How to Write a Resume for a Job

The first step in writing a resume is to remember how competitive the job market is and that you are just one of many searching for a job. The fierce competition automatically means your resume would be just one among the thousands of applications, so you must write a resume that stands out.

Now the question is, “How do I write a resume that stands out?”

That’s where the second step below comes into play.

The second step is to remember that your resume must go through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Most recruiters use ATS to filter out unfit candidates faster, as this step makes the hiring process quicker. How you write your resume can make or break your job-hunting cycle.

With these two pivotal steps in mind, let’s talk about how to write a resume for a job.

Finding the correct resume format

A lot of job seekers need to be made aware of the fact that their resume format matters. Your resume format serves as a building block for your resume information. The resume format selected determines how you will arrange and input all your data (contact, educational, etc.).

Most job seekers would likely go for the reverse chronological resume format. This resume format is the best because it first highlights the applicant’s work history, experience, and duties; hence, it is straightforward to scan through and read.

There are several other resume templates to utilize. However, using a resume template that doesn’t highlight the best section in your resume first is risky.

For example, utilizing a resume template with its reference section first is not a good choice, as most recruiters don’t care about your references. Another horrid example of a resume format has its educational area first. This type of resume format only profits those who attended reputable colleges/universities like Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Princeton, and so on. If you didn’t go to school at a reputable university or don’t hold a graduate degree, I strongly advise you to add other relevant information like your work experiences first.

Whatever resume format/template you choose, remember that how you format your resume is essential, as this will determine how fast recruiters can read and scan through your resume.

Add your contact details and personal details.

The next step in writing your resume after selecting a template is adding your contact information. As simple as this sounds, it is pretty laughable that many job seekers aren’t aware of the appropriate contact information to add to their resumes.

The appropriate contact information on your resume should be your Name, Email Address, Phone number, and LinkedIn URL.

Information like your Date of Birth, a secondary email address/phone number, and a photo/headshot isn’t necessary. The last thing any job seeker would want is to become a victim of ageism.

Adding other personal details, such as your home address, website, and resume title, are optional.

Also, job seekers should avoid using informal email addresses such as marvelboy02@hotmail.com. Endeavor to add a professional email address and use good email providers.

Adhering to the right way of adding your contact information would make your resume look more professional and increase your chances of being hired.

Begin with a Resume Summary

Aside from your work experience, your resume statement is the next thing that sells you as the perfect candidate for a recruiter. To write an ideal resume summary, you must include your professional title, the number of years you’ve worked (highlighting key experiences), top measurable achievements, and relevant job/industry-related top skills/expertise.

A perfect example would be: “Diligent project director with 10 years of experience in the business industry. Highly skilled at supervising teams and driving sales. Demonstrated accomplishments by increasing sales by 90%”.

Similar to the way you’d want a great dating profile on Bumble to enable potential matches to get to know you, that’s the way you ought to have an excellent resume summary, as this would allow potential employers to get to know you are the perfect match for them.

List your most important work experiences and principal achievements.

This section is the most crucial in a resume. Listing your work experiences and achievements is the best way to stand out as a candidate.

When writing this section in your resume, don’t forget to write the job title, the name of the company, city, and state, the dates of your employment and time spent working at that job position, and key responsibilities as they are necessary.

It is also vital to write this section in reverse chronological order. It means that your most recent work experience should come first, followed by the rest in the same order—endeavor to make a case for every bulleted work experience.

Earlier, I had spoken about how recruiters use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to increase the speed of their hiring process. The best place to make your resume ATS complaint is in this section.

Since robots check for compatibility between candidates and job positions, the best way to score high is to include relevant keywords in the job posting. Tailoring your resume to jobs helps you stand out more, as most recruiters would be looking for candidates with the same skills and experience as the open job position.

Another excellent tip is to avoid using stale words like “responsible for…”. Use action verbs and an active voice when writing your resume, as it is concise and straightforward.

Some job seekers often wonder if there’s a specific amount of work experience to include in their resume. I am here to tell you that there isn’t. However, some senior-level positions need someone with higher work experience, unlike mid-level or entry-level.

Related: 5 job interview tips you will find helpful

Arrange your Education accurately.

Job seekers should know basic dos and don’ts when writing the education section in their resumes.

The DOs are as follows:

1. Write your highest degree first
2. Write this section in a reverse chronological order
3. List honors or relevant coursework you obtained as a student

The DON’Ts are as follows:

1. Don’t mention your GPA if it is below 3.5
2. Don’t add your high school info if you’ve already graduated from the University
3. Don’t lie about your information. Ensure that all the details of your Education are accurate and verifiable.

The authenticity of your Education info is essential to you as some companies are likely to run a background check on their selected candidates.

Tailor your skills to fit job Ads.

Job seekers can best stand out by tailoring their skills to fit the Job Ads. ATS is mainly used during the hiring process. Tailor the hard skills on your resume to the ones listed in the Job Ads. Once the keywords for the hard skills are searched for, your resume will stand out from the crowd.

As a job seeker, having an ATS-friendly resume with relevant hard and soft skills gives you an edge against your fellow applicants. It is also essential to avoid adding irrelevant skills that don’t relate to your industry.

For example, a customer service representative’s resume shouldn’t disclose the individual’s culinary skills.

List other important resume sections.

The only way your resume can have a personalized touch is by having additional information like your hobbies & interests, internships experience, certifications, awards, volunteer work, languages (if you are bilingual or multilingual), projects, and publications (you can attach a short bibliography if you have blogs or materials you’d like to acknowledge).

Note: This isn’t compulsory if your resume is already bulky, as resumes aren’t supposed to exceed one or two pages.

BONUS TIP– Always double-check and proofread your resume. Please review it to ensure that all the information is accurate and verifiable. Also, check for grammatical errors and anything which may be out of place.

Conclusion

The first step in landing a job is writing a high-quality resume. Resumes are essential in the professional world. Without them, you can’t stand a chance of getting a job. If you are satisfied with the resume you’ve written, run it through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to ensure that you are fit to stay applying for jobs. Extra Tip- prepare your Cover Letter.