Your resume is a crucial part of your job search. The hiring manager will form an opinion of you largely based on what you present to them in your resume, so it should be the best it can possibly be.
A resume template can give you the framework you need but you might still be left wondering what you can include and how. A resume template format will obviously help, but the details are most important.
However, professional resumes should look impressive no matter what stage of your career you are at. The following article will run through some of the best examples of things to consider when producing your resume.
Want to see samples for a specific job? Head over to our latest section and browse over 1,000 resume examples for roles at different career levels and industries.
Highlight Your Strengths
The entire point of a resume from a job seeker's perspective is to sell themselves. Your resume should present the best possible version of yourself and should give the hiring manager no doubts that you would be an excellent choice for the role.
In order to highlight your strengths, your resume needs to showcase your skills and make sure all your qualities are firmly on display. Make sure that any industry specific skills are obvious and emphasized. Whether you're using a professional resume template that applies to your field or you looked at random template resumes or resume samples online, your professional resume must communicate your advantages.
Include Relevant Work Experience
Any professional experience you have should be included on your resume. If you have had a lot of professional roles, it's okay to be selective and omit some. Not everything has to go on your resume, especially if it won't help you get hired.
For your professional resume, focus on the most recent and any industry specific jobs you may have had. Your work history should serve as evidence that you can deliver on the skills you have written about. Your cover letter can build on why those skills and work experience will help with your new role.
Make sure to include job descriptions for each job or experience included on your professional resume.
Make it Presentable
Aside from the content of the resume, it should be presentable and professional. For inspiration and to get you set up properly, take advantage of these great resume templates that we offer for free. Each of these were professional designed according to best practices, based on what has proven to get job seekers hired. A professional resume does not have watermarks from the template maker, resume builder, resume sample, or anything suggesting it is not 100% your own.
Rather, best resume format will be original. If you are unsure of how to write a resume, you can use a resume builder or look at resume examples and resume templates for ideas. As long as you make sure that everything in your resume is in your own words, that is fine.
Keep colors to a minimum, do not use more than two typefaces, and make sure the formatting is clear and uncluttered. The aim of a resume's presentation is to make it easy to read for the hiring manager, so keep your resume format simple.
Check for Errors
There are few things that undermine your hard work and skills more than sloppiness. Double-check your resume for grammatical errors and typos. Hiring managers will not be impressed by mistakes.
Errors reflect badly on you and often say more than the words written on the page. A professional resume shouldn't have any spelling errors or formatting mistakes. Your job search will be made a lot easier if you take the time to check everything is correct beforehand.
If possible, get a friend or family member to read through your resume and check themselves. they may spot something you have missed or may have some other piece of valuable advice that can help your resume be the best it can be. Every great resume and cover letter should be error free.
Keep it Up-To-Date
It is not good enough to write a resume and cover letter and just leave it. A great resume today may be outdated and irrelevant in a year. Go back and read through your page resume and cover and make sure that all the information included is still accurate and still relevant to the job description.
If you've included skills on a piece of software no longer being used or irrelevant to the job description, remove it. If you have work history that is no longer relevant to the job you are applying for, for example customer service for a different industry entirely, remove it. If you look back at your resume and think it looks cluttered or messy, change it.
Keeping your resume up to date will help make it the best resume it can be and will boost your job search significantly. There is no use in handing out a previously good resume with irrelevant work experience and skills - all that will do is hinder your chances of ending your job search.
Improve Your Resume
Maybe you have gone through all of these tips and yet hiring managers are still not taking to your application. In that case, the issue may not be your resume itself but what is in it.
If you aren't getting anywhere with your job applications, consider gaining some more work experience, becoming more qualified, or learning a new skill that you can add to your resume. The more professional and qualified you appear on your resume, the better chance you have of impressing hiring managers and landing your ideal job.
In Summary
The best resume is a resume that helps land you the job you want. Your skills, work, history, and work experience should all be relevant and impressive.
Keep reviewing and updating your resume to make as good as it can be and if you aren't happy with it, don't be afraid to start again. A resume builder can be a good first step, even for experienced professionals.
Also a good resume sample or resume example to model yours after is good. Professional resume examples can be very helpful, but don't copy or leave watermarks that professional resume examples often come with.
Whether it is your first or tenth page resume and cover, do not be afraid to look at resume examples or a relevant resume sample for inspiration.
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