Employment Evergreen

5 Tips To Help Improve Your Resume To Further Your Career

resume
Written by Faizan Patankar
resume

photo credit: hanzabean

Sponsored Post by TRUD Jobsite

Any HR manger would say that most resumes they read are the same. Here are some tips to help you create a resume which will automatically become an invitation for an interview.

Think as an HR manger

Every HR manager scans a resume in 25 seconds and decides what to do next. You should create a simple and easy-to-understand resume.

  • Be logical and try to create clear headings.
  • Use short lists for important points.

Identify your skills

Hiring manager look for employees that would help them solve problems within the company. Therefore, your performance cannot be a solution to the problems of a particular company without stating how you coped with the same problems in other situations or companies.

  • Focus on things that you did in your previous job, NOT what your job was. There is a difference here.
  • Include one or two top lines of job description first, then you can write a list of your accomplishments.
  • For every point you should ask yourself: “What were the advantages of having done what I did?”
  • Your accomplishments have to apply to you personally. Do not use a list of someone else’s accomplishments.
  • Avoid generic descriptions of the jobs you previously held.

Quantify your accomplishments

There is too much general information that hiring managers read every day. Your resume should only contain things relevant to you and duties that you performed at your last position.

  • Highlight the achievements that show a full picture of your competitive ability.
  • Quantify your achievements to gain the confidence of the HR manager.

Apply your resume to the industry

  • Unlike design and advertising professionals that have the skills to design a creative resume, the industry of mechanical engineering will not be very impressed and can be turned off by your resume’s distinctive design.
  • Err on the side of being stylistically conservative. Grammatically-correct, clean, and mistakes-free writing and a crisp font will make the right impression of you.
  • The “Career Summary” provides a brief overview of you and your career history and aspirations. A lot of “objectives” sound similar: Seeking an interesting, challenging position in X, where I will be able to use my skills to achieve the bottom line. Not exciting at all.
  • Grab the attention of the HR manager right from the beginning. Remember, you have only 25 seconds to make a positive impression. Spend your time developing a career summary that instantly gets his/her attention, and accurately describes you as the solution to the company’s specific problems.

Network, network, and network

For a candidate who is unemployed, handing out resumes has to be a full-time job. Most senior to mid-level positions are occupied thanks to networking, so keep in contact with absolutely everyone you know. In addition, network with recruiters acquainted with you and in a position to hire you or share insight. Networking includes:

  • Your personal business contacts: people who have worked for you or you have worked for.
  • Sales representatives and vendors you have dealt with previously.
  • With a perfect resume you will be able to increase your chances of finding and securing a desirable position in your field of interest.

Sponsored Post by TRUD Jobsite

About the author

Faizan Patankar

I started Career Geek Blog in 2011 to share my experience in job-hunting. I now focus on careers industry and blogging is just a tool to share that info. Love hacking careers. During the day I focus on my hobby - Engineering.