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The job market is constantly up and down, so depending on the day, the odds may or may not be in your favor. But one fact is always true: if you want to give yourself the best chance to land a fantastic job, you need a great resume.
 

A strong resume is about so much more than the title you’ve held and the companies you’ve worked for. Follow these top tips to write a fantastic resume that gets you hired. 

Find a Top-Notch Template 

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when you write your resume. Instead of struggling with trying to create your own format in a word processing tool, head to the web. There are plenty of wonderful resume templates out there, and many of them are free or they may come free with your word processing tool, like Microsoft Word.

Choose one that looks professional but has minimal graphics, like charts and graphs. Those graphics might look cool but they often don’t read well in automated resume scanners and they might not show up at all for a recruiter depending on their software. 

Start with the Basics

Create the basic structure of your resume, starting with a summary of your hard and soft skills. Hard skills are those required to perform your job, while soft skills are added bonuses that support and extend the hard skills (for example, being bilingual or multilingual).  

Also, include a chronological list of your work history. All you need to start is the job title, company name, and dates of your employment – month and year are fine. Omit jobs that aren’t relevant to your intended career unless you don’t have any positions that are relevant. Only list jobs from the past 10-15 years. 

Fill In the Details

Now that you have each job listed out, add a bulleted list under each one. Your first bullet should be a general summary of your role or duties. Add a few additional bullets for each job with specific accomplishments like projects you completed, awards you received, and other examples of the impact you made. It’s these achievements that will make you stand out and show that you don’t just fill a seat; you make a difference. 

Add Your Education and Certifications

Along with your work experience, your education and training help you stand out as a qualified candidate for the role you want. This doesn’t need to only include formal education like college degrees. It can also include internships, apprenticeships, abbreviated training courses, and so on. 

Build the Additional Lists

There are skill lists you want to include outside of your work history and education that show your qualifications and give you the relevant keywords that will help your resume come up in recruiters’ searches. In most cases, you want a list of your areas of expertise or core competencies that align with your role. 

For example, for someone in HR, this could include conflict resolution, benefits management, talent acquisition, and so on. You also want a list of your technical skills, which should include the programs and tools you’ve worked with, like Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and so on. 

Last but not least, go back and give your resume a final review. Make sure it’s spotless in terms of consistent formatting, as well as free of spelling and grammar errors. 

Finding Your Dream Job

Writing a strong resume is just the first step toward landing a great job that suits your interests and your career goals. Our offshore staffing firm can help with the rest. Learn more about Thankz Global Staffing today.