What Does a good resume looks like?

What does a good resume look like?

This is the most comprehensive article on what a good resume looks like. Let us get right to it.

The perfect resume is what makes you stand out from the crowd of thousands of job seekers.

However, to be blunt, making one isn’t anybody’s idea of entertainment. With so many contradicting suggestions, you may feel as if you don’t know where to begin or what to even do. Well, you should not worry because this article has done the major work of tough lifting what a perfect resume looks like and also serves as the ultimate guide to your creating a resume that recruiters will love.

 

 

We looked through some of the greatest resume tips and collected them into a single chart to provide you with an incredibly simple layout for a CV that will amaze interviewers and, perhaps, earn you the desired dream job.

Almost everyone prefers to judge things based on their physical appearance. Hiring managers are not left out of the list. Your chances of getting a job can only increase if you present an engaging resume on the recruiters’ table.

Most job experts can comfortably compare a good-looking resume with a smart dressing for a job interview. Most recruiters spend countless hours reviewing applicants’ resumes.

Therefore, they may not have all the time to read across a particular resume. A glance at a particular resume will determine whether they should proceed to read the content or move into another resume. You are expected to write your resume only with the information you know.

You need to see the proper way and tactics to follow and arrange your resume in such a way that your chances of getting employed will increase.

A good resume isn’t just a regular resume you see on the internet. It must be properly created with distinctive features that will present your skills in a special way to your recruiter.

Therefore, you must be extra careful as you craft your resume.

 

What are Resume Proper Formatting and Designs?

Before you consider submitting your resume to a recruiter, ensure that it must have passed through proper formats and follow a well-structured design. As you consider winning the heart of recruiters, your resume format and design must be professional, engaging, and inviting.

Therefore, you must make appropriate decisions on the right words before you begin to write. Sometimes, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the hiring managers to see how they will react to your content before you begin to compile your Creativity on a resume.

. Every good resume is expected to adapt to the following format and design layout.

1. Good font:

American Association of Professional Resume writers stated that a good layout engaged the reader. And this layout starts with your choice of fonts. At least it is the first test of your decision-making skills.

While considering the best font to use, you should use only an easy-to-read typeface. The essence of using this type of font is to make your work appear simple and easily readable before the hiring manager.

Therefore, the font you should use on your resume must be formal and elegant. Hence you are not expected to use Comic Cans or Times New Roman or any other stylish font. But what are the best fonts to consider?

Combining two fonts on a cv is a frequent strategy used by many graphically interested resume writers. The finest font combos concur with each other, operate well with each other, and do not compete for the reader’s attention.

Numerous candidates who combine fonts do so with two opposing types of fonts, such as a normal script and a cursive script, or sans-serif fonts like Calibri and Helvetica and serif fonts like Georgia and Cambria.

They’d then utilize one for the body of the resume such as skills and experieb\nces while the other ones will be for their names and section title.

However, ensure that the font you use for your resume matches the font you use for your cover letter!

Furthermore, a strong cover letter that complements your CV will offer you leverage over other applicants.

Many job applicants are confused while selecting the best fonts to use for their projects. If you want your resume to remain unique and outstanding, you should use the following best fonts: Bookman Old Style, Cambria, Helvetica, Calibri, etc.

After selecting any of these easy-to-read typeface, you should consider limiting the font size to make it readable and more accommodating on your resume.

The font size should be kept between 10 and 12 points. If you use a smaller font size on your work, your resume may appear smaller for the recruiter to read. When you use a larger font size, your resume may exceed 3 or 4 pages, which is completely unacceptable in most working environments.

Therefore, you must endeavor to keep your font size to a good and accommodating standard to boost your chances of getting the job. Some job applicants are curious to explore other types of fonts not listed above.

When you prefer using serif and sans-serif fonts, keep in mind that you are still on the right track toward writing a good resume.

Bigger fonts help to draw attention to your name, profile, and section headings.

Some resumes can take up more than a single page, in this situation, as you can’t accommodate all of your material on a single page, you can consider a sans-serif font at 10 points, however,  that’s the smallest font size you should consider using.

Saving your resume as a.pdf file can make the font may become distorted in transit. What you will do is  Integrate the font in the file to ensure that your font remains intact.

When you are saving or printing as.pdf in Microsoft Word, navigate to Options > Save and choose “Embed fonts in the file” or something similar like in google docs.

To highlight key details like your name and subsection titles, utilize bolding, italicizing, and CAPITALIZING, just always reflect consistency.

Bold text is excellent for bringing attention to very few words. Even if you’ve already increased the title’s font size, you can use bolding to make your subtitles stand out without unnecessarily enlarging them. Know that

Italics are beneficial for supporting your text emphasis. Italics can be used in locations such as your city and state and locations associated with an institution or a qualification listing.

It is not advisable to underline words or phrases in your resume or cover letter because this adds too much formatting and will make the CV appear crowded.

You should feel much comfortable choosing the best readable font for your good resume. Upon selecting a particular font, you are expected to write strictly on that particular font throughout the entire document.

As you begin to write your cover letter as well, stick to that same font, and your work will remain outstanding before hiring managers.

2. Set margins uniformly:

By standard, good resume margins must be 1-inch on all four sides. However, if you consider writing a single-page resume, you may need to remove some margin space out to accommodate your entire work history and skills.

Why is it critical to accurately adjust the margins on your resume?

If you set the margin of your resume to be too narrow, your paper will get jammed with text.

Recruiters will find it disorganized and looking rather unprofessional.

Your resume will appear blank or vacant if each side of your resume has huge margins on them.

What will be the recruiter’s first impression when he sees your resume? This Job seeker hasn’t got anything much to say.

Also, when you set adequate margins ensure that your resume is ATS-friendly.

When you consider a single-page resume, ensure that the margin is kept at half an inch at least. Your primary goal is to ensure that those margins are uniform on all sides of the resume.

If your resume must read two pages, ensure that the margins set at both pages correspond to each other.

You may be the thing that the hiring manager is not checking into the margins of your resume. Professional recruiters only need a glance to expose resumes with poor margins. Hence, you must avoid every mistake that will push you into setting up poor margins.

This is how to change the margins in Microsoft Word:

• In the navigation menu, click Margins.
• Select the desired margin setting.
• Alternatively, you may use Custom Margins to set your margins.

3. Maintain uniform line spacing:

Just like formatting a book or other important documents, consistent line spacing is also necessary for formatting a good resume.

You need to format each section of your resume properly without overlooking anyone.

To be on the safer side, you should always keep your resume in single or 1.14 line spacing throughout the resume sections. However, the headings required double spacing before and after each one.

After writing your education and work experience section, you are expected to use double space in between the two entries.

Keep the heading sections clear:

As you begin to write the headings, ensure that they are much larger than the rest. It is not advisable to write both headings and other texts using the same font size.

The font size for resume headings should be kept between 14 to 16 pt. Preferably, you can make them appear more visible by writing your resume heading in ALL CAPS.

Your primary goal should rely on differentiating your resume heading from the regular descriptive texts.

If you fail to differentiate your headings and titles with font size and bold features, your recruiter may find it quite challenging to read through your resume.

Hence, you lose your chances of getting employed because of this slight mistake. Therefore, you must be ready to win the heart of recruiters by separating resume headings from regular texts.

Give enough white space:

Not giving enough space is one of the primary reasons people lose their chances of getting employed. Most recruiters scan through your resume as they review it.

But when you jam-pack the content information added to your resume, you are making the job appear much more difficult for them.

No recruiter will ever love to be stressed out by an applicant. Instead, they will drop your cluttered resume and move on to the next one.

If you want to remain outstanding, ensure that you give recruiters some breathing space through your style of writing. After formatting your resume, you should take a close look at it to confirm if it has enough white space on it.

But how can you achieve that? Once you are done with the creative write-up, print your resume and look at it from a distance.

If after a glance and you realize that it appears cramped. Consider reformatting it to give your resume a better look.

Repeat this process until you obtain a realistic result.

Add no photos and graphics:

For countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ireland, do not add photos to your resume. The reason for this is that In these nations, the justifications for not putting a professional photo on your CV are straightforward:  the country’s strong anti-discrimination and labor regulations. Organizations are required to demonstrate that their employment practices do not include any stereotyping based solely on race, appearance, gender, color, age, or other factors.

Belgium, Africa, France, Portugal, Scandinavian countries, Germany, the Middle East, Asia, Austria, South America, Spain all allow images on resumes.

Even if companies do not specifically want one, a photo on your resume is typically advised in the aforementioned categories. Keep in mind, nevertheless, that conventions differ by organization, and international regulations are vulnerable to change.

As a result, some companies may request that you not submit a resume with a photo, in which case you should comply.

As a result, hiring managers do not always want to view applicant images supporting job applications as a precautionary measure.

Clearly, this rule has its exceptions, such as when searching for modeling or acting positions.

You may say that your specific country isn’t mentioned but In many nations, however, the traditional resume criteria are not that clear cut or black and white.

To be safe, we recommend if you are doubtful whether to add a photo or not, lease do not add.. the reason for this is that …,

If the company wants to see what you look like physically before the screening process, they will ask for a resume with a photograph as part of the application requirements,

Another reason is that hiring managers can still search for you online through Google or social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

As a result, without adding a photo,  they will likely catch a peek of you – which is why job seekwers must have a clean online profile. You don’t want o to sabotage your chances.

Most job applicants want to submit a colorfully designed resume to recruiters.

Some applicants even go as far as adding photos to the document. If you include fancy graphics in your resume, it may lead to failure during the ATS scan. Therefore, your beautiful graphics may turn against you when used in your resume.

If you prefer to add a photo to your resume, keep in mind that the recruiter may not be interested in seeing your face. However, if the job description requests a photograph, go ahead to include it in your resume.

But if not requested, never add a photo or graphics to your resume. Endeavor to keep it as simple as possible.

Go for a single Page:

Most job applicants are so anxious to include all their personal information, work history, skills, and a lot more in their resume.

After compiling their resume with this information, they may go the extra mile to come up with a three-page resume. If you are submitting a three-page resume, keep in mind that the recruiter may not be interested in going through the entire document.

The first page alone should convince the recruiter that you are the perfect candidate for the job. There is no need to express yourself, especially with two or three-page resumes.

A single-page resume is enough to land you your dream job.

As you write your single-page resume, concentrate more on writing specific job offers and add specifically, only important details. If the information is not worthy, consider removing it from your resume.

Ensure that every word you include to your resume merited it. But as you create your single-page resume and you realize that the relevant details will be omitted, go ahead to create a two-page resume.

However, you should try as much as possible to limit your resume to a maximum of two pages.

What are the best resume writing tips?

Writing a great resume comes with great responsibilities. Whether you have written a resume before, or you are anticipating writing a resume, you need to redefine your concept of writing a resume so that you will increase your chances of getting employed.

You don’t just write a resume without learning from experts.

In fact, writing your resume based on what you already know may always kill your chances of outsmarting your competitors. Hence, you need to understand how to write your resume using various great tips.

Most job applicants often overlook some great resume writing tips because of their anxiousness to secure a job.

When you easily neglect several challenges associated with a job search, you will feel more relaxed and remember the smallest information required to write a great resume.

If you want to write an outstanding resume, you must abide by the following best tips for writing a great resume.

1. Tips for a great resume:

1. Use only a professional email address:

Some job applicants prefer to use any informal email address on their resume like “[email protected], [email protected], Vera2sexy@hotmail”, these types of email addresses are wrong. When your email address appears unprofessional to the recruiter, your chances of getting employed will be drastically reduced.

