The competition for quality and high paying jobs has heightened with the global economic recession. This has resulted in freeze hiring and company retrenchments. Companies have become even more demanding in admitting only the best candidates. Put your best foot forward and land on that dream job with an outstanding resume that will capture the attention of any employer. Check out these updated techniques to beef up your resume and win that desired post.
1. Start with a powerful Banner Statement.
Do away with the traditional resume format. Surprise your employers with a personalized and impressive banner statement. A banner statement is a comprehensive account of your strengths and work experience that are related to the job that you are applying for. For example, James, a Finance Management officer in a multi-national bank starts his resume with the following:
“A driven, focused and dynamic business professional, with over five years of success and experience in sales, account and asset management and customer relations…”
2. Identify your level of employment.
Clearly indicate your employment level at the beginning of your resume. This should be based on your employment experiences that are relevant to your application. New graduates should indicate an “Entry Level” application, while experienced professionals should classify their appropriate employment category, either as professional non-supervisory, middle management, upper management and executive level.
3. Identify your core strengths that are relevant to the job requirements.
Enumerate your specific traits and technical skills that are central to the job qualifications as required by the company. This will enable the employer to immediately recognize your qualities that are pertinent to their need.
4. Use Field or Industry Keywords.
Make use of keywords that are relevant to your field of expertise, and to the industry of your desired job. For example, an application to the commerce industry should use keywords such as sales and marketing communications, support management, payroll administration, and financial analysis, among many.
5. Develop a value-based resume.
The traditional resume is characterized by its chronological account of an individual’s education and employment background. A value-based resume, however, focuses on the individual’s strongest suits that will be beneficial to the company. To craft this type of resume, weave specific adjectives and verbs in the active voice into convincing statements of your skills and experiences.
6. Create a separate category for industry-specific skills.
Refine your resume by making a separate category for technical skills and expertise that are specific to a particular industry. For example, an applicant with a background on Information Technology (IT) can make a section featuring explicit skills in programming and networking.
7. Highlight achievements with supporting details.
Dress your resume to impress by highlighting accomplishments that speak of your competence and expertise. Traditional resumes cite previous work duties in formal statements such a “responsible for closing deals on real estate and property projects.” Seize the attention of your employer by dropping the bomb through specific, quantitative accounts of your achievements. For example, “Increased sales by specifics ex increased sales by 17% in my area,” or “Closed a $5M composite real estate deal within four months.”
8. Keep it brief and concise.
An effective resume is devoid of rhetorical clutters that will only bore and confuse the employer. Use precise descriptions as needed in short paragraphs, or bulleted formats. When using the latter, keep it at a maximum of five bullet points. Your resume should ideally be within one to two pages only.
9. Observe a clean and organized lay-out.
Present information in an organized and logical order, set in a tidy lay-out. Use lines as dividers and allow white spaces to let the reader breathe in between a set of information.
10. Review, review, and review!
Check the grammar, and the accuracy of terms, dates and contact information. The last thing you would want is a careless error to sabotage your application.
