In a highly competitive environment, writing a good resume isn’t enough. Your bio might contain all the reasons why you are the best for the job. Still, there’s no guarantee that the HR specialist will choose you among dozens of other candidates with equally good resumes. That is why your aim should be to improve resume so that your document would stand out, grab the HR specialist’s attention, and make a lasting impression.
There are many subtle details that can bring your resume improvement efforts to a new level of efficacy. Below, I will explain how to boost your resume and make it as good as it can be. The very first thing you need to do, however, is to write a draft document containing all the information that any standard resume presents. Do not worry about not being a brilliant resume writer at this stage. The most important thing is to gather all the details, which you will later perfect using the following tips.
Ways to Improve Resume
So, you’ve taken a while to put down the information about your previous work experience, duties, accomplishments, education, extracurricular activities, and volunteering. Then, put your draft CV aside for a day or two. From my experience, a fresh perspective makes improving my resume way quicker and more effective. Now, it’s time to find out how to perfect your resume and turn it from a good but average document into an outstanding advertisement of your candidature.
Tailor your resume to each specific position.
This step might be quite time-consuming when you apply for several positions at once. However, it is the one that can help you pull ahead of your competitors. Many applicants disregard this somewhat tiresome routine, thus not following their example is to your advantage. Moreover, you can turn it into a helpful tool when you are running out of powerful words to describe your candidature in a favorable light. Scan the job announcement and pick the critical keywords, which you can later integrate into your own resume. In such a way, you will demonstrate that you have done your “homework” and took the time to write your resume using the employer’s language. Besides, this will enable the document to be recognized by the applicant tracking systems as qualified.
Focus on your accomplishments.
Nothing demonstrates your value as a potential employee better than a striking list of your accomplishments. The HR specialists who will be skimming your resume will quickly get bored by the dull enumeration of duties and responsibilities at your previous places of employment. Measurable accomplishments are what they will be looking for. So make sure you’ve not just included them in your resume but also made them pop. Add numbers and percentages with context to the descriptions of your accomplishments. Use action verbs to further emphasize the value you’ve added to your previous employers.
Strive for excellent readability.
Always keep in mind that the HR specialist will be taking just a few seconds to skim your resume and decide whether it is worth taking a more thorough look. Excellent readability ensures that those few seconds will be spent on actually learning about your accomplishments and skills, not just trying to find them among the pages. An easy-to-read, modern yet conservative font is recommended for this purpose. Avoid improving resume with exuberant multicolored designs unless a creative approach to resume writing is expected from you. Use bulleted lists with 3-7 points to display the most important details of your work experience. Also, make sure that your contact information is easy to find.
Keep relevance in mind.
Since your resume works as a promotional advertisement of your candidature, the information it contains should serve the aim of demonstrating that you are fit for the job. Avoid cluttering your resume with details that have zero relevance to the job you are applying for. After all, the HR specialist doesn’t need to know all your life history; he or she needs to know whether you are qualified or not. Remember about those few seconds it takes to skim your resume? Let everything the recruiter sees speak clearly about the relevant experience and skills you possess.
Make sure grammar is impeccable.
Last but not least, perfect grammar is a must. Proofread your document a few times before submitting it. Special grammar checking software is a great assistant in this task. Also, analyze your language in terms of complexity and readability. While you want to sound competent, avoid using excessively sophisticated vocabulary if you don’t want the HR specialist to have a hard time deciphering your resume.
Conclusion
Now you’ve learned how to improve your resume with our tips, the next step for you to take is practice. There’s always something you can make better about your resume, so why not do it. After all, getting to the top requires constant improvement, and your resume should represent this principle as well.
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