You should show your professionalism at every stage and by all means.

Never use a strange email provider in your resume. Appear more professional by using only a professional email service provider such as Outlook or Gmail.

Ensure you use your real names as it appears in your resume profile. If your name is Denton Salman Ford, you can write DentonSalmanFord@outlook.com

Additionally, you should not add numbers to your email address like SalmanFord85@gmail because hiring managers may find it hard to remember the numbers. A lot of people argue that others answer their name so chances are that their full name is already taken.

You can also add variations to your name to differentiate the names but make sure it looks professional.

While creating your Gmail or outlook account, we said you should use your name to appear more professional. Never use your nickname or pet name to create a resume.

Create a second email address if you want to send out lots of application forms by email or you want to sign up for job suggestions on recruiting sites like Glassdoor, MyJobmag, LinkedIn, or indeed so that your private email account isn’t overburdened with suggested job opportunities and automatic answers.

You can keep these communications distinct by using an email account like [email protected] – and then switch off alerts from it after you have employment!

For example, go ahead to create an email account for Charles Smart, it can be [email protected] or your outlook account with [email protected]. When the recruiters see your full name as your email address, they will consider you before others.

Do not add your birth date to your email because this can lead to age discrimination during recruiting.

2. Keep your contact information up to date:

Before you proceed to submit your resume, ensure that your contact information is updated. If you have changed your email address or your phone number, endeavor to implement the change in your resume before submission.

‘Carlos Gabriel,’ for example, is a first and last name.

‘010 422 5673’ is an example of a phone number.

‘[email protected],’ for example.

‘Ontario, Canada,’ for example.

(Do not provide your whole address like “237 Milverton Blvd Toronto Ontario M4J IV6”)

When it comes to hiring, most recruiters search for candidates who reside in their region. And, unless the post is in high demand, they will not fund your move.

To keep things easy, all you have to do here is specify your city and nation.

When it comes to your phone number, don’t forget to include a regional code like +1, +234, +429.

However, once you’ve written down your contact information, take a moment to read everything aloud to your hearing.

A simple error may cost you your career. So, it’s better to be cautious than being sorry!

You may provide Optional Information:

Occupation/Professional Title: ‘Programmer/Oncology Specialist,’ for example.

Should you include your LinkedIn profile

Here’s the quick answer:

Every job seeker need an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, so yes

Almost all recruiters are already on LinkedIn, and they can share your profile link, they may stumble on a connection who can attest to your expertise and skill set.

Ensure your LinkedIn profile is tailored according to your resume profile and portfolio. If some information on your profile is inconsistent with the information on your LinkedIn profile, the recruiter may suspect you of lying about something.

Regularly keep both up to date with any new job openings, certifications, or publications. You can mention any relevant information

if you believe it will help your employees and will improve your prospects.

LinkedIn URL: for example, ‘linkedin.com/Carlos-Gabriel/’

Twitter, Reddit, StackOverflow, Medium, GitHub, Quora, Personal Website, and other social media platforms

If you are a coder, computer scientist, programmer, or anything computer-related, you can add a link to your active StackOverflow or GitHub page. Adding this will help strengthen your resume and let the recruiter see your efforts.

In the world of IT, you don’t know the impact having a good social media profile can have on your resume and impress the recruiter. If you are a blogger, freelancer, author, or business owner, and you have a good Medium profile, add it to your resume.

Having an active profile will help you demonstrate your talents, skills, and personality before you appear for the interviewer.

Adding a link to your blog or website on your resume is a smart move, especially when you don’t post personal controversial topics. The relevant blog or website link may be a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in the position you are applying for.

Simply include every relevant social media. Talking about social med ia, social profiles where you have a lot of followers or engagement should be added. For instance, if you are on Quora and you contribute a lot to business topics or politics, you can add that especially when it is relevant to the position you are applying for.

Date of Birth – Unless the recruiter expressly requests for it (for example, a position that needs you to be 21 or older), the Recruiter does not need to know your age. It is not a significant component in decision-making and can lead to age prejudice.

Example of Unprofessional Email Address – Use ‘[email protected]’ instead. Don’t send emails to ‘[email protected]’. Also do not add your current job email and current job phone number.

Titles such as Programming Samurai, Software Engineer (unless it is the job title), Code Ninja, Blockchain Wizard, Tech Guru, or Crypto Lord should not be used.

The proper method to write a contact’s name is Carlos Selman Gabriel, Ph.D. Programming/Coding/Engineering Specialist.

Dr. Carlos (Selman) Gabriel, please do not write (Programming Specialist).

If there is a mistake in your contact information, the recruiter may not be able to contact you. Your skills and past job experience may meet up with the job description.

But when the recruiter is not able to reach you because of the wrong phone number, you may miss the interview, thereby losing your chance of securing employment.

As you prepare your contact information section, you may consider removing information about your marital status or date of birth.

The modern style of writing a resume does not expect you to provide answers to questions relating to race, religion, or gender.

In the US, hiring managers neglect your race, gender, or religion while accessing your potential. When you are applying for a job out of your state or country, you may consider removing your current address from your resume.

Recruiters may not feel so comfortable hiring an applicant that is thousands of miles away from their working site.

Through this approach, the recruiter will realize you are not confused about the job’s location.

3. Write your resume using reverse-chronological order:

Several job experts have concluded that reverse-chronological resumes usually stand the chances of becoming more effective during the selection process.

You include dates, location, and the name of your employer for each position, as well as a brief description of your significant tasks and achievements.

The reverse chronological approach has the advantage of emphasizing your upward career advancement and continuing work history.

Those who have had pauses in their job are changing fields, or have a lengthy work history may benefit from a functional resume or one-page career summary to better highlight their abilities and expertise.

For you to prepare your resume following reverse-chronological order, you must start from your recent job history down to previous job experience.

Therefore, your current job must come first in your work experience section. While writing the education section, you are expected to put your degree first before other academic qualifications.

4. Make your Resume content skimmable by aligning it to the left:

Almost every hiring manager skim your resume to find some relevant keywords which are related to the job descriptions.

When you align your text to the left, you are making the job much easier for hiring managers. When the recruiters find your resume an easy document to read, your chances of getting employed will surely increase.

5. Use bold, italics, and caps strategically throughout your resume:

As you begin to create your resume, you should be creative with the usage of italics, bold, and caps features. When you begin to use any of these formats, endeavor to remain consistent with your choice of preference.

Making a particular subheading bold, go ahead to make the rest of the subheadings bold. Whichever format you choose, ensure that you limit how you use it. Overusing any features can make your resume appear more complicated and difficult to read.

Your primary target should rely on making your work easily available and readable to your recruiter.

Add URLs to your blog, social media, and website:

If you want to appear more professional in your resume, go ahead to add URLs to your social media handles, and personal blog. The URL can look like this LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/Karen-McKlursky/ not www.linkedin.com/in/aokdcoijvfbkvbsj-bj42bj4o1/

You can use the desktop version of LinkedIn to edit your profile URL. You can also do this for other social medial URLs. You can remove the www and start with ‘’Linkedin.com/

Note that your LinkedIn profile should always come after your email address.

You are expected to add these URLs in your contact section. While considering the best social media handle to add, you may need to choose LinkedIn over other platforms.

However, if you have a professional portfolio on your Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter, you may need to add them up as well.

The addition of a social media URL will give your recruiter access to check into your online portfolio and learn more about you.

Always click on the URL yourself to make sure it directs you to your profile. This is very important so you don’t leave a broken or wrong link on your resume.

The essence of adding all these links to your social media handles is to give recruiters lots of options to learn more about your lifestyle.

After including these hyperlinks to your resume, make out time to ensure that each link is functional and accessible to anyone.

Select the best Resume format that works perfectly for you:

Before you begin to write your resume, you need to figure out the best resume format that actually works perfectly for you. In general, there are three popular times of resumes and include functional, reverse-chronological, and combination resumes.

Each of these resume types is used for a particular purpose.

The functional resume consists majorly of the skills and work experience of the job applicant. It is often used by applicants seeking to change their careers and move on to the next one. It is also referred to as a skill-based resume.

A reverse chronological resume is often used by job seekers with consistent work history and hoping to increase their job level with time. It is good for recent job-seekers.

A combination resume involves the combination of functional and reverse-chronological resumes. The resume has its focus more on work experience.

Hence, you need to determine the best resume format that best works for you. Most job experts often encourage job applicants to go for a reverse-chronological format as it stands out to be the best.

This format comes with a simple layout that recruiters prefer to review.

Most recruiters will frown at functional resume format since it kills the work experience section of a candidate’s resume.

When you don’t have work experience, there are several ways to go about writing a reverse chronological resume for your application.

As you begin to select your resume format, consider choosing the one that will present your best information at the upper section of your resume.

Use the best professional-designed template: When you prepare your resume, you should consider using the best resume template to make your resume exceptional.

These best resume templates will save you lots of time and provide you with a professional resume as well. All you are required to do is select the next modern resume template and use it. Best resume templates to use include cubic, newcast, diamond, and can be found in NovoResume, etc.

Put your education section first:

Most recruiters are curious to learn more about your educational background. Therefore, you need to find a layout that will place the education section in the first section.

To make your resume stand out from other job applicants, you should begin with your contact information, after which you will state your resume summary or objective.

After this section, you will become confused about the next information to add up. Most people prefer to start with the experience section, while others prefer to start with their education section.

When you have spent quality time working for different industries, you may consider starting with your professional experience.

If you are a newbie, or fresh graduate, or student, keep in mind that starting your resume with an educational background will increase your chances of getting employed.

You need to write your education section in such a way that the recruiter will find you worthy of such a position. Start with the most recent qualification

Should you add references to your resume or not?

Exclude this phrase from your resume, “References Available upon Request”:

In recent times, adding the phrase “references available upon request” at the bottom of your resume is no longer necessary.

Recruiters already know that they can request your references at any given time. So you are not expected to add this phrase to your resume.

When you add this phrase to your resume, you are reducing some valuable space from your resume.

If you are bent on adding references to your resume, then make a separate page for it. This last page should be solely for your reference and should be the last page of your resume.

Always adjust your resume references according to the needs of each position you are applying for. For all your references, be consistent in the use of the format.

If the job description or the firm expressly requires you to submit a list of references, you can add three to five carefully selected persons as a sufficient reference. The express request should be the only reason to submit your reference.

If you put more than that, you are wasting your time and that of the recruiter, adding to the fact that it will make your cv look unnecessarily bulky;

It will surprise you to know that too many references in your resume are not a good sign or that you are overflowing with endorsement, it shows that you may be lacking in individuals who can give you a favorable endorsement.

Who is an excellent resume reference?

The ideal references to provide in your resume are working/educational professionals who are linked to the industry that you are applying for but make sure these people are not related to you in any way. Make sure your references are diverse as much as possible They should not all be your supervisors in your former place of work or all your lecturers in the same department.

We have made a list of viable groups of persons that can be in your list of references:

• Your Previous employer
• A Consultant this includes your present or previous academic advisors
• A (Supervisor) Managing Director which may not necessarily be your direct manager
• Your Former Direct Manager
• Your Coworker or teammate, especially if they have a better portfolio
• Your Business Partner or project collaborator
• Your Tutor either a professor from your school or your teacher
• Your Friend (You can only add your friend if they are working in that company you are applying to).

Simply add persons who can speak well about your work and educational experience, talents, professionalism, and work ethics.

