How To Make Your Resume Stand Out

These days, with unemployment at a historically low rate, you might think that it is easy to land your ideal job. Well, think again!

In order to stand out from the rest of the applicants, you need to make sure that your resume shines. Your resume creates the first impression that a potential hiring manager will get of your skills and experience. So, what can you do?

Below are some tips that can help your resume stand out and possibly land you an interview:

• Be sure that your contact information is professional. Don’t use personal email addresses such as cutiepie26@gmail. This email might be great to use with family and friends but not in the workplace. Consider creating an account specifically for your job search using the “first name” and “last name” email format such as janedoe@gmail.com.
• Make sure to include your social media accounts. Include hyperlinks to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter as well as any other social media accounts you use professionally. Including them will help present the employer with a better picture of yourself.
• Social media is great but it can also be detrimental. Make sure that you are not posting any information that is unprofessional. An employer does not want to hire someone who has unfavorable photos or content on their social media accounts. Think before posting!
• Design your resume so that the layout stands out and has a fresh, polished and professional look. Make it easy to read with a simple yet attractive layout. Most hiring managers have seconds to sort through resumes, so it is key that the important facts ‘pop’ and set you apart from the hundreds of others applying for the same position.
• Make sure your information has no typos or grammatical errors. Resumes that contain any type of mistakes are an immediate turn off and will end up in the wastebasket. So proof EVERYTHING several times and don’t leave it to just running it thru spell check. Read it and have a friend or family member review it too! Typos and grammatical errors could be the reason you do NOT get an interview.
• Be honest about everything you include since your resume is a reflection of your integrity. No one wants to hire someone who fabricates qualifications or achievements. Employers run background checks and if your resume does not match up with an employer’s findings, you can forget about getting the job. It is a no-brainer but be honest on your resume.
• Employers run resumes thru computer software to sift through the stacks of resumes they receive. Using the keywords contained in the job posting can help your resume make it through this process. So, tweak your resume to fit each specific job.

It may seem that the above tips are basic but so many candidates don’t take them into consideration when developing their resume. Applying them will help you create the best picture of yourself for the hiring manager and could make the difference in landing an interview. Good luck!