How to Write an Effective Resume

 

Resume writing is about making the skills, experience, and achievements easily comprehensible and most attractively packaged to elicit the interest of prospective employers. 

Here’s a detailed guide on how to create a resume that stands out:

#1 Choose the Right Format:

Chronological Resume: Formats employment chronologically starting with the most recent. 

Favored by those who have had stable employment in a specific career for years the jobseeker’s own work history indicates.

Functional Resume: Emphasizes master level skills and does not require straight work experience. 

Perfect for career shift or candidates who have employment gaps.

Combination Resume: Combines both time-based and skills-based organization systems, thus stressing both capabilities and experience. 

Made for participants with various competencies.

#2 Start with a Strong Header:

Published in your name, phone number, email address, and linked profile if you are available in that platform.

Feel free to add a professional title, or a portfolio link if you are in a creative / technical industry.

#3 Write an interesting summary or objective:

Summary: Two to three lines about your experience and major accomplishments. Slightly adapt this skill to the job you are applying for.

Objective: More applicable to C-players, this defines the objectives that you expect to accomplish in the position.

#4 List Your Work Experience:

Position, company, company location, name, and employment period should be well reflected.

Focus on quantifiable achievements: Instead of putting down the job tasks performed, emphasize accomplishments that demonstrate your impact (for example, ‘Generated 15% sales more by developing regular promotional emails campaigns”).

When numbering each bullet point, start with action verbs such that Managed, Developed, Implemented, Analyzed.

#5 Highlight Key Skills:

Mention specific set of abilities, knowledge and competencies identified with quantifiable achievements (e.g. programming languages, use of software & hardware) and behavioral (leadership, teamwork).

Make sure when you are writing your skills section that you go through the job description and match your abilities as much as possible.

#6 Education Section:

Enter the names of the institution, the degree attained and year of graduation.

For recent graduates only, include the coursework, honors, or extracurricular to be expected on the resume.

If you had many years of work experience, you should indicate only the last degree you received.

#7 Certifications and Professional Development:

Certifications can help set one apart from the pack, if the certification is appropriate for the position (Project Management Professional (PMP) for managers of projects, Google Analytics for a marketer).

Note seminars, training or any other educational augmented training that put you on the line of professional development.

#8 Use Keywords from the Job Description:

Recently, most organizations incorporated the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in the hiring process. 

Resume filtering systems usually scan for keywords from the job postings a way of passing them is by adding the requisite keywords onto the resume.

Just do not overdo it or ‘keyword-stuff make it sound natural.

#9 Customize for Each Job:

Ensure you provide a different copy of resumes when applying for the different positions so that you can concentration on the areas that the employer wants them to see.

As much as possible avoid including experiences and skills that do not fit the position.

#10 Keep It Simple and Professional:

Do not use ostentatious designs or a style of font if you are not in the creative line of business.

It should strictly adhere to the company’s branding via a clean professional layout with readable fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman.

Only use a two-page resume copy if you have a lot of experience to report on paper.

#11 Proofread and Edit:

Mistakes such as spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes are likely to reduce your interview call rate.

You can ask your friend or even check using online tools like Grammarly.

Example Layout:

John Doe

e-mail | phone | linkedin profile | portfolio

Summary:

Successful software developer with rich 7+ years of experience in full stack position with a proven record of successful deliveries. 

Looking for an opportunity to work in a turbulent organization that demands hard work and efficiency.

Work Experience:

Software Engineer at XYZ Technologies in Chicago, Illinois June, 2018 to present.

Established a large-scale e-commerce application using React and Node.js and facilitated higher speed of transactions.

Supervised a team of 5 engineers in the construction of a cloud based Customer Relationship Management system.

Education:

B.Sc. Computer Science

University of Chicago, Class of 2017

Skills:

Programming: JavaScript, Python, SQL

Tools: Git, Docker, Jenkins

Soft Skills: Leadership in the Team and Conflict Management

By using these steps and applying to each job, you use your resume to its best potential and increase your chances of getting a positive attention from the employer.