Do not include someone who is or was involved in a professional dispute with you no matter how relevant they are to the position you are applying for.

If you fin it hard asking for references, you can send them a formal or semi-formal email. This will also allow you to cross-check their contact info.

Why You should not use a Personal Reference

When writing references on a resume, it is typically not a good idea to provide personal recommendations. The reason for this is because it’s family, employers won’t give you much credit if they discover a reference item is linked to you.

It also has the unintended consequence of making you appear as though you couldn’t get enough professional references. If at all feasible, use professional recommendations (unless you are a recent graduate and you have no writing experience. Even at that, your place of education should at least provide you with references).

How Do You Format Your Resume Reference Page?

Your references page should be written in the same manner as you structure your cover letter and, perhaps, your resume. If your Resume letterhead and the letterhead on your cover letter differ a bit, repeat it in your cover letter.

Put your name and address at the very top of the page you can orientate it left, right, or center (follow a similar style as your other documents). Include your phone number and your email address.

Then add the date, followed by the company address, left-aligned above your initial reference entry: first the recruiter’s name (if you have it), then the firm name, and finally the company address.

Carefully read the Job Description over and over before application:

Let the job description reflect on your resume.

Most job applicants are in a hurry to submit their resumes without reading the job description properly.

Before you have a clear understanding of the recruiter’s demands, you have to read the job description and repeat the process over and over again to remain on the positive side.

You have to get the job description right before writing a single word in your resume. Several surveys have revealed that most job seekers spend an average of 76 seconds studying the job description.

Because of this reason, most recruiters usually find about 50 percent of the job applicants unqualified to handle the job.

In every job description, the recruiters outline the essential skills and work history needed for a particular position. But when you fail to read it line by line, you may miss out on the most important requirement needed for the job.

To increase your chances of getting employed, ensure that you are qualified to apply for a particular position before proceeding with the application process.

From the given job description, take some keywords and match them accordingly in your resume. You may put it via a cloud generator to extract some genuine keywords to use.

Endeavor to target your resume specifically to a particular recruiter. Do not depend on submitting another resume for a different job role. Get used to writing a resume for every given job description.

When it comes to improving the quality of your resume, keep in mind that the job description should serve as your best friend. Therefore, you ought to grab the opportunity and write supper creatively to win the heart of the recruiter.

Examine the job description.

To begin, you must comprehend what the company desires as well as the qualities necessary to do well in the position. Read the job description and make a note of or underline any important terms connected to talents.

Take note of unique phrases throughout the posting. Then, make a note of any particular requirements, such as required degree or training, and years of experience. Also, consider the order in which the job description is given, Most times, the company lists in order of priority. When structuring your resume, let this employer’s priorities reflect – the first items they list on the job description should be the first items you mention.

Hence, you should never look at the job title alone without going through the detailed description. The recruiters express their minds through the job description.

So as you create out time to read through the detailed description, you are trying to understand the basic message that the recruiter is trying to communicate to you.

Remove any work history that does not align with the job description from your resume especially when you have a long history.

If the most relevant employment experience you have were in the past, you can separate this area into two sections for more details: “[industry] experience” and “Other work experience.”

Your work summary and employment record may not cover all of the most essential talents you possess; thus, provide any remaining abilities in your skills section.

Include the employer’s most priority talents first, using precise terms you got from the job description. Instances include hard and soft skills, as well as competency in certain ICT-related skills.

Include any additional relevant talents that demonstrate the unique value you bring to the position. Provide any “job-preferred” abilities, this may be optional but can make you stand out.

Use appropriate margin size to frame your resume:

Some job applicants fail to understand the importance of resume margins. Before you make time to write a resume, keep in mind that resume margins are extremely essential.

Since resume text that extends to both edges of the document appears so unprofessional and messy, you need to use margins to accommodate your write-up and keep your work neat.

You do not have to displease the recruiter with resumes that have no margin. Hiring managers will not have a second thought in discarding messy resumes.

Even if your skills and work experience meet up with the company’s demand, your chances of getting employed will be limited. If you want to boost your employment opportunities, you need to add a little space to all edges of your resume document.

The perfect top and bottom margin should be adjusted to 0.5” while side margins should be 0.75”. If you add more margin to this standard, your resume may wear an unprofessional look.

Text and white space need to be Balanced:

When you balance your resume text and white space, you will provide a more professional look to your work. Once you actualize this goal, your resume will appear much easier to read and analyze. All outstanding resumes have all text and white space balanced properly.

So you should not sacrifice some white space to accommodate more information on your single-page resume.

It will be more acceptable to submit a two-page resume than forcing much detailed content to a single page.

Go for a simple format:

Once you begin to format your resume, your primary goal should focus on keeping it simple. The format and design you include in your resume matter a lot.

You do not have to use any font that comes your way. The best modern font for a resume consists of Arial, Century Gothic, or Helvetica.

You don’t have to stress your recruiter’s eyes with complex font size. The modern font listed above can land you in your dream job.

The font size should be kept between 10 and 12. You should also create enough amount of white shapes on the page to keep your work neat and unique.

While writing your resume headers, and your name, you should use another font or typeface. However, you cannot use a different typeface for different headers.

All the headers on your resume should have the same font and font size. Your primary aim while selecting your resume format is to write an outstanding resume that will be readable for the recruiter.

Choose the best summary statement:

When it comes to writing an objective statement, job applicants must complicate their chances of getting the job. They tend to include information that is essential for their job role.

Your object statement for each job may appear differently. You need to write the summary statement in a way that they relate to the job in question.

You should always go for the summary statement that is perfect for you. The detailed experiences and skills that you add to your summary statement have to relate to the job position you are applying for.

Summarize your strong traits attributes in a few sentences.

Mention your present position as well as your professional experience.

Describe how you intend to assist the employer in achieving their objectives.

Include information about your main accomplishments to demonstrate your ability to deliver outcomes if recruited.

Keep it to three or five sentences and utilize figures whenever feasible.

Remove any personal pronouns from your resume profile summary for US companies. Don’t write statements like “I am a certified professional…” Instead, put Certified professional programmer… This is the common resume format in the United States.

However, if you’re seeking work in the UK, full-sentence constructs like” I am qualified… “ are completely appropriate.

These are the examples of a Profile Summary.

Example 1

Analytical enthusiast with solid expertise in planning and coordination. Trying to have a better understanding of XYZ Inc.’s key success indicators. As an ABC Inc. business editor, I boosted workers’ comprehension of critical indicators by 30%. My Microsoft Powerpoint presentation about ABC’s business principles was turned into a video that garnered over a million users.

Example 2

Secretary with more than 6 years of experience in both the government and industry. Intelligent, courteous, Articulate, and skilled at handling delicate circumstances. Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and tech-savvy. Intent on increasing Productivity in the Workplace attempting to increase student happiness. A  Bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Studies and communications.

Example 3

Experienced Business Manager with a professional background and 5+ years of sales growth for a Denmark-based Manufacturing firm. As a Business Manager at AT and T, I am looking to use my leadership experience. In 2016, he was a guest speaker and spear-head a Leadership conference in  Massachusetts

Do not include everything on your resume:

As you begin to write your resume, choose only the best working experience to add to it. Your resume is not meant to consist of all your work experience.

You have to include only the work experience related to a particular job if you anticipate standing out from the rest.

You should see your resume as marketing documents that sell your skills to the recruiters and not as a document that should not contain your entire work experience.

Adding a comprehensive list of your career history is great, but if you have a long list of them, your resume pages may exceed the standard one or two-page limit. You

need to make some adjustments to stand out from the rest. Most job experts usually advise job applicants to limit the list of career histories they include in their resumes.

Most recruiters are aware that their applicants might have worked with several organizations even more than the ones added to their resumes.

But if they wish to learn more about these previous experiences, they will open up to the applicant and demand it.

Focus more on standing out:

When you write a resume, always keep in mind that almost every job applicant is literally doing the same thing. So if you want to win the heart of your recruiter, you should find the perfect ways to stand out from the rest.

Instead of submitting only your traditional resume, why not combine it with a creative resume. Creative resumes such as videos, presentations, infographics, etc, will give the recruiter a colorful attribute about your skills and career history.

Presenting resumes with graphics or icons can keep you on a greater height, even above other applicants. However, before you consider using a creative resume, you must be willing to do it perfectly.

Hiring managers can only be attractive to your design resume if it is creative enough. Do not jeopardize your chances of getting the job done when you cannot create a perfect creative resume.

Instead, focus on the traditional resume to avoid complicating the issue. But if you are creative enough, you may need to include it in your resume.

Preferably, you may need to hire an expert that may assist you in creating the design resume. Before submitting this type of resume, read the submission terms and conditions of the recruiter to be on the safer side.

We have outlined 8 effective tips to make your resume stand out.

1. Get assistance from an expert:

Hiring an expert each time to write your resume may require huge bucks from you. To cut back on these expenses, you may need to get one-time support from an expert.

Some organizations may have a unique way to write and format their resumes. Therefore, the general knowledge may not be enough to put you through.

But when you get the needed assistance from an expert, you may stand out to win over the heart of the recruiters. Before you proceed to create a resume, read the demands of the company in question. If the resume format specification is foreign to you, seek help from an expert.

But if you can handle the task, go ahead and do it. You may see the samples provided by experts, and use the same knowledge to improve your resume.

However, make sure the Resume exports do not import things into your resume. You should not be caught lying about what you are not to Hiring Managers. It’s a big turn-off.

1. Do not panic if you have no relevant experience:

Some job applicants are afraid to proceed with their job applications because of a lack of relevant working experience.

Even if you lack the basic working experience to add to your resume, concentrate more on your transferrable and relevant skills that relate to a particular job.

Probably, if you have handled some academic projects in the past, you may also need to include that in your resume.

You may also need to add an engaging cover letter to your resume to inform the recruiter about your abilities to increase the productivity of the organization.

1. Don’t tell your soft skills, show them instead:

Soft skills are personality attributes (such as self-motivation, creativity, or dependability) that have a beneficial impact on how you work and connect with others.

They are innate abilities that cannot be learned in a school setting. Soft skills are frequently, but not always, referred to as “people” abilities.

Soft talents are not usually the sort of skills that may be stated in your resume’s skills section. Instead, in your job experience part, you could illustrate your soft abilities with particular instances.

Your emotional intelligence and innate capability to communicate successfully with people are referred to as soft skills. They apply to all sectors and occupational functions. Tech skills or other job-specific expertise acquired via school or training are examples of hard skills.

