If you really have a lot of experience and qualifications that you feel the recruiter should know about, fine. Try keep it to 2 pages at maximum, anything beyond that is simply too much because the recruiter won't have so much time to look at so much information.

2. Important details first.

Most employers spend about 10-15 seconds on each resume before deciding if it's worth following up with a candidate, so keep everything you want to highlight to the top section of your resume. This includes your contact details, personal information (name, age etc..), your latest job experience, your best achievements, and your education background. The top section is what employers will see first, so make sure you put your best, most relevant experiences there to catch their attention. Then of course, do a quick check to make sure that your resume includes the other details the recruiter should know about, such as: employment period and expected salary.

3. Highlight your strengths for your past experiences.

This is where you can stand out. When you're talking about your previous job, don't just mention the position or responsibilities. Go above and beyond by telling the recruiter what you achieved - take an account executive for example, you might say: "Track record of proven skills in sales - secured 8 accounts in Q1 2018". Be specific with your accomplishments, and show how you helped the company to grow. The job titles might be the same as other candidates, but your accomplishments are what make you stand out.

4. Tailor your resume

Employers know when you're just mass-sending your resume out to job ads, and those resumes usually get to the bin first if they can tell that you're not even putting in the effort to customize your resume to the company. 88% of employers read cover letters, so show that you're a serious applicant with a personalized cover letter. Also, not every work experience has to go on your resume. Putting relevant work experiences for the job positions ensures that your resume is concise, and does not include unnecessary information.

5. Show some personality.

Feel free to add an ‘Interests' section to give the recruiter a sense of your character. For those who've just graduated, here is where you can use your co-curricular activities to show how you've gained experience or skills that are valuable in your job. Athletes are great team-players (important in any company), captaincy shows that you have leadership abilities, learning a new foreign language shows initiative and discipline. Of course, keep it concise as usual, but make this section useful for both yourself and the recruiter.

6. Keep the formatting simple and classy.

Don't try to be cute or fanciful, because 87% of employers are either unimpressed or indifferent to fanciful resume designs. We suggest that you simply keep it clean and easy to read for the recruiter. Use a basic modern font like Helvetica or Arial, at a font size between 10-12 and to leave at least 1.5x spacing in between your lines so that it's easy to read.

7. Final Touches

Last but not least, proofread, proofread, proofread. You don't want to be making any grammar or spelling mistakes here, so do check it over and over again. Get someone you trust to run though it again so that any phrase or sentence that sounds convoluted can be edited for clarity. Remember to save your resume as "Jane Lee Resume" instead of just "Resume", so that's one less step for the recruiter. Save it as a PDF, so that your careful formatting doesn't get messed up.

Now, your resume is good and ready to go. Best of luck! For more insightful articles and tips, visit JobStreet.com's Career Resources page to find out more!