The resume is the first thing that a person will see when you apply for a job, so it's worthwhile to make sure your resume stands out from the rest of the crowd. If you didn't get referred to a position, you'll be pit against hundreds of others with similar qualifications, so what makes you different? It's worth it to find ways to make you rise above the rest.
Should you make your resume fancy to stand out?
A big question you may have is should you try to mess with how your resume looks and add color, so that you can make it pop and stand out. If you're in a design or marketing-related field, this can be a great way to showcase your skills and differentiate yourself from other designers. I've even seen people take to making their resume an interactive game on the Internet to showcase programming skills.
But will making a fancy resume matter in most cases? Probably not. Most jobs want to know that you have the desired skills and it's better to showcase that through writing than through a snazzy resume (although they can be really unique and creative). If you want to do it and it's part of your personality, go for it. Just be warned that it can annoy recruiters.
Format, format, format
Another big mistake that you see on a lot of resumes, is simple formatting errors. It can be easy to forget to space things the right way or not keep consistent formatting. You want to make sure that all your margins are the same and you use a consistent format when bolding or italicizing letters. It may not seem like a big deal, but the human eye can catch the tiniest slip in details and make your resume less appealing.
Also, remember to use as much of the white space as possible. You don't want to keep a lot of blank space on the paper. If you have too much, you're doing it wrong and can write more about your past experiences. And while we're on the subject, use a spell checker and look for grammatical errors in your resume. Also, try to avoid using colloquial language at all costs as it can come off as unprofessional.
Focus on accomplishments, not descriptions
One of the biggest problems with many resumes, is people simply list a job description instead of accomplishments. When making a resume, most people know what a "product manager" is, so don't just restate your job description in bullet points below. Instead, focus on what makes you stand out, you're achievements in that role. If you increased productivity, explain by how much and how you did that.
"Increase team productivity to accomplish company goals" is vague and boring, but "Increased productivity by 20% by implementing new goal-structured program" is more exciting and helps show how you accomplished goals. Using specific goals can help you stand out from other resumes.
Are you shining up your resume while looking for a new job? Defynance has created our resource marketplace to help you along in your career journey. We've carefully compiled a list of companies that can help you improve your career prospects. It's as easy as creating an account at account.defynance.com.
