In many cases, recruiters and hiring managers spend less than one minute scanning through a resume. Given the sheer amount of people applying for one position, it’s crucial that you make your resume stick out from the rest. Knowing where you need to begin can be hard whenever you’re updating or creating a resume, and this is especially the case if it’s been a while since you’ve done it. Styles and themes change all the time, so you need to make sure you’re keeping up with the most recent expectations and trends.
Standing Out from the Norm
Recruiters and hiring managers are constantly sorting through resumes, and since they’ve seen everything a resume has to offer, you need to forgo all the clichés you know, replacing them with far more pertinent keywords. Rather than saying you “achieved sales goals,” you might try saying you “consistently surpassed sales goals and expectations by (insert percentage).” Rather than referring to yourself as a team player, describe how you worked with colleagues and peers to achieve goals and success.
Custom Tailor Resume to Every Job Opening
According to Monster.com, “hiring managers have specific ideas about what skills and experiences candidates need to do well in open positions, and your resume should mirror that description.” Point being, no one resume is going to work for every application. Take the time to read through the job description and tailor your achievements and experience to match up with the characteristics the company seeks in a new hire.
Listing Your Accomplishments
An employer will already know the everyday duties you had in your previous positions. With that in mind, try listing your accomplishments in order to emphasize how you were successful during your career. Did you achieve goals? Or, successfully bring a declining company back to life? Put that in your resume as it will undoubtedly spotlight your skills rather than simply demonstrating the responsibilities you’ve had.
Always Proofread
While it may seem obvious, you would be surprised how many great candidates get passed up for a position simply because of spelling and grammatical errors in their resumes. A hiring manager or recruiter might dismiss you immediately as careless or lazy if you have overlooked basic grammar rules.
Resume writing doesn’t require the skills of a published author or poet laureate. You just need to make sure that you have run a grammar and spell check multiple times—with a program and with your own eyes—before submitting a resume to potential employers.
Staying Organized
A resume should not be a comprehensive, exhaustive list of someone’s history. Stick to a clear, logical progression that will market you as a perfect contender for the job. Also, be prepared to explain any time gaps in your resume’s job history, which can also be done in your cover letter. For example, if you have been in the industry for 30 years, your first job as assistant food and beverage manager does not need to be listed on the resume but is better served as a quick summary paragraph in your cover letter to cover the early years of your career.
Keeping it Short, Sweet, and Simple
The shorter your resume, the better. While it may be impossible to get the relevant facts down to a single page for established professionals, a resume should never be more than two pages. Look for redundant duties or accomplishments that can be eliminated from the resume but can still be used as talking points during the interview.
I have seen resumes in the past on pink paper with red ink in an impossible to read font. Some candidates think this is a great way to get noticed, but it is actually a sure path to the shredder. Use heavy stock white paper with a traditional font, such as Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial. You want your resume to be as easy as possible to read. Let the accomplishments make your resume stand out, not the color of the paper.
If you are ready for a career change, consider working with Joseph David International hotel recruiters to find your next position. We work hard for both our client and the candidate to ensure an ideal fit, which is why are ranked the #1 hotel recruiters in the United States. For more information about our candidate placement services and current opportunities, click here.
Photo By vadymvdrobot