Everyone wants a killer resume!

Writing a good resume is important and knowing how to is something you need to ask yourself before hitting that keyboard and start typing everything you had done for the past couple of years – from entering that one horse town primary school, to having that job on that pizza parlor, or to having that high-paying job on a company but you’ve decided on resigning due to your obnoxious boss.

A resume is an initial step towards grabbing that job that you want so bad that it even appears in your dreams. How you wish you could wear that attire or take a sit on that corporate table, or sell those awesome products to random people.

Hence, a resume is so essential that it would make or break you. It would create an enormous impression to that prospective employer on whether or not you’re the one they’ve been looking for. With these, writing a good resume is definitely serious business. So how to write a resume and knock the socks off out of that potential employer?

A good resume starts with proper preparation. You need to do research about that position you clamor for and know your prospective employer’s goals, their vision, etc. You need to be knowledgeable enough of these things so that you would know what concerns your employer the most about the position that’s open for hiring. You need to know their goal so that you would share that same aim and incorporate that with what you would write on your resume for that available position. Making preparation is always the key.

Moreover, writing a good resume comes down to another important consideration of the fact that you are writing it not for you but for your prospective employer. Your resume is not your autobiography. Your resume is about what position you’re targeting and what you could offer the company if you are given the chance. Numerous people who hunt for jobs thought that writing all of that stuff they have done in the past is the manner a resume should be done and that would even include babysitting that neighbor’s kid or selling that lemonade on the street (hilarious but quite true). All of which are very pointless if one way or another it doesn’t have a connection to that position you’re aiming for. Hence, writing a good resume would exactly mean knowing for whom you are writing that resume – it’s not for you, not for your parents, but for your employer. They need to know what you got under your belly that would propel them forward.

Resume writing tips

• Titles or Headings –

Use title or headings that will hook the employer’s attention at a glance. Titles and headings make the resume readable.

• Use Design –

Use design to grab the attention of your employer. Employers make an immediate judgment on whether or not you are qualified for the job if your job titles or skills do not match with the skill set required. They do not have so much time to see the whole resume in order to check if you have the required skill sets they need. The design of the resume should be such it should highlight all important information related to skills, education, and experience.

• Create content –

Create meaningful content that would grab the attention of the employer. The content or description should be presented in such a manner that it should attract the interviewers. This will ensure you get a maximum number of interview calls as well as you receive a high level of salary offers.

• Power words –

Be specific and use power words and verbs that would match the level of position one wants. Suppose a person wants to encash his experience and move into management. For this, he should use as many ‘management oriented’ words as he can.

• Identify keywords –

Identify keywords which the ad or job titles use, so that, those keywords can be used to find matching positions.

• Employer’s hidden needs –

In today’s heavy competition in the field of job, it is of prime importance that you identify the problems the employer is facing and tell them how you can help them in solving it.

• Benefits of your skill –

Sell benefits of your skill by writing down all your work responsibilities and job tasks handled by you in your resume.

• Image –

Create an image about the salary you would like to draw from the new company in the resume and the position you would expect to acquire, once you are a part of the organization.

• The content of the resume –

Prioritize the content of the resume by writing the important points at the beginning of the resume and then, gradually writing the unimportant points.

Other tips to consider when writing a good resume

• Length of resume –

If you are a fresher, a resume not more than a page is the best, but if you are one of those people who have too much to boast about even being a fresher, then you should not exceed two pages. The most preferable length of any résumé is two pages; This keeps the interest of the employers in their place without leaving in middle. Caution: Never more than 3 pages. A lot of people tend to add their work sample, etc. Within the resume, do not do that. Instead, make a portfolio sample file for the job.

• Fonts and style –

Do not become a laughing character using a funky font for the resume. Adhere to professionals such as Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Times Roman. Keep the font readable to the naked eye, font size 10-12 is fine depending on the type. Some people use professional fonts, but slightly rare font for the resume, do not do that either. Adhere to the basic font that can be found on every computer, otherwise, it could distort the format of your Word files.

Underline or shade your headers. You can also use tables in the resume, but not excessively. Also, avoid using background images unless you apply for artwork. Formatting the entire document correctly is very important.

• Spell check and grammar

There is no greater disappointment in a resume than incorrect spelling and grammatical errors. Just show your eye for details about anything. Always use the spelling and grammar checker and get it checked by another person as well.