Elements of the Perfect Resume

This article was written by Evelyn Robinson and she is a guest on my blog
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Constructing a good resume can be a difficult and frustrating process. Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of selling their positive qualities and others find it difficult to even identify those qualities in the first place. However, the entire process becomes a lot easier if you understand the different elements which combine to make up the perfect resume.

Recruiters can often be faced with hundreds or even thousands of resumes to work their way through and, as a result, landing the job requires you to make your resume jump out from the pack, catch the eye of the HR representative who is dealing with that process and ensure that it contains the information necessary to earn you an interview.

The Importance of Formatting

When a recruiter makes the decision to advertise a job, they will almost certainly already have a vision in mind of their ideal candidate; the qualities they will have and the content they hope to see on that person's resume. Yet, before it even gets to that stage, your resume has to stand out enough to catch the eye of the HR department. Research shows that, on average, just one interview is granted for every 200 resumes received and, because the eye is naturally drawn to the top half of a page, that section of your resume will either make you or break you before they even get to reading the content included.

The top of your resume should clearly contain your full name and several contact details, so that the employer can get in touch either by phone, email or through the post. Additionally, the page should be structured in clear sections; a personal statement, an outline of your previous work experience, your academic qualifications and your key skills. A clear, consistent structure to the resume will make it more instantly pleasing on the eye and thereby increase the chances of the content actually being read.

Whether your resume should be one page or two is the matter of some debate, though general opinion holds that, unless you are applying for a job, it is best to keep your resume to one page. This shows consideration for the person sorting through the pile of resumes and also forces you to reduce the contents to the best and most essential information.

Key Points for Quality Content

The content is ultimately what is going to land you an interview, or land your resume in the garbage and there are several key points to keep in mind when writing it.

Firstly, your resume should not be general. You need to amend it to suit the job description of the role you are applying for and, with the ideal resume being just one page long, you need to make sure it is concise and only contains relevant information.

Most employers are going to be interested in your previous work experience, as this is the information which will tell them whether you have a proven track record of being able to work in similar companies, similar roles and with similar pressures and expectations.

It is important that you do not simply write your job description and think the recruiter will understand everything involved in it. Be specific. List your personal, individual responsibilities and express the things which you can personally bring to the table. Remember, you are selling yourself, not your previous employer, so simply explaining what your previous company saw your role as being is not enough. Seeing as work experience is important to most employers, it would be sensible to include it in the top half of the resume, where research shows that people's eyes are instantly drawn.

Finally, try not to take up too much valuable space on your resume with your academic qualifications. Highlight the highest level of qualification you have, list the core subjects and your grades, as well as any qualifications which are specifically relevant to the role you are applying for. After that, your academic qualifications become much less important than your previous work experience and the specific skills you can offer.

Avoid Using Too Many 'Buzzwords'

It can be tempting to use key 'buzzwords' to try and catch the eye of the recruitment team, and to an extent it's fine, but it is important not to over-do it. Highlighting your communication skills is fine, but try to give examples of what makes you a better communicator than the average person.

Personal statements which simply read like a list of key phrases are a huge turn-off to employers. If you write that you are "hard-working, enthusiastic, with excellent communication skills" you need to be able to back those things up on the resume, or else you're just like the other 200 applicants, who probably used the same descriptions of themselves.

Keep in mind, you are competing with other people just to get an interview. Make yourself seem different enough from them to warrant one.

Posted via email from The Landing Expert