Showcasing our strengths and skills in a way that allows the employer to see you as the perfect fit for the job can be a huge challenge. Many professional industries have specific skill sets and requirements that are required of applicants. With all of the heavy competition it can be hard to set yourself apart from all of the other qualified hires. Being able to write a resume that presents your best professional foot forward is a big part of landing your dream position.
This challenge can be further exasperated for young graduates or those people who might be looking to make a career change or have gaps in their employment history. It can be confusing to decide how to write a resume that will most effectively highlight their good qualities and minimize anything else.
How to Write a Resume that highlights your best qualities
Consider how your specific strengths and skills can be applied to the job you are applying for and begin with the most critical info first. Valuable skills include additional training, strong skill sets or years of experience. Taking some time to review the ad or job description as well as the company website can help you get a idea about whether or not the company is a good fit and how to best appeal to the company culture and necessary skill and strengths that the position might require.
The first key is to identify what makes you stand out as an employee. While there are going to be a specific set of hard skills that will be needed for any position often there are also very desirable “soft skills ” that are also necessary to land a job. Soft skills include interpersonal or leadership skills. Include Key words pertinent to the industry and incorporate bold headings and bullet points to help guide the readers eyes to the information with in your resume that is pertinent to the position being offered.
How do I determine the proper format to write a resume in?
Pick a resume format that allows you to lead with your strengths. In some cases it may be effective to showcase ones lengthy experience while in other circumstances a different format that leads with skills and relevant strengths may better help a person that has fewer years of experience showcase their potential to be the perfect candidate for the job.
Three types of formats
Chronological (Traditional )
The most used and preferred type of resume format. This type of resume is presented in reverse chronological order with the highest level of accomplishments first ( including promotions) with the most recent employment positions at the top. This type of resume is used primarily when the persons work history is a close fit for the desired position and focuses on specific dates and career growth. The chronological format also prioritizes a persons achievements and experience over specific skills.
Define your goals present a motivated persona with a clear understanding or the goal and direction that you wish your career trajectory to take. Employers also look for applicants that have a strong desire to grow and expand their knowledge within a field or company.
Functional or Skills format
This type of resume format is typically used when a person want to highlight their skills this type of format is most often used for young graduates or entry level positions as well as those people who are looking to make a career change. The main idea of this style of resume is to group key skills into appropriate categories that demonstrate a applications expertise and qualifications qualifications. This allows for the applicant to focus on their strengths with out so much focus on their career history.
Combination
Typically used when the applicant has a mix of relevant skills and similar work experience to the job being applied for.
The main concept of this type of resume is to start of with the career summary of qualifications and skills that emphasizes strengths.
Other Common Resume Terms
What is a summary statement?
A summary statement describes your value in the job market based on a persons accomplishments and skills. It is meant to explain ones strongest accomplishments and strengths at the top of a resume.
What is a objective statement?
This type of statement outlines what you hope to learn and achieve in the position in away that makes the person appear to be the ideal candidate for the position. Objective statements are most commonly used when changing careers or applying for a specific position.
Consider adding in testimonials from previous patients or clients. this can be especially helpful in industries where you will be working in customer service or directly with the public
For additional examples of resumes and how to write them check out this additional article here !