The primary distinction between soft and hard abilities are as follows:

Soft skills are natural qualities that are applicable across all sectors. and  Associated with emotional intelligence

While technical knowledge is the foundation of hard skills, sector-specific knowledge is the foundation of soft skills.,  and acquired through training

The 10 Top Soft Skills you need to add to your resume are ;

• 1. Communication. This is very important for sales positions Examples of communication skills are
• Confidence
• Mutual respect
• Active listening
• Verbal communication
• Presentation skills
• Non-verbal communication
• Friendliness
• Written communication
• Empathy
• Constructive feedback
  1. Adaptability. This is needed where you are working in a fast-paced work environment and dynamic and evolving professions like nursing, event management, public relations, and business development positions. Examples of Adaptability soft skills are;
• Curiosity
• Optimism
• Organization
• Self-management
• Self-confidence
• Decision-making
• Analysis
• Calmness
• Open-mindedness
• Self-motivation

1. Creativity. This is a vast soft skill bothering on proactivity and innovation. In the future of robotics and artificial intelligence, Creativity is regarded as the soft skills of the future. Examples of creativity skills are;

• Insight
• Divergent thinking
• Inspiring others
• Experimenting
• Imagination
• Mind mapping
• Inquisitiveness
• Reframing
• Design
• Innovation

1.  Work Ethic; Work ethic is the cornerstone of any excellent worker and one of the most fundamental, broadly transferrable soft skills obtainable. By demonstrating your work ethic, you demonstrate to your employers that you recognize the value of work and the necessity of putting up your best foot forward. Examples of work Ethic skills are;

• Integrity
• Commitment
• Professionalism
• Discipline
• Initiative
• Dependability
• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Time-management
• Self-motivated

1. Teamwork; Teamwork better suits every job including programming, Engineering, sales, etc. Teamwork abilities enable you to work successfully in groups and complete projects swiftly and efficiently. If you are working in a management setting, this skill is very important to your Resume. Examples of teamwork skills are;

• Conflict management
• Listening
• Collaboration
• Cooperation
• Active listening
• Coordination
• Mediation
• Delegation
• Negotiating

1. Problem-Solving; Problem-solving abilities are dependent on your capacity to reason analytically and creatively to discover remedies.

Problem-solving abilities will at all-time be essential no matter what field you engage in since every profession has challenges that must be addressed. They are needed in Medical and Law related fields

Finally, those that can solve challenges and find creative solutions that will always be in great demand. Examples of Problem Solving skills are ;

• Lateral thinking
• Persuasion
• Logical reasoning
• Initiative
• Analysis
• Observation
• Negotiation
• Persistence
• Brainstorming

1. Interpersonal or Social Abilities; Social skills relate to your ability to converse effectively and connect with others, as well as sustain ties or relationships and leave a favorable impression or opinion on others. This skill is needed in the customer services or financial field.

Most jobs require interpersonal skills daily as you engage and communicate with coworkers and management. Examples of interpersonal skills are;

• Humor
• Tolerance
• Diplomacy
• Mentoring
• Networking
• Sensitivity
• Empathy
• Patience
• Positive reinforcement
• Public speaking

1. Attention to Detail; Your capacity to be careful and exact in your job, as well as recognize even little mistakes when they appear, is referred to as attention to detail. Resume relating to the medical field and pharmacy and engineering-related fields. Examples of these skills are;

• Critical observation
• Scheduling
• Memory
• Introspection
• Questioning
• Listening
• Acuity
• Organization
• Analysis
• Recall

1. Leadership abilities; Leadership skills include the capability to coach others, teach recruits, and manage different teams. Great leadership abilities are also important when it relates to taking on additional responsibilities and getting promoted within a firm.

Organizations are constantly on the lookout for dependable employees with great leadership abilities to assist them to build their businesses.

Leadership abilities are required for entrepreneurs, all tiers of management positions, and even educational employments. Examples of leadership skills are;

• Project management
• Selflessness
• Trust
• Humility
• Management skills
• Versatility
• Generosity
• Empathy
• Cultural intelligence
• Authenticity
• Mentorship
• Hiring

Sometimes, your soft skills tend to increase your chances of getting the job.

But instead of describing your soft skills in a way that they will appear boring to an employer, find a perfect way of demonstrating them using bullet points.

This implies that you should give a further description of your soft skills instead of just mentioning them.

Enlighten your recruiter about your abilities to work effectively within the organization and contribute positively to the growth of the company.

How to add soft skills to your resume

List your soft skills in bullet points. For example

• Strong Interpersonal Skills
• Demonstrated adaptability
• Excellent mediatory skils

1. Endeavor to keep it recent and relevant:

Once you begin to write your job experience, you are expected to keep it recent and relevant. Keep it recent by starting with your most recent career history which should be within the span of 10 to 15 years.

Keep it relevant by including only the job experiences that are relevant to the position you are applying for. The addition of extra career history will limit your chances of getting the job.

Most recruiters do not want to work with people with mixed career histories. They prefer applicants with a unique and relevant career history that relates to their companies’ policies.

How to write your experience in your resume.

• Supervise a team in charge of everyday hotel operations, with an emphasis on flawless hospitality service delivery and client satisfaction.
• Assess operational challenges and devise action plans to enhance productivity and efficiency, services, and safety.
• Using appropriate employee planning and delegation, you may streamline process operations and save labor expenditures.
• Build and manage cordial connections with customers, which will result in an increase in sales.
• Train employees to provide excellent customer service, which will lead to a 30% boost in sales.

Therefore, you must understand the position you are going for before you begin to create your resume.

1. Explain your career history even further: 

Recruiters are usually interested in learning more detailed information about the applicant’s past career history.

You have to have specified the number of people you have impacted with your work. You may also need to indicate the range at which you attain your objectives and reach your target.

Recruiters want to see your previous performances before inviting you over to work for them. When you quantify your accomplishments, your chances of getting the job will surely increase.

1. Do not use empty words:

When you are expressing yourself in your resume, you should avoid the usage of empty words at all costs. Do not use words such as hard worker, team player, etc.

These words are used by most job applicants in their resumes. Your chances of getting the job may be limited due to the overuse of these empty words. Recruiters already know those job seekers are used to such words.

So they rely on finding unique words that will remain outstanding and interesting. Instead of using an empty word, go ahead to give further details to such words.

The hiring manager will find your resume interesting when you do things differently.

1. Avoid unnecessary repetition of words:

Most job applicants are used to repeating the same words on their resumes. This word repetition often occurs when the job applicants are describing their potential skills or previous job responsibilities.

In most cases, the word repetition may be written as, “Ability to,” or “Responsible for.” If you continue to repeat words without considering how boring they appear to be, your recruiter may not even bother to read through your resume.

Word repetition will make the hiring manager easily become tired of the write-up. When you begin to write, you should be creative enough to capture the interest of your recruiter and increase your chances of getting the job.

Learn to mix up better verbs and think outside the box while you write.

1. You can take it one step further:

When you are done with the satisfactory write-up, you should examine the resume to see how you can improve it and give it a better form. You can begin by going through each bullet point, thinking creatively on how to advance each statement that you just added to your resume.

You should never limit your abilities while writing. Always think of a way to convince your employer that you are the right person for the job.

Taking your resume a step further is the best way to communicate your expertise to your recruiter. With this approach, you can figure out how to convert your duties into accomplishments.

1. Use keywords more often:

If you desire to stand out from other job applicants, you should endeavor to use special keywords on your resume. To get some perfect keywords for your resume, endeavor to read the job description closely.

Most recruiters often put out essential keywords in the job description. A smart job applicant is supposed to take advantage of these keywords by adding them to the resume.

When the hiring manager discovers certain keywords on your resume, they will realize that you are serious about working with them. Your resume will stand out when you select certain keywords from the entire job description.

1. Never exclude your graduation date:

If you desire to stand different, you should never remove your graduation date while describing your educational qualification. Most jobs are meant especially for people within a specific year of graduation.

However, if your graduation year has exceeded the specified duration in the job description, your chances of getting the job will be slimmed down. Hence, your graduation year is necessary and should always make it to your resume.

Some people may exclude their graduation year due to one reason or the other. But you are meant to add them regularly to give the recruiter a further description of your academic qualifications.

1. Always put experience first before education: 

As you continue to write your resume, endeavor to put the Experience section first before the Education section. The recruiters prefer to see the real-life experience that you have gathered in the field.

However, when you are a new graduate, you decide to put your education section before your experience section.

Visit here to learn how to arrange your experience in your resume.

When recruiters are bringing newbies into the workforce, they can consider recent graduates for such a position. Therefore, your chances of getting the job will certainly increase when you follow the proper format.

1. Focus on highlighting your Honors, and not your Educational grades, unless you are applying for a scholarship: 

When you finish college with high honors, you should always specify it in your resume. Listing out your resume may not be necessary, as the recruiter may not be interested in seeing that. Your high honors are already enough.

Most job applicants will still proceed to list their GPA. Listing your GPA may not be a bad decision to make, but you need to make lots of adjustments following the modern way of writing a resume.

1. List your Hard Skills: 

What will make a recruiter consider you are the right candidate for the job is your skillset. You have to convince them that you possess the needed skills required to take their organization to the next level.

As you list out your skills, ensure that they relate to the job description. Once they are related, your chances of securing employment will certainly increase.

Your relevant skills may consist of Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, Photoshop, creative writing, etc. These skills will inform your recruiter about your strength and how you can implement this strength in their organization.

1. Include your online Education/Certifications in your Resume:

 If you are participating in any online learning through Coursera, Udemy, etc, feel free to add it to your resume. Most Universities have the option of online distance learning.

In recent times, online education is slowly gaining more fame across most industries. Your active participation in online education will tell your recruiter that you are highly motivated to take your career to the next level.

If you are not participating in any online school, you should never add it to your resume.

1. Check into successful resume examples: 

You are not an expert. If you have never written a resume before, you should check into a list of successful resumes to write a successful resume.

No poorly written resume will ever earn you employment in any company. You can just class at a few examples of resumes that recruiters have considered in the past, you can use the same format and creativity to increase your chances of getting the job.

1. Create a custom resume for every job: Most people will find it stressful to write a unique resume for each job. They depend on resending the same resume for all the job vacancies. If you stick to this habit, you may remain unemployed for a longer time.

Once you begin to customize your resume for every job, you will surely stand out from the rest.

There is a certain keyword in the job description which the recruiter expects to see in your resume. If your qualifications and past work experience meet up with the job description, your chances of getting the job will surely increase.

1. Your resume is your brand:

As you write your resume, make an effort to describe your personality to your recruiter. You can always include the interest section in your resume and use it to showcase your personality.

The interest which you add to the resume must relate to the job in question. Never include a personality that has nothing to do with the job.

For example, if you decide to include a music hobby in a healthcare job, keep in mind that you have not given the recruiter a personality that will increase your chances of getting the job.

What makes a resume bad?

Most job applicants are qualified to be hired by a particular company. However, after the hiring managers are done reviewing their resumes, they will put the resumes into the rejection folder. Why should a qualified job applicant be rejected despite being qualified for the job? The answer is simple.

Your writing tone, format, grammatical errors, and many other factors can limit your chances of getting employed. The same way you see a bad haircut and criticize it, that is how recruiters see a bad resume and avoid it.

Several professionals in different fields are already fed up with writing resumes. They have made several attempts with the hope of expressing their professional skill sets to the recruiters. They end up not receiving any feedback from their prospective employers.

If recruiters have rejected your resume over and over again, you need to review your current resume to uncover the actual problem. Before your next submission, endeavor to cross-check your resume to ensure that they are free from the following errors.

1. Wordiness: Some job applicants never derived pleasure in writing. They usually end up filling their resume with wordy statements.

If you overcompensate your resume to fill a gap, keep in mind that recruiters will find your resume boring. Good writers must be creative enough to keep their resumes simple and concise with powerful finishing.

Best resumes that have earned people their professional jobs consist of few words with a meaningful outlook. If you must become successful in your style of writing, consider writing creatively and give your resume an engaging attribute.

Even if you come from a place where the English language is known as a second language, you are supposed to write creatively and avoid all forms of wordiness in your resume.

1. Misspellings and typos: Whether you are a good or a bad writer, you can easily make mistakes while writing. However, if you develop the habit of proofreading your work before submission, you can easily reduce every misspelling and typo contained in your work.

