In this article, I will explain how to make a resume stand out. Writing a truly effective resume is not easy for most people because contrary to what you might think, it is a task that requires you to follow a set of steps that will help you stand out from other candidates.
Whether you want to write a comprehensive resume for a job or a specific resume for an internship, following a few simple principles will help you reach your professional goals faster and easier.
Here’s briefly some of my tips on how to make a resume:
- Overcome the ATS or applicant tracking system barrier
- Prepare a punchy introduction
- Highlight your greatest accomplishments to gain the recruiter’s trust
- Demonstrate what you have written to convince the recruiter or at least reassure them
- Make it easy for the recruiter to find relevant information
- Stimulate the recruiter’s curiosity
- Benchmark by analyzing your competition and the people already working in the position you are interested in
- Go to the source of the information and question the recruiter more
Now, I suggest you explore these tips in depth.
1 – Overcome the ATS (applicant tracking system) barrier
Nowadays, recruitment management software is used to examine the relevance of your resume long before the recruiter can access it.
An ATS is software that manages the recruitment process, including the automated processing of applications.
Why is this important to you?
Simply because a poorly designed resume will be eliminated by this software and your application will never reach the recruiter. The latter has set the parameters of this software according to different selection criteria, some of which are located in the job offer to which you wish to apply.
To overcome these obstacles, it is therefore essential to structure your resume by taking into account the obvious and probable keywords.
This will allow you to overcome this technical barrier most of the time.
Think of these programs as search engines and your resume as one of the search results.
If your primary goal is to get your resume to the recruiter, then think of your resume as the most relevant result you would like to find in an internet search.
Also, pay attention to the repetition of certain keywords in the job offer and repeat them in your resume and cover letter as well.
If in doubt, prepare at least two versions of your resume, one with all the keywords mentioned in the ad and the other with other expressions that seem likely to be consistent with the position in question.
Doing this will allow you to get rid of the software barriers set up by the companies to which you want to apply.
Give the robots what they want, then move on to our other tips that will allow you to convince the recruiters as well.
Another alternative that is also valuable, but not always possible, is to send your resume by regular mail.
Why should you do this?
Simply because even if you follow the above-mentioned tips, some ATSs may eliminate your application due to factors such as the layout of the resume, the format (pdf, word, etc.), and the presence of logos of companies where you have worked, or languages you speak, etc.
2 – Prepare a punchy introduction
Now that you’ve done what it takes to get past the barrage of machines, you have also started to adapt your resume to the offer.
Adapting your resume to each offer starts with taking into account the keywords directly or indirectly related to the offer.
However, doing this, even if it is important, is not always enough.
Why is this?
Because the recruiter is under time pressure from his management.
You have a few seconds to convince an overwhelmed recruiter who has a pile of resumes.
To avoid your resume ending up in the trash, you must expose from the beginning the aspects that will catch the recruiter’s attention and make them more willing to read your resume.
Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes, they only have a few seconds to check if your application is relevant to the position you are applying for.
In such a short time, they need to understand at a glance whether or not to reject your application.
In order to reduce the recruiter’s cognitive load, you need to make it easy for them, otherwise, your resume will be eliminated immediately.
Cognitive load refers to the limited capacity of a person’s working memory. According to this theory, each individual can only process a limited amount of information at one time.
If you combine this memory limitation with time pressure and stress, you understand that the recruiter is acting in an uncomfortable situation.
Your goal is to present an introduction in your resume that summarizes the key points that will best meet the recruiter’s needs.
In this way, you will help the recruiter save time and take some of that time to further analyze your application.
The importance of creating a catchphrase in your resume
The catchphrase in a CV is located at the bottom of the title of your CV.
It allows you to :
- summarize in a few words or sentences the elements that will make the recruiter want to read your resume
- highlight your strengths in relation to the position or possibly reinforce the coherence of your application
What types of hooks should be used?
The resume teaser as a subheading
This allows you to highlight in a few lines an essential aspect of your application that you feel is particularly relevant to the type of position you are applying for.
The resume teaser that summarizes the career
This allows you to summarize your career in a few paragraphs. It is very relevant for candidates who need to convince the recruiter of their career transition project.
3 – Highlight your greatest accomplishments to earn the recruiter’s trust
Your goal is to help the recruiter build a positive image of you as a perfect fit for the position.
