Top Resume Writing Tips in 2020
If you are thinking to step in professionalism and you have opted for a career, you need to create a resume first. Your resume holds the potential of deciding for you whether you are suitable for a job or not. HR or employers do not take more than 2 seconds to reject a resume if they do not like what they see. You must be capable of generating a resume that looks appealing to the hiring committee.
There are several things you can do to create an outclass resume but let us see into the importance of resume writing first.
What is the Importance of Resume Writing?
Your resume is not just a piece of paper or a digital document. It is the reflection of your own self. You should prioritize building a strong resume because your career depends on it.
1. First Impression
Your resume is the first thing that will reach to the recruiters. It is working as the first appearance for you. You cannot show up at a workplace before you are hired or invited for an interview but your resume can. This is why you need to invest time in it. It creates a first impression of you so try your level best to create a good lasting impression through it.
2. Outline of Your Qualifications and Experiences
Your resume displays your qualifications, experiences, skills, abilities, and personality. It works as a showcase for all of that. Recruiters will not listen to you for hours while you talk about your experiences. They will rather find it convenient to go through it on your resume. Let the word spread through it.
3. Brings You Closer to an Interview
You are not getting an interview that easy. Your resume decides it for you. Your chance of appearing in an interview is highly dependent on your resume. Any recruiter will not think twice before trashing your resume if it is not appealing to him. Work on it before you forward it.
4. Works as Marketing
Your resume works as a marketing campaign for you. You can create an identity for yourself by spreading out your resume. If you want to make a name for yourself in a particular industry, begin with writing a strong resume that speaks for itself. Market your profile in the relevant industry through your resume and people will find you.
5. Brings Value to the Table
Your resume is not just a document that will display your skills. It lets employers know what you are going to bring to the table. The value you can bring to the company will be based on your resume. If it is of any importance, it will definitely grab the recruiter’s attention. Better start thinking about what benefits you can provide to the organization and add it to your resume.
Five Best Practices for Writing a Perfect Resume in 2020
If you have understood the importance of your resume, you are ready to build it. The world is evolving and everything is changing with it. What concerns you, are the needs of your target industry. Since every industry is trying to go digital in 2020, their requirements are changing. Priorities have changed and the focuses have been diverted. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand the new market and build a resume that confronts modern problems of this and upcoming years.
In less technical terms, there are certain things you can practice to make your resume strong and appealing enough.
- Make Use of Best Fonts and Visually Appealing Layouts
You want your resume to be appealing and there are certain things you can do to achieve that. The formatting of your resume plays the main role in making your resume attractive. The fonts you select are important. Pick a good one. Use headers and write subheadings if needed. The layout of your resume is everything. You can have a lot of experiences and skills to add in your resume but if they are not properly assembled, no one will care to have a look at it. Be sure that it is error-free.
2. Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Software
There are many applicant tracking software but their criteria for analyzing a resume is about the same. You can do different things to optimize your resume for ATS. For example, write proper dates, months and years. Save your resume in a word document format and not in PDF. Not all ATS can scan them. Do not jumble up text so that it is more readable to the software.
3. Make Use of Optimized Keywords
Give your resume a professional look by using more optimized keywords. Your keywords are important because there are certain words that a recruiter looks for while analyzing a resume. Instead of stuffing your resume with casual words, you can use the main keywords and save some space so that your resume does not look crowded. You can incorporate keywords as per your targeted industry but do not get carried away with them.
4. List Volunteer Work or Other Experiences
Your volunteer work is a plus point in your resume. Everyone works for pay but there are few who do voluntary work for a good cause or to gain experiences. Think of every volunteer work that you have done. It might not be a big deal for you but it can do wonders on your resume. Your experiences are important to add because they sum up your skills and area of work. Add internships as well they add up to your experiences.
5. Mention Certifications and Short Courses
Just a degree is not enough and it does not look good on your resume alone. Make sure you have certifications be that of any language program or any short course. Your certifications help in polishing your skills and knowledge about a specific field. Moreover, it gives the impression that you are dedicated to growing yourself towards success. List all of them on your resume. The more the better.
You can add more to your resume but these things are enough to make your resume stand out. If you want to you can add your interpersonal skills and your hobbies to the last page. Not many are interested in that nowadays but if your recruiter has time in his hands, he will go through that too. Remember to keep it neat. Do not overdo your resume. No one will trouble himself to go through hundreds of pages. Keep it short and keep it to the point.