If you submit a resume with misspellings and typos, your recruiter will presume that you do not pay attention to details. Hiring managers believe that if you can make a mistake in your resume, your chances of delivering your jobs professionally will be limited.

When you are too lazy to proofread your resume, you are telling your recruiter that you will not proofread any business writing such as memos, bids, letters, proposals, emails, etc. As a job applicant, submitting an error-free resume shows your level of intelligence.

The hiring managers will see you as a professional who is smart enough in delivering quality jobs. If you don’t have the strength to check for errors, you can convince a family member or a friend for assistance. Your ability to counter errors will determine your chances of getting employed.

1. Unclear job description writing:

Once you begin to write your job descriptions, learn how to go straight to the point. Never rely on telling irrelevant stories that do not add up to your story. You must make sure that your job descriptions are clearly stated on your resume.

Tell your recruiter that you possess the power to transform the business and increase their productivity in the long run. A summary of yourself will determine your ability to stand out from the rest.

Hiring managers do not have their entire day to read your resume. They have other resumes to review.

Therefore, your ability to capture their interest highly depends on the way you present yourself. As you write your summary statement, try to keep it within two to five sentences. With this approach, you are already working towards success.

1. Inability to concentrate on your primary duties: When you fail to focus on your primary duties, the recruiter may find it difficult considering you worthy of such a position.

As you begin to write your resume, endeavor to focus more on your regular duties, instead of describing your achievements.

Recruiters appreciate more skills that job applicants obtain from their previous employment instead of the positions they handled.

Hiring managers want to see the skills and potential a particular recruiter will bring into the organization.

As you outline your achievements in your previous working experience, endeavor to describe the skills you acquired from such a company.

Your recruiter only wants to make sure that you are the perfect person for the job, before inviting you over for an interview section.

Both your skills and experience section should be able to hook your employer and ensure that you get the primary attention that you deserve.

1. Failure to tailor your resume to a specific role:

When a company offers a job vacancy, it includes a list of tasks as well as needed (or recommended) credentials.

You will adopt those qualifications and use the same terminology or keywords across your resume to demonstrate your ability to do the task.

A personalized CV demonstrates that you have the talents that the company is looking for and have previously utilized them to get the best outcomes at work.

Some companies put out a couple of vacant positions hoping that applicants can easily find their strengths.

Some job applicants submit their resumes without targeting a specific role in such companies.

When you submit your resume without specifying the exact role of interest, the recruiter may find it difficult to compare your qualifications to all the vacant roles.

The importance of tailoring your resume is that it shows that you are committed to the task.

Prospective employers are more interested in how well you match the job criteria when they look at your CV. You exhibit a track history of completing comparable jobs by emphasizing your most unique experiences and talents.

It demonstrates your zeal. Customizing your CV can exhibit real interest for the job since you take the time and effort to assure it reflects your quality check.

employers will admire this consideration and be more interested in an applicant who appears keen to work for them.

No matter how fast you write, endeavor to specify your role in your resume. With this strategy, you can increase your chances of getting employed with time.

1. Using wrong emails: Some job applicants write fast enough that they omit some alphabet from their emails. Employers are highly displeased when they see an inappropriate email address in their resume.

If you want to get the job, check into the email you provide on your resume and ensure that nothing is missing out.

1. Excluding hobbies and interests: Most people do not find it interesting to include their hobbies and areas of interest in their resume. If you exclude your hobbies from your resume, the recruiter may not find your resume interesting.

As an applicant, you are expected to have a unique hobby to offer. However, as you proceed to add your hobbies to your resume, ensure that you do add too many of them.

Hobbies and interests are the perfect ways to show your real nature to your recruiter. Your hobbies and interests should relate closely to the job description.

If the hobbies have nothing to do with your job description, do not hesitate to exclude them from your resume without a second thought.

1. Telling lies:

Hiring managers believe whatever they see on your resume. If you specify that you can run a series of codes without seeking assistance, the recruiter will believe you.

Hence, when you are called upon to run the coding, you may make mistakes that will displease your recruiter. If you cannot execute the tasks perfectly, never include them in your resume. Try to tell your recruiter the truth at all times.

Lies can never get you anywhere. Your chances of getting employed will be limited and cut off. Learn to tell the truth instead. Tell only what you can do and exclude your weakness from your resume.

1. Following Poor Layout and Design:

If you want your resume to stand out, endeavor to include a standard logical progression to enable recruiters to get a general overview of your career at a glance.

Writing a resume should not be written with a complex layout. The recruiter may not have enough time to read in between the lines.

But when your resume takes a simple format and proper layout, the recruiter will not waste much time to understand the basics of your career overview.

Your simple layout has explained everything already to anyone reading your resume.

1. Addition of irrelevant Skills to your resume: Job applicants are used to making this type of mistake. They rely so much upon adding irrelevant skills or skills that everyone expects them to have to their resume.

Irrelevant skills such as browsing through the internet, chatting, using MS Word, touch typing, etc, should never make it to your resume.

Do not mention it to your recruiter. Once your recruiter finds any irrelevant skills in the list of skills you mentioned, you may not be considered for the role.

Hiring managers expect to see more technical skills, unique potentials, and abilities in the skills section.

You should disappoint them by listing skills you are supposed to have. If you do not know the actual skills to add to the skills section, check into your job roles in your previous work history and figure out how to extract your true potential.

When your recruiter sees a skill that matches the job description in your resume, they won’t hesitate to call upon you. As you proceed to include these skills, ensure to eliminate skill sets that do not relate to the job.

What are the best resume templates to use?

Since you have understood the dos and don’ts of writing a resume, you should be extra careful while selecting the resume template you.

If you are considering using a professionally designed template, keep in mind that you are making the best decision. Most job applicants use any sample they find on the internet.

However, some resume templates are considered void and non-professional to the job market. If you hope to stand out, then make the move and select your template carefully.

Professional resume templates can save you lots of effort and time. You are required to choose a modern resume template, and begin to use it accordingly.

The best resume templates to use consist of the following.

Newcast Resume Template: Newcast is a new template style mostly used on the traditional resume.

This type of template exists as a single-column basic resume template that enables recruiters to scan through your resume simply by highlighting section headings with any suitable icon of your choice.

The newcast template comes with a generous full-width layout that enables ample room to make your pitch in your summary statement.

With this template, you can visualize your soft and hard skills and write them in such a way that your recruiter will understand your potentials and abilities.

The newcast template is best recommended for Human resources, CNAs, Business Resumes, Child Carers, Consultants, Nurses, Dentists, Call Center Reps, Pharmacy Techs, Consultants, other medical and business professions.

Enfold Resume Template:

Enfold is the best functional resume template for job applicants intending to create a clear sense of separation in their resume style.

Unlike most resume templates, Enfold comes with a neatly arranged right-hand sidebar which consists of all the short-form text in a visually appealing format.

One advantage of using enfold format is that you will have enough room to list your technical skills, communication skills, and other relevant skills.

The overview template of enfolding usually gets the same infographic-friendly treatment as other professional resumes.

On the left section, you can include the personal statement to prove to your recruiter that you are the perfect candidate for the job.

Under the personal statement, you can include your work experience, job titles, education, and certifications.

Enfolding a resume template is one of the best ways to include more advanced information into a one-page resume.

When you are looking at cutting downsize without affecting quality, you should consider using the enfold resume template.

Enfold is best recommended for Marketers, MBA Applicants, Social Media Managers, Data Analysts, Social Media Managers, Data Scientists, Store Managers, Executives, Digital Marketers, IT Consultants, Executives, and Store Managers.

1. Cubic Resume Template:

The cubic resume template is one of the most outstanding templates to consider. It comes with high-quality features to keep the recruiters engaged for some specific period.

Since recruiters find it super easy to go through the cubic resume template, candidates that design their resume using this template often experience a better chance of being employed.

Anyone that looks through the resume will easily select suitable information to use and judge the applicants. You can begin by writing your name and the title as the resume header.

Therefore, your professional information will easily shine when you use a cubic resume template. You are expected to showcase your skills, software proficiency, and languages at the right-hand sidebar.

You may consider it a smart move to use a two-column resume format for your job applications. This implies that you can fit up to 30% more text on a page than in your regular traditional resume designed in Word.

Cubic resume template is the best option for customer service, Data Scientists, Store managers, Supervisors, Help Desk, Data Analysts, etc.

Diamond Resume Template:

Just as its name sounds, the Diamond resume template is one of the most creative resume templates to use.

Diamond focuses on punctuating the key areas of your resume such as skills, headings, and bullet points used in your work history section.

Once you use the diamond resume template, you are also making the job less easy for Hiring Managers. They will feel much more comfortable going through your resume.

Diamond resume template has remained outstanding as it serves as the best choice for legal and accounting experts. Students and interns can also adopt the layout in creating their resumes.

This type of resume template will ensure that all your resume template makes it to only a single page.

Vibes Resume Template: Vibes is a resume template that comes with special features that will increase your chances of getting your next job.

You are to start with a full-width header that consists of your name, title, and personal statement. As you write, you can progress it into a space-saving two-column body.

On the left-hand sidebar, you can include your skills, achievement, and personal information.

Ensure that you take advantage of those attractive square icons, as they make your resume appear much easier for scanning.

You do not have to struggle with Microsoft Office for a couple of hours to use this template. With the assistance of a perfect resume builder, you can create a perfect resume template.

Concept Resume Template:

This is the most suitable resume template for job applicants who prefer to use chronological resumes to put their details in perspective.

The concept usually comes with some creative infographic features which give the traditional resume a unique layout.

The format of the concept resume involves leaving the left sidebar blank for the most important dates. This format gives the concept resume template a clean timeline outlook.

The sidebar’s color usually becomes the perfect accent color for the heading section on the right side.

This resume template is the best option for candidates making a career change. If you are writing an executive resume, you may consider using it as well.

Concept resume template is the best option for career changers, chefs, bartenders, computer Scientists, no experience candidates, computer technicians, stay-at-home parents, and development specialists.

Crisp Resume Template:

Crisp is one of the best resume templates that adopts the twin-column layout though not popular.

It comes with a left-hand sidebar often used for short-form texts like languages, interests, hobbies, contact information, and skills.

Crisp resume template exists as a full page width that creates room for extra space to accommodate your career objective or personal statement.

The right side of the resume should consist of your long-form text like your education resume section, employment history, or certifications.

Crisp resume template is the best option for hairstylists, operational managers, account managers, fast food workers, real estate agents, assistant managers, and line cooks.

Most Creative ways to win the heart of recruiters

Winning the heart of recruiters through a creative style of writing is advisable. But you have to deploy more creativity to be on the positive side.

Writing a quality resume has never been an easy task to accomplish. However, some people still derive jobs by writing quality resumes.

As you begin to write your resume, you are meant to obey certain rules to win the heart of your recruiter.

There are lots of changes in the traditional format of writing a resume which has changed recently.

If you want your resume to remain outstanding, you must be ready to keep your resume in the following creative ways.

1. Add only job experiences you have acquired in the past 10 to 15 years: When you begin to consider jobs to add to your resume, keep in mind that they should not go beyond the past 10 to 15 years.

Recruiters are searching for the best candidate with fresh ideas and skills to bring into the workforce.

If you add a work history that is beyond the past 10 to 15 years, the recruiter may think that you must have forgotten some special skills which you acquired over a decade ago.

Once you have a fresh work history, your chances of getting the job will surely increase.

