How to create the perfect resume? The change of work before Covid-19 was not an easy task, but today finding a position with a high salary, a desire to change a career or a search for a vocation will require great efforts. The first task is to update your knowledge on how to write a resume, how to get an interview, how to get a job that will bring you income and satisfaction. The success of a job search depends on several factors: education, work experience, key skills, and the ability to correctly present your strengths.
How to write a successful resume
Summary, if strictly - a structured description of work experience, professional achievements, education, skills necessary for a successful career. A resume is the first contact between a company and a candidate.
Choose a suitable resume format
There are 3 types:
- reverse chronological - career description in the reverse order, from the position to the beginning of the work biography
- functional - the applicant lists the skills acquired at different times and in different positions
- combined type - combines the features of both.
The reverse chronological option is traditional, familiar to the employer. But for those who are looking for work in the creative field, a standard resume will not allow them to clearly present themselves to the recruiter. Reading a functional resume, the manager understands what you can do, but it’s hard for him to assess what your career dynamics were like: how often you changed jobs, whether you want to mask your inability to stay in one place for a long time. Are you a project specialist and working on specific tasks? Indicate this at the very beginning of the text - and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
The combined format is suitable for professionals with experience who want to change their profession - it allows you to emphasize universal skills, stages of the work path. The latter type of resume is not suitable for beginners.
Add contact information and personal details
The most important thing when writing this paragraph is to know which information should be provided and which should be kept. Contact information: first name, last name (middle name is optional), phone number, email address. Add social networks if this is a professional platform for you. Are you a designer? Give a link to Behance. IT specialist? On github. If you are developing a personal brand on Instagram and it will attract customers, tell us about it. Do you have a blog or website with professional content? Add the URL to your contact information.
Start with a spectacular headline.
When a recruiter views a resume, he, as a user of a social network with a attention deficit, spends less than 7 seconds on each candidate during preliminary scrolling. During this time, you need to make the first impression, that is, literally from the first sentence to grab attention. The title or the first sentence should create an attractive image of your candidacy, and if you manage to do it witty, then you will definitely get a little more attention. Read: “A friendly call center operator with 2 years of experience is ready to solve any customer difficulties without losing professionalism and self-control.” The offer sounds easy and at the same time contains key information about the applicant.
List your work experience and key achievements
A good resume will work when you apply for a job for which you have relevant experience - just listing your routine responsibilities is not enough. Focus on achievements, confirm your skills, successes, mention the company name - this will make the text personalized, include digital indicators (95% - customer satisfaction based on the results of the 2019 report, KPI performance indicators). If you are a beginner job seeker and are looking for your first job, then focus on what you can do: what you learned at the university, on the internship, in which projects you took part. At the beginning of the description, it is better to immediately write about the lack of real work experience. If, in addition to the main responsibilities, you did something that will demonstrate your initiative, ambition and motivation, include this in your resume.
Include useful keywords in this section - words that describe experience, skills. Employment managers and candidate tracking systems scan resumes for keywords, check to see if they meet certain requirements. As the bot’s resume reads: “Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blad ". To become visible to him, evenly distribute the keywords on the resume.
For candidates with great experience, it’s important to indicate the last 15 years of their career: you can not tell the top manager how he started as a truck driver in the logistics department if he claims to be a manager.
Include soft skills in your list of advantages - adaptability, social activity, teamwork skills (if you really possess them).
Do not forget about education
Speaking of education, start with the highest degree you have obtained (Master of Law, MBA or Bachelor of Journalism). Indicate additional certificates, continuing education courses - demonstrate that you do not stand still.
Mark language skills
This will increase your value as a potential employee, especially in international corporations or in employment abroad. Indicate language, level of proficiency, certificate.
Include additional resume sections
If you are engaged in a volunteer project and this will open you up as a competent organizer, socially responsible citizen, the goals of the project are in tune with the ideology of the company, tell us about it. Here you can also mention publications and your own projects, not directly related to your future position, but allowing you to see you as a talented person, capable of life in multitasking mode.
Complete your resume with a cover letter
This is the second opportunity to make a strong impression. The advantage of writing is that you contact the recruiter directly, speak in an informal language, but it is better to use a clear structure that will allow you to save logic.
Parts of the letter:
- header with the correct job title and the name of the hiring manager
- business greeting
- first paragraph with the title of the current position, key skills, experience
- 2 and 3 paragraphs explaining what will allow you to succeed in a new position, why the company suits you
- concluding paragraph and signature.
Add a postscript, a catchy feature: mention a special achievement or a bright project.
Feel free to correct and remove the excess!
The resume should include only details about your work experience and skills that are relevant to the selected position. Reread the text at the end, cross your fingers for good luck and send your resume to your dream job. And may luck always be with you!
