How To Create A Great Resume
Does not matter the decade, time, or area, resumes stand elite in showcasing your most esteemed assets. They are more important than ever to be on top of when finding a top-quality job in 2023. Taking the time to highlight your valuable skills will get you far in the job hunt. So, what will get your resume pushed past Linkedin’s algorithm or straight to the top of the funnel for your next dream job? During this article, I will walk you through the classic and newly unique ways of strategizing your resume in 2023.
* I have included my resume format at the end of this article!
A classic step-by-step guide to building your best resume
Classy resume formats still matter, but including an essence of yourself matters too! Even in the new digital world most hiring managers still appreciate a simple approach on your resume. Here are 7 steps to help guide you to your smoothest outline.
1. Formatting Your Resume
Open the platform of choice you are using to create your resume (Microsoft Word, Canva, Google docs, etc)
Set your professional font to either Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica
Spruce up your resume with the right template, throwing in a bit of color or some eye-popping graphics doesn’t hurt, and will give your resume the attention it deserves.
2. Adding Contact Details
It is very important for future employers to be able to get in contact with you, add it somewhere to the top portion of your resume.
Full name
Phone number
Email
Linkedin
Personal website (if applicable)
3. Introducing Your Top Skills (using an Sales Representative Role as an example)
To grasp the attention of hiring managers, add 3-4 bullet points, or no more than 5-6 sentences of your skills tailored to the role you are applying for. This gives the employer a quick snapshot of your capabilities before reading forward and allows your resume to stand out from competitors.
It should look something like this:
Resume Highlights
Determined Sales Development Representative with 4+ years in the field, locating cold leads, walking them through the sales process, and converting them into potential clients for Account Executives.
Brought in over 2.2 million through sales pipeline in 2 years, having closed 43% of new clients.
Drove positive communication through internal teams, as well as created long-lasting relationships with customers.
4. Honing In On Your Experience
This one is extremely important to nail down. Hone in on what the organization is asking for in the job descriptions and target your previous work experience to detailed words they have published.
For example, when applying for a sales job focus on what the job description is specifically asking for. Most sales jobs will want you to have an efficient explanation of your product, capturing worthy leads and successfully guiding them through the sales process. Having keywords such as, driving leads, prospecting potential clients, converting cold leads to hot leads, researching niche companies, exceeding a monthly quota, etc.
So, one of your bullet points might look something like this:
Executed an outbound calling strategy from cold leads to warm leads, driving a close rate of 18%, exceeding target goals by 42%
5. Emphasize Your Skills
What are you best at? Include them all! The more skills the better.
Here is a list of potential skills you can put on your resume:
Soft Skills | Hard Skills |
Extreme Organization | Java Development |
Patience | Bilingual |
Attention To Detail | Accounting Tools (Oracle, SAP) |
Problem Solving | Adobe Creative Suite |
Strategy Development | Web Architecture |
Self-Motivation | Software Development |
Open-Mindedness | UX/ UI Design |
Empathy | Analysis & Data Mining |
Time-Management | SEO |
6. Highlight Your Education
Your past education history comes at the end of the resume, just below your work experience. Be sure to put your high-ranking degree or diploma, most companies are just interested in your highest level of achievement and the fact that you have accomplished something meaningful.
Include the following in your education section:
The college you graduated from
The degree obtained
Graduation date
Any achievements acquired (online course accomplishments, honors, summa cum laude, etc.)
7. Proofread & Save as a PDF
Be sure to go over, proofread and make necessary edits before submitting to potential jobs. Also, remember to save and download it as a PDF. When submitting resumes to hiring managers they want to see a solid format, don’t send in Microsoft layouts.
* I cannot press this enough, your resume should not be over 1-2 pages! Employers are in a time crunch, and want to find the perfect match for their cultures as quickly as possible! *
REALLY Want To Stand Out to Potential Employers?
Welcome to 2023! Although the classic resume’s design continues its reign, people are starting to get very creative with standing out from the go-to standards. Here are a few fun options to consider when applying for new jobs!
1. Project-Based Resumes
What is that you ask? A project resume showcases the strongest and most successful projects you have worked on in the past. The information is not geared towards the role itself, but geared towards what you successfully presented to your clients. This concept is more popular in the freelance and contracted world, and does amazing things for these positions.
When submitting proposals or resumes to potential projects, management wants to know you have delivered and followed through on your projects from start to finish. So, let’s dive right into an example of what employers are looking for!
When describing your projects on your resume the format might look something like:
Project Portfolio
Project 1: Web Development, Bug Fixes, ABC.com, Front End Developer
Duration: 60 days
Technologies Used: Java, Redmine, HTML5, Git
Redesigned ABC’s website to accompany branding relaunch and optimization for a smooth customer experience
Converted Flash-based navigation into HTML5 standard
Development of their mobile version of website
2. Video Resumes
Yes, you read that correctly. Video resumes are essentially everything you would put on paper, but gives you the expression to break up the monotony of the resume expectations. It allows you to display your personal pizazz and what you bring to the table over other candidates.
Here a few tips on how to begin to record a killer video resume:
Make sure your video does not exceed 90 seconds.
Write your script
Include introduction of yourself
Verbalize company name, they want to know you’re paying attention
What type of professional you are
Why are you passionate about this role
Specific accomplishments tied into the job description
Social proof (if you have it)
Closing- company name and can’t wait to hear back
Here are a few websites that will help you create a hollywood worthy content
Conclusion
Let’s wrap up what you have learned!
Focus on format
Highlight your specific skill set
Concentrate on most prized experience
Get creative with submissions
Pre-plan video resumes w/ a script
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
DON’T exceed more than 1-2 pages
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