1. Run your job description and resume using a suitable cloud generator:

To find the most suitable words to use on your resume, you should use a cloud generator to run your job description.

During this process, you can find suitable words to use and some of these words will serve as the content guide when you write.

Once you complete the resume, run the write-up through the cloud generator, to see if you are on the right track.

A cloud generator is the fastest way to verify if you have channeled your resume directly to the recruiter’s demand. If you can meet this demand, you will surely stand out from other job applicants.

1. Introduce creativity at the top third of your resume: As you write your resume, endeavor to be more creative at the top third of the document.

The first three sections are where your experience, skills, and achievements are most likely to appear.

As you list the detailed information in these sections, ensure that they match the job role. Always keep in mind that recruiters do not have enough time to scan through your resume.

They always focus on the top third of the document to learn more about their recruiters.

If you mess up these sections, you may never secure a job at any firm. Therefore, you must be extra careful as you write the top third sections of your resume.

1. Include action verbs in every necessary place: You cannot write your resume without adding an action verb. It helps to boost your chances of getting the job fast enough.

During proofreading, ensure that you take your time to read your resume word for word and figure out the best action keywords to use.

If the phrase, “responsible for,” shows up too much on your resume, keep in mind that you are jeopardizing your chances of becoming employed.

Taking on too many responsibilities depicts a jack of all trades who is not an expert at any.

If you hope to write an outstanding resume, focus more on using action verbs to capture the interest of the recruiter fast than when you are writing in the passive voice.

As you begin to find the best verbs to use, keep in mind that not all verbs are action verbs. Therefore, you must avoid weak verbs by all means.

Instead of writing “communicated,” you should replace it with “Persuaded.” Find words that are more engaging to use in your resume.

Add your awards and accolades: Several awards and accolades which you must have earned in the past can increase your chances of getting the job.

Adding awards received to your resume is the best way to inform your recruiter about your abilities and potential.

Awards will tell about your achievements and your unique expertise in a particular field.

Your chances of getting employed will likely increase if you add your awards and accolades to your resume.

Stay away from controversial interests: As you begin to write your interest, be mindful of controversial interests that may jeopardize your chances of getting the job.

If you include a controversial interest that your recruiter shares a different opinion from, you may never be considered for such a position.

Exclude political and religious interests from your resume. Once you notice that the interest must have raised some form of controversy in the past, endeavor to stay aware of it.

Include short-term jobs in your resume: Most job coaches will never encourage job applicants to include short-time jobs from their resumes.

Instead, add only the work history that you have practiced for a long time. But, if the short-term jobs are the work experience that you have acquired, feel free to add them to your resume.

Preferably, you can mention it to your recruiter during the interview section.

Give a better description of a long-term break in your jobs:

If you have stayed off the workforce for long, you need to include your reasons in your summary statement.

This action will enlighten your recruiter about your honesty and your willingness to re-enter the workforce.

After a clear description of your long-term break, proceed to list out your potential skills and previous accomplishments.

You should also list out your work history in a way that your recruiter will consider your application before other job applicants.

After a long-term break from work history, keep in mind that you are writing a comeback resume.

Before a recruiter will consider your request, your summary statement must be convincing enough.

Learn how to deal with employment Gaps:

When you have lots of gaps in your work history, you should be careful with the way you list them out in your resume. Instead of writing out the usual start and end dates for each work history, write only years in this format, (2005-2011).

Preferably, you can list out the number of months or years you have worked with the company.

Your goal should rely on filling the gap and keeping your resume quite simple. Some recruiters may not like to work with you when they notice that you have huge gaps between each work history.

Since you fail to include in your description these gaps, your recruiter does not find you worthy for such a position.

You have to be creative enough to deal with work history gaps accordingly and avoid further questions from your recruiter.

Be careful with words you include on your resume:

Some job applicants are not creative enough to figure out the best words to put on their resumes.

They only focus on filling the gaps. If you write any word that comes into your mind, you are slowly killing your chances of getting employed within a specific time.

If you focus on using foul words to express yourself, no one will ever consider hiring you. If you are not too sure about a particular word, consider replacing it with a similar alternative.

If your resume is made up of 1000 words, ensure that each of these words has a meaningful contribution to make about your real self.

Do not complicate your progress with unrealistic words.

Never get cute:

You are meant to eliminate some personal responsibilities from your resume.

Whatever action you took in the past for the sake of raising your children, or assisting sick patients shouldn’t make it to your resume as an experience.

Some job applicants may even claim that they took some time to take care of their little ones. Even if you have stayed out of the workforce for some time, find a better way of presenting your reasons to the recruiters.

But no matter the reasons you choose, ensure that you never get cute with them. Don’t write your resume with the hope that recruiters will consider you because of your personal responsibilities.

Write your resume with the hope of convincing the recruiter that you are the best person for the job.

Proofread your resume or send it to someone to peruse through and give an independent appraisal: 

Never feel satisfied with your current style of writing. Learn to proofread your resume after writing.

No matter how professional you appear to be, mistakes are most likely to occur. If you take out time to look in between lines, you will surely treat these mistakes and replace them with the correct words.

In recent times, job applicants use lots of grammar check tools to ensure that they are on the right track.

You can use tools such as Grammarly to make sure that no mistake makes it your final submission.

Apart from using these tools, you can also ask your family or friends to take a glance at your resume and raise possible suggestions for you.

From their contributions, you will discover your mistakes and see how to make proper corrections with time.

Give your Resume file smart names:

Once you complete your resume, the next step is to give it a perfect name. Job applicants are not expected to give their resume any names that pop up on their heads.

There are some unique names that you can give your resume and you will stand out.

Job coaches advise people to add their real names to the file. Instead of naming your document “Resume” only, go ahead and add your name to it.

For example, you can name your resume “Michael Joe Resume,” “Mary Cynthia Resume,” etc.

Just keep it simple. Don’t muddle up names or a series of numbers. Send your resume to a different email, be the recipient and see how it looks.

Should you save your resume as a PDF or Docx

The best way to stay ahead of other job applicants is to save your file as a PDF instead of a .doc. PDF files maintain the same format in all computers and all software applications.

But if you save it as a doc, your resume may easily get messed up in your recruiter’s system. Therefore, PDF remains the best approach to save your resume.

A Resume is different from a Curriculum-Vitae?

A resume is known as a competency-based formal document that describes an individual’s career background, experiences, and creative skills.

In recent times, professionals rely so much on writing resumes to connect with recruiters. Resumes are created to assist people in finding their desirable jobs. In some cases, a resume is also called a résumé.

In most working environments, a resume is often used to learn about the qualifications and skill set of professionals before recruiting them to work in a particular establishment.

Most people usually accompany their resumes with a customized cover letter. Job applicants tend to give a further description of their specific interest to work with a particular organization.

The essence of attaching a cover letter to a resume is to convince the recruiter and make the person understand further descriptions of the job applicants.

The style of writing a resume is quite different depending on the country of the recruiter. However, most United States job coaches usually encourage job seekers to keep their resumes within one or two pages in length.

But keeping a resume at the limitation of one or two pages doesn’t apply to every part of the world.

British job coaches usually advise job applicants to include more detailed information in a document known as a CV (Curriculum Vitae).

Before a job application is secured, the recruiter will demand a resume. Resumes are considered the first step toward securing employment in a particular organization.

Before the corporate recruiters consider the perfect candidate for the interview, they need to go through the resume to separate professionals from non-professionals.

Hence, your resume is a document that represents your potential and skills.

If you must be considered fit for the interview, your resume has to determine that. In a working environment where the recruiters have thousands of resumes to review, they spend only a few seconds glancing at a particular resume. If the information provided by the job applicant isn’t engaging enough, they will move to the next available resume.

Hence, if you must be considered fit to be interviewed for a particular position, you have to create an outstanding resume to increase your chances.

Most successful resumes focus on describing several accomplishments the job applicants have achieved in the past.

Some of these accomplishments include increasing profits, cutting costs, building out teams, proper management, and transcending sales goals.

Every organization is searching for workers who can deliver and increase its productivity.

If your resume does not specify your ability to boost the productivity of the organization, your chances of getting the job will become slim.

Should I send m resume through Email?

Prior to now, most modern resumes are sent through emails.

The recruiter usually provides the recruitment email address to gather the resume of interested job applicants to proceed to analyze them properly before sending out interview invitations.

Generally, most people prefer to forward one to two-page limit resumes to the recruiter’s email.

Should You attach a video to your Resume application?

Additionally, Job applicants that will stand out may need to attach a brief video introduction or illustration to present their skills professionally.

Attaching a video to your resume is very uncommon.

The essence of attaching a video is to stay ahead of other job applicants and get a little bit personal with your recruiters.

Most recruiters believe that job applicants can hire experts to write their resumes professionally.

A brief video introduction will convince the recruiter that you possess outstanding skills.

The common mistake people make while writing their resumes is that they tend to submit the same resume randomly to different employers.

However, it is advisable to channel your resume to a specific job you hope to acquire in the future. Recruiters prefer to hire resumes that are tailored directly to their organization.

In several situations, a resume is written not to exceed two pages of letter-size or A4 paper.

Most job seekers tend to digress from the context without going straight to the point. Hence, they will end up adding unnecessary information to their resume.

When you begin to write your resume, you should analyze your skills professionally and figure out the best format to follow in presenting your qualifications in your resume.

Recruiters are specifically searching for a particular qualification before they will consider inviting the applicant for an interview section.

If you wish to write your resume professionally, you must use certain keywords to describe your skills to your potential employers.

Every word that you include in your resume must be spelled correctly. You don’t have to make unnecessary mistakes on your resume.

This attitude alone can ruin your chances of getting the job. It is advisable to keep your credentials by your side while writing the resume. This is to ensure that the information contained on your credentials tally with the information you provide on your resume.

Should you send your resume randomly?

Most job seekers submit their resumes randomly. This process is often referred to as the mass distribution of resumes.

Job applicants believe that mass distribution of their resumes will increase their chances in the job market.

In the real sense, employers tend to find their perfect candidate through this method as there are thousands of options to consider.

Since people can comfortably send their resumes from any part of the world to a particular organization, the job applicant’s chances of securing employment are reduced drastically.

Mass distribution of resumes harms job applicants, as recruiters access a large volume of resumes before reaching out to the perfect candidates.

If you wish to stand out from other job applicants, you should learn to tailor your resume to a specific recruiter.

Although it may be stressful and require more time to accomplish, it is still a smart way to increase your chances of getting the job.

Before a resume can increase your chances of securing employment, you have to check into the simplicity or the complexity of its format.

The nature of your resume has to depend on your occupation, and the organization to which you intend to submit your applications to.

Resumes often used by artists, professors, medical experts, and other professionals may be complex or simple depending on their past job experience and skillsets.

Which type of resume should I write?

Unlike writing a letter, creating a resume may come as a challenging task to some people. Some job applicants cannot create a useful resume that will help to secure a job for them.

The more challenging fact here is that resume comes in different formats and styles. Job applicants are expected to learn about all these formats of writing a resume to stand different in the job market.

If you are creative enough, you will easily understand the various types of writing a resume. Keep in mind that the resume which you will submit for a particular job highly depends on the job requirement.

Some job descriptions may even specify the exact type of resume their applicants should put in place. Therefore, you must know all these resume types and keep yourself prepared ahead of time.

Most applicants cannot differentiate between the different methods of writing resumes. As you proceed to write on, note that there are several ways you can capture your recruiter’s attention through this style of writing. The best three types of resume to increase your chances of getting the job consist of the following.

