Did you know that only 2% of job applicants get shortlisted for an interview?
You may be sending out tons of resumes applying for jobs in different organizations but if you are not getting shortlisted for the targeted jobs, then you need to work on your resume first.
Apply the 5 tips given below to write a job-winning resume and land the job of your dreams:
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Follow the 3 stages of resume-writing
Writing a resume should be a hassle-free business if you want to curate a job-winning resume and to experience that follow the three stages given below:
- Stage 1: Create a master folder wherein you can store all your pieces of information. Simply gather all the details of your professional experience, education, internships, certifications, awards & recognitions, contact details, email address, current location, etc. Gather them in your master folder and use it for the present timeline and any future updates of your resume. This will save you time and also ensure that you do not miss out on any important details.
- Stage 2: In the second stage you can start framing both the standard and optional sections of your resume. Start by curating your professional experience section and then you can frame your header, personal information, profile title, details of your education, certifications (if any), awards & recognitions (if any).
- Stage 3: In the last stage you should list your skills on resume in the ‘key skills’ section by scanning through your professional experience section and using the keywords used by the recruiters in the job listing. Once you are done with listing your skills, compose a resume summary if you have more than 3 years of work experience or an objective if you have lesser or no experience. Give an overview of your resume so that the recruiters can get an insight into your professional experience and potential as a suitable applicant.
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Frame one-liners and use Bucketing and Bolding
To frame a job-winning resume, you need to make it worth the recruiters’ time by holding on to their interest by giving them an insight into the most significant highlights of your career. So farming one-liner points and using bucketing and bolding is very important.
Action-oriented accomplishment statements espoused by Princeton University can help you communicate your professional experience to the recruiters that can have a huge impact on the chances of you landing the targeted job profile.
Writing lengthy paragraphs in your resume is a big ‘NO’ because it can make your professional experience section look bulky which may fail to intrigue the recruiters into recognizing your potential as a suitable applicant.
Frame one-liners to make your statements clear and specific and every point can be framed using bullet points.
You can easily organize your one-liners by using bucketing and bolding.
Create unique headings and list all the similar points under the relevant buckets. It is easier for the recruiters to read and comprehend your professional experience statements if they are organized and framed.
Once your points are framed in one-liners and listed under relevant buckets, you need to bold the highlights of your career as it will make it easier for you to communicate your professional contributions and achievements to the recruiters.
Example:
Legal Documentation & Memorandum
- Listed legal documents related to contracts, agreements, lawsuits, deeds, appeals, and wills
- Filed 200+ legal documents such as lawsuits and appeals to analyze & supervise documentation
Start your framed points with Power Verbs
Use power verbs to start your professional experience one-liners to make them more impactful.
If you are writing about your current/present job profile then use power verbs in the present continuous tense.
Example:
- Managing 10-20 daily active cases by preparing court calls and maintaining case files with a team of 2 staff attorneys
But if you are writing about your past job profile then use power verbs in the past tense.
Example:
- Conducted conferences with judges & defense attorneys and negotiated legal agreements of defendants
As you have observed from the examples, make sure to start your one-liner points with power verbs.
Label your resume with a Header and Profile Title
You need to stand out in a sea of resumes that will be applying to the same job profile as you and make it easy for the recruiters to keep track of your resume.
Your unique name keeps you apart from others and likewise, you can use your name to maintain your resume’s identity.
Moreover, a profile title is your professional identity so you need to give the recruiters an accurate profile title. Do not exaggerate your profile title because it will pass off as you deliberately lying to the recruiters and it may block your chances at a shortlist.
A job-winning resume must not have any false statements on it.
Provide the details of your significant credentials
Your credentials refer to the educational qualification, certifications, internships, awards & recognition, etc.
Provide the details of your credentials as it can make the recruiters recognize you as a suitable applicant with all the required knowledge and talents in a complete package.
Give the names of the school/college/universities/institutions where you pursued your education from or got your certifications. Also, mention the course or subject that you completed along with the date of your enrollment and completion.
If you were ever awarded or recognized for a job well done or achieved something mention-worthy then make sure to provide the details.
Example:
- Top 5 percentile in the class
- Awarded “Best Employee of the Month”
Conclusion
Always remember that the competition for landing a job is high and only the best can survive.
With the end of our article, we hope that you will follow the 5 tips we provided here for drafting a job-winning resume.
Here are a few points to be kept in mind at all times to frame a job-winning resume:
- Follow the step-by-step stages of resume-writing.
- Use bucketing and bolding in your framed points.
- Use power verbs to write your professional experience points.
- Frame a resume header and profile title.
- Provide the details of your credentials.
