Your resume may have taken long hours to be perfected. However, there is no excuse to double check everything after it has been finished. The important thing is that you edit it with a fresh eye, maybe a day or two after it was written. This will enable you to see it from an outsider’s perspective. Every detail of the application paper is crucial. You never know what the HR will only see during the 20-second scan on your details.
Make sure that you edit your resume in such a way that your key competencies will be recognized and be seen easily. Moreover, you have to take note of the following qualities to assure that you’re holding a successful resume:
1. Consistency
Everything should be consistent in the general view – from the layout of your copy to its grammatical composition. Consistency is a great virtue to nail the first impression even before the hiring manager reads your resume. It projects your credibility and trustworthiness. So if you don’t want your application paper to end up in the trash bin for the first few seconds, then keep an impeccable grammar and professional image, even if it’s just on paper.
2. Customized and specific
Never ever use the same resume for two different jobs. This won’t give you a very good image for the hiring manager will think that you have included non-relevant background or skills because you have nothing else to write in your resume. You can never be successful in job hunting without tailoring your resume in a fashion that will exactly fit with the requirements and taste of your employers.
3. Complete
Never leave gaps on your history and background. Cover them wittily but truthfully. You can always write ‘freelancer’ or ‘studying for a degree.’ Or if there’s no other possible way to compensate these gaps in your copy, candidly indicate that you’re unemployed instead of not writing anything. The hiring managers know that lying applicants always have the cunning for hiding details, and they will get suspicious if you leave a long gap on your history.
4. Clean and professional
No, the job market is not a game show. It’s definitely not the place for colorful gimmicks. So ditch out your urge to use flashy fonts and colorful borders and dividers. Yes, you will get noticed for such a show, but bet that it won’t go any further than that great quagmire of HR office confetti.
5. Clever
If you continue to compare yours with average application papers, you will get what you want: a place in the middle, in the probationary, or in the who-knows-maybe list of the hiring managers. So if you’re vying for excellent results, tailor it uniquely and impressively. All those people on top only settle for the kickass.
6. Considerate
Have some respect with your employer’s time. Accept the fact that they can only give your resume a maximum of 30 seconds. In that way, you don’t only give them their respective time, you’re also maximizing the focus on what matters. Guess, it actually pays off.
7. Compelling
Good news: applicants naturally have the knack of guessing what the employer wants to hear from them. Bad news: they usually don’t follow this instinct. So know the personality and culture of the company you’re applying to, and obey your common sense. Write what you think they want to know about you. The only way to make an irresistible and successful resume is to say what is important to them, not what is important to you.