Why you should write a Chronological Resume?

It is undoubtedly the most popular. A chronological resume usually consists of professional accomplishments and your work history. It usually outlines your jobs ranging from the first until your most recent job.

Your current jobs take the top position, while your past working experience follows behind. In most situations, chronological resumes are often used by people with little experience in a particular field.

When you describe your little experience using a chronological resume, the employer can learn about what you are working on for the past few years.

Hiring managers consider this type of CV more often when they are hiring people for an entry-level position.

When the recruiters are reviewing a chronological resume, they only want to see your previous involvement in a particular field and how far you have grown in that same field.

A chronological resume as a backward chronology consists of all your achievement in your career path. Before you consider using a chronological resume, you must have experience in a particular field.

If you have no experience, the chronological resume is not meant for you. Recruiters that review chronological resumes often focus on the previous work experience of their applicants.

But when they are not satisfied with the specified work experience, they may fail to contact the candidate and move on to the next available candidate on the list.

When should you use a Chronological Resume?

• When you always encounter similar jobs: If you put your entire focus on working in a particular field, for instance, the medical field, your chances of staying ahead of your competitors will likely increase.

Recruiters prefer to work with experts who have similar job experience than people with combined job experiences. If you have maintained the same job role for several years in several companies, your chronological resume will likely capture the attention of recruiters fast enough.

You will become an asset in the eyes of hiring managers if you have similar job experience. Therefore, if your experiences are unique, proceed to apply for jobs using a chronological resume.

• When you are seeking jobs similar to your current job: Sometimes, you may be working in a particular organization, but you need to seek a better opportunity in another field.

Since your knowledge is still fresh in that particular field, employers will consider working with you to boost their productivity. When you include your current experience in your resume, it will notify the recruiters about your current set of skills.

If you have other previous work histories, you should go-ahead to include them in your resume. You will not only inform the recruiters about your abilities, but you have also increased your chances of securing the job.

When you wish to switch similar careers between organizations, endeavor to tailor your chronological resume based on the contributions that you can make to your new job role.

• When you wish to upgrade your career and take greater responsibility: Sometimes, the need to upgrade your career may arise. Although you may not meet up the job requirement, the zeal to switch your career to such a position may arise.

If you wish to uphold greater responsibility in a new working environment, you need to present yourself especially.

Most recruiters are willing to consider the application of rising stars than some professionals in some cases. But you have to prove to them that you will attract a positive change to their day-to-day operations if you hope to win over their heart. 

How to arrange a Curriculum Vitae

When it comes to writing a Curriculum Vitae, especially as it is applicable in the UK, you must know that it is credential-based as opposed to competency-based.

You are required to be a little bit creative. To write creatively enough and win the heart of the recruiter. The chronological resume is professionally written in the following approach.

• Name and contact information: The first information that you are supposed to include in your chronological resume is your name and contact information. You are expected to include your full name, contact number, and email address.

Apart from this information, you can decide to include other optional details such as links to your online portfolios, and other platforms.

However, you may need to keep your contact information strictly to the generally approved format of writing it. But additional information will give your recruiter more alternatives to contact you.

• Summary or Objective: There is a need to include a well-summarized professional statement added at the top of your resume.

The essence of adding the objective section in your chronological resume is to provide the recruiter with a quick context about yourself.

You can also include your years of experience in a particular industry and an overview of your professional skills. If you are still a new graduate, you should focus on analyzing your most valuable short-term goals in your objective section.

Your primary goal should rely on convincing your employer about your ability to perfect very well if your application is ever considered.

• Professional experience: The next stage is to include your professional experience.

This section should consist of all your relevant work history ranging from your current position backward. When you are outlining your professional experience, you must write creatively to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Telling lies to your employer will lower your chances of getting the job. Therefore, you must learn to tell the truth to your employer.

If your work experience is tailored to a particular sector, your chances of getting employed will be high.

• Credentials: While writing your educational background, you should endeavor to structure it to your professional experience.

You may begin by first listing your most recent educational achievement and then go backward. For example, when your highest qualification is a college degree, you should begin the education section with your college qualifications.

You should also add your high school background to this section. Whatever educational experiences that you have acquired should be added to this section.

• Skills and abilities: Writing your chronological resume without skills and abilities may deny you the opportunity of being hired. You need to include your technical skills or hard skills and interpersonal or soft skills in this section.

Before you proceed to list your skills, you should consider if they are relevant for the vacant position. Therefore, you should carefully select some particular skills to include in your resume.

Your skill section should mostly consist of your recent possessed abilities that can increase your chances of getting the job.

Should You go for Hybrid Resume?

Combination resumes can also be referred to as hybrid resumes. They involve the combination of chronological and functional resumes.

Since recruiters prepare to read resumes that are less complex, the need to include a chronology of work experience while writing combination resume usually arise.

The essence of using combination chronology in a combination resume is to boost your chances of getting the employer’s attention before others.

When you begin to write this type of resume, endeavor to concentrate on the basic information that the employers are hoping to see.

The details or skills may not be your most recent knowledge, still, ensure that you keep them at the top. Who is combination resumes meant for?

Not everyone is expected to write a combination resume. Therefore, it is meant for unique job applicants.

In most situations, senior professionals with an advanced set of skills are usually encouraged to use a combination resume for most of their job applications.

Therefore, once you have advanced your skills to a professional standard, you should always present your details using a hybrid resume.

Generally, a hybrid resume can enable you to emphasize more on your work experience and unique set of skills in just a single resume. Most professional adopt this method to make their professional background appears more promising.

Unlike other types of resumes, combination resumes enable you to create a fast general overview of your real employment history and your strength in reaching a unique goal within an organization.

You can also describe your top skills and qualifications to the recruiter through this style of writing. With this approach, you will remain outstanding and stay ahead of other job applicants.

When is the best time to use a combination resume?

• When you have employment gaps in your work history: If you have a huge employment gap in your work history, you may need to consider using a combination resume.

The employment gap can be a period between weeks, months, and sometimes years. Your employment gap may exist for a couple of reasons which may include travel, health issues, or any other challenges.

No matter what the problem might be, you should try to provide a clear description of yourself using a combination resume.

• When you are going through a career change: Sometimes, the need to change from one career to another may arise. When you are plagued with this? you are expected to write with a combination resume.

The essence of using a hybrid resume is to present the transformation process you encountered on the course of changing your career using your resume.

For example, when you are changing from a medical doctor to an astronaut. You need to use a combination resume to present yourself in a unique way to the recruiter.

• When you are an expert or senior-level candidate: Professionals are expected to present themselves especially.

Since they have lots of skills that the recruiter may need to see, they should always use combination resumes to increase their chances of getting the job.

If you are a professional in any particular field, you are much better than an average job applicant.

Therefore, you must specially present yourself to win the heart of your recruiter. A combination resume will give you the privilege of expressing your diverse set of skills in line with your experiences.

Every recruiter anticipates working with professionals. But before they jump to the conclusion to hire one, you have to present yourself in a unique way using a combination resume. 

How to write a combination resume

The method of writing a combination resume is quite different from other types of resumes. You have to combine a functional resume and a chronological resume to get a combination resume. Always include the following details in your combination resume;

• Contact information: The need to start your combination resume with contact information is essential. The recruiter has to learn about you before learning about your skills and work history.

Your contact information should consist of your name, home address, city, state, ZIP code, email address, phone number, and updated links to your professional website and online portfolios.

• Professional summary or objective statement: The addition of 2 to 5 sentences as your professional summary or object statement will enlighten your employer about your top qualification for the job.

You need to summarize your career goal as a compelling introduction in this section. Some job applicants are confused based on the appropriate information to add to their professional summary.

When you don’t actually know how to begin, start by writing your principal skills, notable accomplishments, career goals, and special competence.

As you proceed to write your professional summary, you should always keep in mind that the information you include in this section will determine if the recruiter will read the rest of your resume.

• First skills section: The first skill section has to be written professionally using a simple bulleted list. You should always keep in mind that the label which you give to this section will determine if your employer will find you worthy of the job.

You can attach the following labels to this section; “Technical Skills,” “Summary of Qualifications,” “Skills,” “Professional Skills,” “Soft Skills,” “Relevant Skills,” etc.

As you begin to include your professional skills, always make sure that they match your job description perfectly. The employer will only find you worthy of the job if you possess the needed skills.

The combination resume format you decide to adopt will determine where you will include this section.

Most experts will encourage you to add it before or after the experience section depending on your chosen resume style and what you want to add. Your skills must match the job description at a close range.

The section should also come before or after the experience section. But it might still be placed within a second column, before the design you choose. But this has to depend on the design you chose.

• An optional additional skills section: You can decide to separate the first skill section from the second skill section. But just like the first skill section, you should add a bulleted list to this section as well.

Although the skills may differ from the first skill section, you still have to include a different title and unique abilities in this additional skill section. Remember to use each skill effectively, and align it with the recruiters’ requirement for the job details. This section can also be added before or after the experience section.

• Your work experience: Keep in mind that this section should be written as a reverse-chronological list which should consist of the company’s name, dates you worked with them by months, and other accomplishments you acquired from the company. You may include these

measurable achievements with the final result of each in a bulleted list. The essence of adding your work experience to your combination resume is to support your skills.

The employer will be more convinced that you can do the job perfectly through this section. Therefore, you must carefully outline it considering your abilities and potentials.

• Your education qualification: Your combination resume is incomplete without your educational qualification. This section should include all the schools you attended ranging from the latest backward.

You should add the degrees which you have earned, and your specific area of study. You can also include some academic awards or honors you received in this section.

• Other information: In this section, you should proceed to include other relevant information to give yourself an added advantage over other job applicants.

The additional information to add to your resume consists of community leadership activities, additional school certificates, awards, etc.

However, you must ensure that the added information relates to your job. If it doesn’t relate, you may have added no extra value to your resume.

Writing a Functional resume:

A functional resume is also referred to as a skills-based resume that focuses more on your skills and less on your work history.

Instead of following the unique method of writing a chronological resume, you will be required to choose specifically, the most useful responsibilities from your previous job roles. These selected relevant responsibilities will be combined to give colorful attributes to your skillset.

Functional resumes take nearly a common structure with chronological resumes. But people with up to 5 years of working experience are required to apply for jobs using a functional resume.

Functional resume skips the chronological method of writing a resume to concentrate more on the relevant experience of job applicants.

Unlike some types of resumes, a functional resume usually begins with qualification sections that analyze the conclusion of all kinds of qualifications of the applicants.

The position you are applying for will also determine whether you will need a functional resume or go for a chronological resume.

If the recruiter specifies in the job description that you should submit only a functional resume, do not hesitate to specify your qualifications to increase your chances of getting hired.

The layout of a functional resume usually begins with your name and contact information, before listing your technical skills, interest, and education.

When to Use Functional Resume

• When you have work experience that is similar to your target job: Throughout your career journey, you may acquire several skills that may boost your chances of getting your dream job.

Even if your recent job role does not match your target position, your past work experience can still qualify you for the target position.

Therefore, a functional resume may appear as the best choice when you hope to work in a more unique job position.

Sometimes, a combination resume may be more effective for this role. But you can also use a functional resume depending on the best ways you desire to present yourself.

• When you apply for a job based on your previous work history: In a situation where you have held several job positions in the past, you may need to include the experiences you gained to your functional resume.

Most employers will likely consider your application based on these experiences. As you proceed to write your past work history, ensure that you tell the truth.

