Do you feel that your job search has been stalling for too long? There is no other feeling worse than realizing that you are not moving forward with your job search as you once anticipated. A stalled job search can mean a lot of things for you depending on your situation. For some, it means a few more weeks spent at a job they hate, while for others, it can mean another visit to the unemployment benefits office.
You can easily push your job search forward by revamping your resume. You don’t even need to rewrite the whole thing; you only need to make a few tweaks. Let’s look at some simple things that you can do to your resume to speed up your job search:
The goal is to make your resume skimmable. The hiring manager should not have to read your whole resume from start to finish to grasp the most important information about your career. You should create and design your resume in such a way that the important qualifications jump out at the hiring manager when they casually scan your resume. Here’s how you can do that in a few steps:
- Avoid using a two-column resume format. The two-column format disrupts your hiring manager’s natural reading pattern.
- Display important information in an F- or E- pattern. Human brains are wired to read from left to right and from top to bottom.
- Add distinct resume sections. The section titles should be clearly visible. Also, you should use standard resume section headings to avoid confusing the hiring manager and the ATS.
- Use bold, italic, and highlighted text to bring out important information such as job titles, dates, metrics, etc. on your resume.
- Leave enough white space on the document. Adding space before and after paragraphs, and around text on your resume helps improve the visual appeal and readability.
- Create a dedicated achievements section for your resume where you can display your academic or professional accomplishments related to the role.
- Use a dedicated skills section to add vital keywords to your resume. Make sure that you display a good mix of technical, academic, and soft skills related to the role.
Another important thing that you should never forget about when applying for a job is customization. Your resume needs to be tailored to each and every single position that you apply for. This will help you address the employer’s specific needs through your resume, presenting yourself as the ideal candidate for the position. So, how can you do this with your resume?
- Read the job description carefully. When you read it, take note of important keywords embedded within the description. You are going to use these keywords to write your resume.
- Write a new summary statement. Stop recycling the same summary statement across job applications. Your resume should have a fresh summary for every application.
- Prioritize information. Take notice of the skills and experiences the employer values the most and display them first on your resume.
- Use numbers and metrics. Quantified results make your resume an interesting read. You should add numbers, percentages, and metrics whenever possible to describe the outcome of your professional achievements on your resume.
- Understand the company culture. Do a bit of research to identify the company values. This will help you tailor the interests section of your resume to reflect the cultural fit for the employer.
- Rewrite your bullet points. The bullet points on your resume have a lot of power. If they seem bland, you should rewrite them until they are interesting to read.
- Tailor the skills section. The skills section of your resume does not need to mention all your job skills. It must only display the skills that are relevant to the position. Use the job description to create a tailored skills section.
