Understanding the need for a resume and tips to create a good resume

In this era of fast-paced working life, potential employers are always in a hurry to get their job done, that is to hire the most capable employees out of the available candidates. The resume has become the most commonly used shortlisting criteria for the subject matter. Given there are a huge number of applications for almost every job post, it’s almost impossible for employers to personally interview each candidate. Thus they base their shortlisting criteria on the resume provided by applicants.

This is why a nicely framed resume is required to make an impact. Your resume will define whether you go ahead in the hiring process or eliminated. Thus presenting all your abilities on a piece of paper called a resume makes all the difference.

Resume has derived its name from a French term meaning “summary”, and that is what it means in real terms too. It is a concise summary of all your skills and qualifications that you have registered till date. your resume should tell your potential employers about what you have achieved academically and what skillsets you have added to your arsenal till date.

There’s a high possibility that most of the places where you apply only look into your resume to make a decision. All this points towards the need for having a robust resume.

Tips to create a good resume

It might sound as a difficult task to present all your life achievements on a single piece of paper in such a way that it catches reader’s attention.  But following these tricks you can prepare your resume without going overboard.

Keep it to the point:

Resume is strictly not the place to beat about the bush, find some other place to flaunt your vocab. You are expected to present everything within one page and you must not exceed the one page limit unless it’s extremely important. You are not expected to present every minute highlight of your career. Include only those which you consider relevant. If there is too much information to put on display, add only the most recent ones. There are several high-end resume builder websites that offers exclusive resume-building techniques. If you face any difficulties to do it on your own, you can always use these resume builders.

Avoid adding work experience from unrelated fields because it makes the resume look crowded. For instance, an employee having past experience in the finance field might skip it while applying in an IT firm.

Create an original resume template:

Originality is always appreciated irrespective of the field and nature of work. Everyone knows there are tons of free-to-use resume templates available on the internet and it hardly takes a few minutes to copy them. But hiring managers are aware of this fact too, and if they recognize your resume with some common template, the chances of you bagging the job will go down significantly. While making an original resume make sure to arrange the information in a logical order. For instance, your high school performance should precede your recent jobs.

Highlight relevant skills

Using the same resume for every job might not be the best strategy. Your aim should be to offer only that information that matches the job profile. Highlighting the relevant and job specific skills and achievements makes a good impression on the interviewer.

Add numbers to substantiate:

Wherever possible demonstrate your response with numbers.  Because numbers are easier to interpret than plain textual matter. Numbers also help interviewers have a better understanding of you as a potential employee. For instance, you are pitching for a marketing position=, add figures like “achieved  20% conversion rate with my previous employment”.

Optimize your text:

Many organizations have started using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to shortlist resumes that fit the job profile. Thus if your text is not optimized to the requirements of the job position, your resume will never reach the physical hiring manager and will be rejected by the software. Thus it is advisable to use job-specific keywords in your resume, for that you first need to carefully understand the job position and frame your response carefully. Your first aim should be to pass the screener at the same time staying truthful.

Think beyond your job role:

It’s clickbait for hiring managers when you add something about yourself that might make a difference to the position. Hiring managers are least interested in reading about your educational highlights. Give them something of their interest and they will come looking for you. Employers always look for enthusiastic candidates who take pride in their job and are willing to contribute beyond their duties.