The worst thing that can ever happen to a job applicant is when the person lies about the work history. Most hiring managers are smart enough to detect a job applicant who is faking a work history.

• When you are a fresh graduate with no work experience: Since functional resumes focus more on skills and less on work history, they can serve as the best type of resume for fresh graduations.

A new graduate, chronological, or combination resume will never work for you. If you decide to fake your work history, the employer will easily find out with time.

You shouldn’t feel bad writing a functional resume as a fresh graduate, as your chances will increase if the recruiter is giving entry-level employment.

• When you have stayed out of work for some time: Sometimes, some situations may push you to stay out of work for some time.

Some of these situations may include illness, taking time to travel, etc. If you are in these situations, you make lack work experience to include in your chronological resume. Therefore, a functional resume may serve as the perfect option for you to take. When you stay out of jobs for a year or longer, you need to present yourself to a recruiter using a functional resume.

How to write a Functional Resume

1. Functional resumes have some unique features that make them different from the rest. You can write your functional resume following this approach;

• Contact information: You can begin your functional resume with your contact information. You must be specific in describing your name, address, email, phone number, and other contact details.
• Summary statement: Write your summary statement professionally to increase your chances of getting the job. If you are a new graduate, focus on describing your skills and abilities in this section. It will boost your chances of securing the job.
• Skills section: This section is important in a functional resume. You must describe the potential skills that made you fit for the job.

Even if you don’t have working experience, you should have some skills that will make the employer consider hiring you for the job. As a newbie to the workforce, you should list out only skills that you possess.

If you are not too sure of such skills, do not include them in your functional resume. Your employer will certainly ask you questions based on your added skills.

• Abbreviated work history: If you don’t have any working experience, you may skip this section. But if you have acquired some working experience, even if it lasted for some months, endeavor to add it to this section.

You should be able to convince your employer that you are fit for the job with your experience. You may also decide to include your employment dates and even years, depending on your work history.

• Education: Your functional resume is incomplete without your educational qualification. You need to add the school which you have attended, the course you studied and the degree you earned. You should also include other academic qualifications in this section.

Other types of Resume Explained

1. Scannable Resume:

Scannable resumes are a unique form of resume whereby the job applicants scan the resume inform of an image into the computer.

At the early stage, a scannable resume takes the form of traditional resumes which exist as a paper resume, before it is being scanned into the computer as an image.

Unlike the traditional resumes which are often read by the human eyes, scannable resumes are read by the computer.

When you submit your resume online and you are required to paste it into the text box, keep in mind that you are submitting a scannable resume.

But if you upload a PDF file, you are far from submitting a scannable resume. In recent times, most top companies’ uses this approach to save time and access the entire thousands of applications for job applicants frequently.

If you are to submit a scannable resume, you should focus more on submitting only the essential key terms.

The employer does not require unnecessary information while accessing your resume. Therefore, you should endeavor to keep your resume as neat as possible to stand out from your rivals.

Your primary goal should focus on creating your resume in a way that the computer will think you are fit for the vacant position.

While writing a scannable resume, you should never practice the act of copying and pasting your traditional resumes into the online text box. If you decide to use this method, your chances of getting the job will be lowered.

Instead, make out time to write creatively and include the key terms if you are willing to increase your chances of getting the job.

When should you use a scannable resume?

• When you are submitting the resume to a fortune 500 company: Most top companies have never considered accepting the traditional resume in recent times.

They prefer to opt for a scannable resume as the computer will go through the whole submitted resume and select the best candidates for the interview.

However, some top companies still accept the traditional resume. In every job description, the company will indicate the perfect way you are expected to follow and submit your resume.

Therefore, you have to make sure that you are encouraged to submit your resume in the scannable form before you proceed with the process.

• When you are urged to submit via any preferable method: Some organizations are biased enough to give their job applicants several options to make.

Some of them usually allow their applicants to submit resumes following any desirable approach. If you are opportune to submit your resume to such an organization, you should go for a scannable resume.

If your scannable resume is arranged accordingly, the computer will surely select you for the job interview.

How to write a Scannable resume

Before you consider writing a scannable resume endeavor to visit the employers’ websites to see their list of guidelines.

You are meant to read through this guideline before submitting your resume to the recruiter. In general, you are meant to obey certain rules of a scannable resume. Since it is not attractive to the human eyes, you have to write it in such a way that the computer will consider you employable to the organization.

Endeavor to use white or light-colored 8 ½ x 11-inch paper for your writing. You are meant to use a standard font like Arial or Times which can easily be recognized by the computer. Keep in mind that your standard font size should be kept between 10 and 14 points. A scannable resume should not contain bold, italics, and underlying features. The computer finds it difficult to understand these features when used.

It is also advisable to avoid using bullets in your scannable resume as the computer will find it difficult to understand what you are writing. It can misinterpret empty bullet as letter o.

Endeavor to include additional paragraph breaks between each section to separate them visibly. You should create your scannable resume following this approach;

• Contact information: Begin your scannable resume with your contact information, including your name, telephone number, and address.
• Objective statement: You need to include your objective statement to inform your employer about your potential to work professionally in the organization.
• Skills section: Be strategic in mentioning your potential skills in this section. Keep in mind that you should list them without bullets as the computer may misinterpret your potential skills.
• Work experience: List your present and past work experience in this section.
• Education: Consisting of all your educational qualifications.

Writing a Curriculum Vitae:

Curriculum Vita is commonly used by experts working in the education sector.

Basically, people use curriculum vita to give a long description of their jobs and anticipate getting a promotion from the establishment they are working with.

Most academic workers are familiar with CVs as it is the best type of resume to use and seek for promotion. Sometimes, CVs are used to evaluate the activities of a college professor.

Unlike resumes that keep to a page and maximum of two pages, curriculum vitae can reach the length of 30 – 40 pages.

Some positions require more than the regular resume. Therefore, if you are going for a position that requires your CV, you should devote more time to ensure that the application meets up the basic requirement. Before you begin to write your CV, you should make out time to figure out the basic information that should be added to it.

You have to package your CV in a way that will capture the attention of the recruiter. Therefore, you should not present it without looking deeply at the points.

You still have to make further inquiries before adding any further detailed descriptions to your CVs. The essence of making this enquire is to ensure that you remained on the safer side and get what you are seeking.

When to use the Curriculum Vitae

• When you are seeking academic promotion: If you are already working in an academic establishment, the need to apply for promotion may arise with time.

To satisfy this need, you should create a CV to contain all your information including all your accomplishments, projects, and many others.

Since you have enough space to provide some detailed information about yourself, you should take the advantage to express yourself more. However, you should always keep in mind that your CV should be comprehensive to meet up the recruiter’s demand.

• When you wish to present a full history of your academic credential: From time to time, the need to present your full academic credential may arise.

When you find yourself in such a situation, you should use a CV to express yourself. Your future employer may demand that you provide a comprehensive detail about your academic credential. A CV can help you to win the person’s heart.

How to write Curriculum Vitae

As you proceed to write your Curriculum Vitae, you should consider listing all your qualifications in full detail. Endeavor to outline features that will increase your chances of getting the job. Write your Curriculum Vitae following this format;

• Contact information: Your contact information such as your name, address, state zip code, city, address, and name must be clearly described in this contact information.
• Summary Statement: You may consider this section as an optional part of the curriculum vitae. It should come as a summarized highlight of your overall career path.
• Education: In this section, should include all the institutions attended including the location, degree, and graduation date.
• Work experience: Outline your employment history following the reverse chronological order. You may need to break this into several sections based on your area of specialization. For example, if you specialize in teaching, you may need to call this section, “Teaching Experience.”
• Post-Doctoral Training: If you are submitting the resume as a doctor, you may need to list your postdoctoral research or other clinical experience in this section. This will give your employer an insight into the effort you have made to upgrade your skills.
• Fellowship / Grants: If you have participated in any internships or fellowships, you will need to list them in this section. You also need to include the organization you worked with, the type of fellowship, and dates. If you have received any grants from any organizations, you should proceed to add a certain amount of money awarded to you for each grant.
• Honors / Awards: If you have received any academic award from any organization, you may need to include it in this section.
• Conferences / Talks: At this point, you should outline the list of presentations or invited talks that you have received. If you have organized any conferences or panels in this past, this is the perfect section to list them out.
• Service: Add the entire services you are rendered to your department in this section. These services can include serving as an administrative assistant, serving as an advisor to students, etc.
• Licenses / Certification: In this section, you are expected to list out all your licenses, accreditation, and certification received on different occasions.
• Publications / Books: If you have written any books, articles, book reviews, etc, it is time to add them up to your resume. This section consists of all your publications, date of publications, page numbers, etc.
• Professional Affiliations: In this section, you should proceed to list out all the professional organizations that you belong to. You should also outline a position that you hold in such an organization.
• Interest: Indicate your areas of interest in this section. However, this section is optional, but you may consider telling your employer about your expertise here.
• References: Outline your references at the end of your CV. Always keep in mind that your reference has to depend on your field.

Writing a Creative Resume

In recent times, a creative resume is slowly taking over the way people apply for a job. Although a creative resume is effective, it is still not meant for everyone.

Once you proceed to write a creative resume, you are required to be creative to successfully write one.

Generally, a creative resume is designed to be full of color. Experts use a creative resume to express themselves and their potential to the recruiter. Most creative people design these resumes as an infographic.

People required to submit this type of resume are mostly experts in the graphic designing field.

The recruiter usually anticipates seeing their creative skills before opting to work with them. If you browser samples on creative resumes, you will see lots of interesting images that will capture your interest.

If you desire to send a creative resume to your employer, you should endeavor to make appear as clean as possible. Employers will surely be interested in working with you if your skills are creative enough.

When should you design a creative resume?

• When the recruiter requests it: Recruiters that request creative resumes are very selective. They do not ask every job applicant to submit a resume to them.

Therefore, they sometimes request that people should forward their creative resumes to them for profiling.

If your recruiter does not request a creative resume, do not submit one to the email. Instead, forward your traditional resume and wait for further instruction from him.

• When you feel like expressing yourself graphically: If you desire to add a colorful attribute to your resume, you should go ahead and create a creative resume.

You can meet a graphic designer to create one for you. The essence of adding a creative resume to your traditional resume is to increase your chances of winning the recruiter’s heart.

How to write a Creative resume

Not everyone is meant to use the word process to design their resume. When you are submitting an application as a graphics designer, you need to come up with a creative resume.

You should select your fonts carefully, and use a unique color to express yourself. Since you are a designer, you should try to make your work appear as clean as possible.

Your creative design must follow the latest trend to appear satisfactory before your employer.

Endeavor to keep your work brief and tell the truth to your recruiter. There is a need to showcase your personality through this form of writing.

Your employer will be more pleased to see your previous work and see how your users will help the organization.

Ensure that you do not plagiarize and always demonstrate consistency. You should add your contact information to your creative resume.

This form of writing will enable your recruiter to easily contact you without much stress.

CONCLUSION

Just before you are done…Have this at the back of your mind.

Cambria, Calibri, Georgia, and Verdana are examples of professional fonts. Sizes range from 11pt to 12pt.

Line spacing should be one.

All four sides have 1-inch margins.

There is a lot of white space to allow readers to breathe.

Large section heads.

There are no gimmicky graphics.

There are no photos.

A professional profile, job experience, education, skills, and more elements are all included.

The format is standard: reverse-chronological, functional, or a mix of the two.

Your resume is your gateway to a successful interview.