Job hunting can be very frustrating. It is discouraging to send more than 20 applications and only get a maximum of two interviews or none at all. On the other, your friends might be receiving feedback from the several applications they’ve made. They might not get all the interviews, but they might be winning 90% of them. Where have you been missing the mark? The secret to landing more interviews is a great resume. Below are some tips for preparing a great resume to land more interviews.
Highlight all Your Accomplishments
Include all your career achievements in your resume. It can be leadership experience, awards, or successful projects. If you are having difficulty wording your accomplishments, talk with a professional resume writer to help you brainstorm the impact you had on the company. In addition, quantify every accomplishment to get the attention of your interviewers. Remember that every interview comes with stiff competition and numbers help provide tangible measurement. Therefore, the little details you have may differentiate you from the others. However, as you try to win the attention of your potential employer, do not exaggerate your qualifications. Keep in mind that employers have measures in place to discover any lies. One little lie might cause them to question your entire resume. Therefore, be honest.
First Impression Counts
Your resume should justify why it should be given priority. It only takes your potential employer five to ten seconds to scan through your resume and decide whether to read it or not. Therefore, your resume should convince someone that it is worth reading. How do you create a first impression? For instance, you can use a headline that describes your value proposition. Just like headings matter in emails and other online articles, they matter in resumes too. A great headline will make someone want to know you deeper. If a panel member is impressed by your resume, they will likely recommend you to the decision-makers.
Avoid Cliches
It would help if you purposed to be different from the rest rather than fitting in. Cliches do not give you a competitive advantage. The interview panel can easily get bored if they read the same things from every applicant. Everybody writes about how they are good at communication and hard working. Why include these in your resume and think that you are better? Avoid such cliches and include unique skills that will differentiate you from others.
Keep it Short and Sweet
Your resume should not exceed two pages. Only list the applicable experiences. If you’ve had a variety of backgrounds, only include the latest helpful expertise. Your past experience also matters. However, it is not recommendable to include everything from your work experience. You should only include the experience from the past decade. Adding a lot of unrelated work history can make employers perceive your resume as busy. As a result, it will shift their attention away from your vital qualifications. Therefore, remember to keep it brief and to the point.
Use Action Verbs
Describing your job roles and achievements using uninspired language ruins your chances of landing the interview. Use action words such as improved while talking about your projects. These words make you come out as confident and result oriented. However, as you utilize the action verbs, remember to mention the methodology you used to achieve the results you are saying. Be selective of the words you use.
Use Keywords in the Job Description
You should first identify the keywords in the advertisement before preparing your resume. As you prepare your resume, remember to include these keywords where necessary. Read the qualifications section of the job posting carefully. If you have the requirements, include them in the skills or the experience section of your resume word by word, as listed in the job description.
Proofreading and Editing
Finally, ensure that your resume is free from grammar issues. Software such as Grammarly can help you fix the errors. Similarly, your friends can help review the work and give feedback. Only send it out to the employers when you are sure it is of good quality.
Whether you will hear from the potential employer depends on your resume. Follow the above tips to prepare a great resume. Accordingly, you will land more job interviews and offers.