One of the best ways to establish trust with the recruiter right from the start is to highlight your expertise. To achieve this professional goal, you can present information that is compelling and stands out from the crowd.
You can highlight:
- your greatest professional accomplishments using figures
- your scientific or any other publications
- your in-depth knowledge of the issues in the sector of activity or job
- your most important diplomas
Some people are not always aware of their accomplishments and tend to self-censor their achievements.
Don’t fall into this trap!
You may have some cards to play to get the recruiter’s attention.
One way to stand out from the crowd is to create a resume that is different from the norm.
Be creative and think of everything you can do in terms of presentation, content, and style to make your resume memorable.
4 – Demonstrate what you have written to convince the recruiter or at least reassure them
Now that you have won the recruiter’s attention, you must continue to convince them throughout the reading of your resume by constantly demonstrating the relevance of the tasks you performed within the different companies.
Highlight the most important information.
Be exhaustive in your description, focusing more on the elements that are relevant and important to the position you are applying for.
If you have a lot of points to make, put the ones you think are most important at the top.
If you cannot convince the recruiter, do what you can to reassure them and preserve their trust.
In this sense, it is important to clarify any gaps in the resume that may sow doubt in the recruiter’s mind.
Put yourself in their shoes. Why should they contact you, waste time calling you, and offering you an interview if your resume does not reassure them?
Remember that the recruiter’s goal is to make the best possible choice while meeting the pressures they face. If you don’t make their life easier, they won’t contact you.
5 – Make it easy again for the recruiter to find relevant information
Now that you have inspired the recruiter to go further in reading your resume, it is in your best interest to organize the information from a visual standpoint.
Even though some resume formats are more or less relevant depending on the industry, your goal is again to avoid cognitive overload that could cause the recruiter to reject your application.
If you want to share more relevant information, you can always refer the recruiter to your professional profiles or to other websites.
In addition to your resume, you can also attach other documents that support your application.
Make sure that the picture on your resume respects the dress code expected by the recruiter and that the font of the resume is easy to read.
The presentation of your resume is also important because it contributes to the positive or negative image that the recruiter builds of you.
Ideally, it is important to write several detailed resumes, one for each of the positions you are applying for.
This will allow you to give each of your resumes a different headline outlining your professional goal and your main motivations for the position.
To summarize, your goal is to facilitate the search for information related to the position for which you are applying so that the recruiter can save time in reading and understanding your resume.
6 – Stimulate the recruiter’s curiosity
Sometimes you apply for positions for which you are not really the ideal candidate, but if you include elements in your resume that arouse the recruiter’s curiosity, they may want to meet you and still give you a good opportunity.
Your hobbies are the ideal section of your resume to highlight your more human side and to bring out the most emotional aspect of the resume.
Describe your most outstanding extra-professional activities that could attract the attention of the recruiter.
Try to be specific and prefer activities that require skills that are relevant to the position you are interested in.
7 – Benchmark by analyzing your competition and those that already work in the position you are interested in
A good way to write a resume is to rely on documentary research and other creative strategies to obtain the resumes of other candidates applying for the same job or a similar job to the one you are looking for.
To do this, you can use online resume publication sites, which are real sources of information to improve the quality of your detailed resume.
You can also do a little market research with people who are currently working in order to obtain additional information on the challenges and developments in the profession that you are looking for.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use professional networks such as LinkedIn which allows you to quickly contact relevant people.
Prepare a message explaining your initiative and suggest telephone meetings to those who are interested.
I invite you to read my article in which I explain how to create an efficient LinkedIn profile.
8 – Go to the source of the information and question the recruiter more
One method of creating a resume is to ask recruiters directly for their opinion before sending them your application.
This is one of the most powerful and yet least used techniques by most job seekers.
Some people perceive recruiters as hard to reach or reluctant to interact with.
Simply ask them about their own expertise or ask for their opinion on recruitment-related topics to establish initial contact.
Then, you can submit your resume to them in order to benefit from their expertise.
Your proactivity will also increase your chances of professional success because indirectly you will become a very good candidate for these recruiters.
You have just read the main strategies that will allow you to write a complete and extremely effective resume to distinguish yourself from the competition and thus maximize your likelihood of finding the ideal job that really suits you.
Before I conclude the article, I suggest you take a look at the most commonly used resume formats and to clarify some information regarding the content of the resume.
