Many people ask whether you must have a professionally written resume? The answer is very simple.
You really do want a professional resume.
What many experts do not say is that resumes just account for a limited part of their hiring decision. They are the beginning of the interviewing process and need to be an crisp marketing document. We review dozens of resumes each week from professionals, and the huge majority of these are frankly pretty weak.
These days it requires a lot to impress a demanding hiring manager. The goal is to create an effective resume that has no tricks… it just tells a great career success story.
Here is what makes an outstanding professional resume stand out from the rest.
It is simple to review.
Everything is well organized: Spacing is appropriate, business names in bold, roles italicized and project details organized using bullet points. And without fail, no mistakes anywhere. Employers prefer the font was nothing exotic. (Meaning whether on a screen or in hard copy.)
It portrays a career success tale.
A document tells a story concerning the candidate’s professional path. There are not any info gaps. In only a couple of seconds, employers manage to observe that a exact pattern of the candidate’s career development. To put it differently, the chronological collection of work history in sequence of date, with the latest position in the top which shows a very clear progression of executive roles and much more responsibilities.
It states accomplishments, instead of only responsibilities.
What companies really want to know is whether you are an above average candidate who is capable of producing quantifiable results. It is always preferred to highlight your duties by describing your most noteworthy achievements.
Real world cases:
- Instead of saying “Ran operations for global markets,” consider “Enlarged operations to eight new states in the Midwest region.”
- Rather than”Led sales and marketing department,” write “Led sales and marketing staff and attained 27 percent yearly increase while just enlarging the funding by 7.5 percent.”
It tells the facts.
When a hiring firm reviews a resume there should never be issues that raise a yellow flag during the review. Everything reads as credible and the amounts are not a tall tale. Better still, the professional resume has hyperlinks into the individual’s LinkedIn URL and personal web page, which details a portfolio of her work. This makes it simpler for employers to check the work history, which then make the candidate look to be an honest individual.
What is wise advice? Always tell the truth on your resume. Period.
While large accomplishments and recognizable business names will provide you an edge, make no mistake: Firms will likely complete a background check and should they learn that you lied about something, will be game over.
It does not include some well-worn statements.
Adding any of these overused terms will make a hiring executive sigh in exasperation.
- Team player
- Energetic
- Driven
- Results-driven
More real world cases:
- Instead of saying “great communicator,” state “Presented at customer events and gave keynote speech at major industry event.”
- Rather than”highly inventive,” consider “Designed and executed new worldwide program tracking platform.”
The best way for a hiring manager to receive a resume is via a warm recommendation.
Not everybody is going to have a relationship with someone at their dream firm, but knowing somebody who will refer you is the best means to get an hiring manager’s attention.
The simple fact that when your professional resume arrives via a recommendation by a respected colleague, it makes that person need to find out more about you.
Broadcasting your resume anyplace will not get you a job. Here is the truth: you need to go out of your way to receive a warm introduction if at all possible. If you do not have a relationship at the firm, do some research and discover someone who knows somebody with a relationship. After that, ask your possible referral for a introductory call.
As soon as you’ve created a new relationship, inform them about the job opening you are considering and ask if they could recommend you. If it’s possible to make this occur, your resume will probably get in the right hands.