The most commonly used resume formats
Before ending this article, it is important to remember the different resume types because you will choose one of them depending on your situation and what you want to emphasize in your resume.
The most common and used formats are anti-chronological and thematic. Now, I would like to provide you with some basic information about which resume format is best for you.
Anti-chronological resume
Anti-chronological CV: you present your experiences from the most recent to the oldest.
Advantage: this allows you to reinforce the coherence of your profile for similar positions.
Disadvantages: less attractive, as it requires you to explain each gap in your resume.
Who is it for? Individuals with a coherent career path.
Skills-based resume
Functional resume: your experiences are classified according to your skills or sectors.
Advantage: allows you to highlight your added value, more appealing
Disadvantages: it can generate doubts among some recruiters
Who is it for? Young graduates, juniors, or anyone who has developed skills in several fields
Making a skills-based resume
What is a skills-based resume?
This is a resume format that groups together the professional skills you have developed throughout your career. However, in this resume, the chronological career path has less importance.
Why make a competency-based resume?
You can group your similar experiences into one category and highlight the categories that are most important to you.
Although this format is less common than the standard one, it is particularly suitable for :
- people who have a lot of experience
- candidates who want to highlight specific aspects of their career
- individuals with unusual profiles
What are the advantages of a skills-based resume?
You only highlight the skills that are directly related to the job you are applying for.
You can therefore eliminate abilities that are not relevant to the job you are targeting and this represents a significant time saving for recruiters.
As a result, your resume becomes a job search tool that allows you to maximize the number of interviews for positions that interest you and to find a satisfying job more quickly.
In addition, this format allows you to waste less time than writing a classic curriculum that would require you to write several pages.
This format is also very effective because it allows you to highlight your transferable skills.
It helps recruiters focus more on your qualities and less on gaps in the resume or on a non-linear career.
Finally, you can more easily highlight your qualities and clarify your career goals.
This is particularly useful for people who want to make a successful career change.
How to write a CV that highlights your skills?
Writing a functional resume takes more time than a traditional one because you don’t just list your experiences.
You must first identify the positions that interest you and then create a customized document that truly represents what you can bring to a company.
To do this, you need to be aware of all the skills you have developed to carry out your various jobs.
For each of the skills you wish to present to recruiters, you will expose both your hard skills, i.e. your skills related to know-how, and your soft skills, i.e. the relational skills related to interpersonal skills.
For each operational or human skill, you will justify as much as possible how you have developed it.
If you want to change careers and move to a different field, explain how you can transfer your current skills to another job.
Mistakes to avoid in a skills-based resume
Here are some common mistakes to avoid.
Putting forward irrelevant skills
It is essential not to include skills that are not directly related to the position you are applying for. This can undermine the credibility of your application and show that you are not sufficiently motivated or that you did not take the time to personalize your application.
Forgetting to mention the tangible achievements associated with each skill
Skills without practical examples can seem too abstract. That’s why you need to associate each skill with an achievement or experience to make it more convincing.
Use overly generic terms
Avoid using generic terms such as “teamwork”, “time management” or “managerial skills”. This does not sufficiently show your skills and can be perceived as a lack of motivation and low interest in the company.
Not tailoring the CV to each position
Be sure to tailor your resume to the needs and requirements of the position you are applying for. This shows that you have taken the time to understand the company’s needs and that you are highly interested in the position.
Do not proofread your resume
Spelling and grammar errors can give a bad first impression and may suggest a lack of professionalism. Take the time to carefully review your resume to maximize your chances of success.
By following these tips, you can avoid common mistakes in writing a skills-based resume and increase your chances of getting the job interview you want.
Some details on the content of the resume
When you write your CV, it is essential to put forward relevant information.
Here are some essential tips:
- describe your achievements and goals in figures, for example, detail the number of people managed
- give useful information about the people you managed and the environment of the organization in which you worked
- explain in the job description if the contract was short
- if you are bilingual or have a very good level of language, give more details about your skills, but if you do not have a sufficient command of another language, it is better to avoid mentioning this information
If you want to take advantage of customized support to find a satisfying job, you can take advantage of a free session with a career coach. To do so, write to us using our contact form or call us by phone or on WhatsApp at +33 6 69 46 03 79.
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Français : Comment faire un CV : le Guide Complet
Italiano: Come fare un curriculum vitae: guida completa approvata dai recruiter