In today’s competitive job market, it’s crucial that you know how to write a resume because it’s often the first impression you make on potential employers. It’s your ticket to securing interviews and landing your dream job.
A well-crafted resume can be the difference between being noticed and being overlooked. In this comprehensive step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of creating a perfect resume that highlights your skills, experiences, and qualifications effectively. Follow these resume writing tips, and you’ll be well on your way to crafting a resume that stands out from the crowd.
Step 1: Understand the Purpose of Your Resume
First off, know that’s okay to ask for help writing a resume. This is not a skill that comes naturally and is one that needs to be developed.
To start, it’s essential to understand the purpose of your resume. Your resume is not just a document listing your work history; it’s a marketing tool. And you are the product!
A resume’s primary goal is to showcase your qualifications, skills, and experiences in a way that makes you an attractive candidate for the job you’re applying for.
This doesn’t mean vomit out everything you’ve ever done since grammar school. After all, much of what you’ve accomplished thus far may not have any relevance to the job you’re applying for. So, on that note — here’s resume writing tip #1: Take some time to research the job and the company to tailor your resume to their specific needs.
If the job calls for UX design, or writing skills, or singing skills or whatever, then emphasize those skills as part of your overall background so they feel highlighted and propel you forward as a candidate worth considering.
Step 2: Choose the Right Resume Format
Resumes come in various formats, but the three most common are chronological, functional, and combination (or hybrid).
- Chronological Resume: This format lists your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job. It’s suitable for candidates with a strong and consistent work history.
- Functional Resume: A functional resume focuses on your skills and qualifications rather than your work history. It’s useful if you have employment gaps or if your work experience is not directly related to the job you’re applying for.
- Combination (Hybrid) Resume: This format combines elements of both chronological and functional resumes. It allows you to highlight your skills while also providing a chronological work history.
Choose the format that best highlights your strengths and aligns with the job you’re seeking.
Again, this is not the time for you to just spit out every job you’ve ever had. Just find the experience(s) that is relevant to the job you’re applying for and choose one of the above formats to help you get organized.
Step 3: Gather Your Information
Before you start writing, gather all the necessary information, including:
- Contact Information: Include your name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable — oh, and in today’s world, if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, MAKE ONE!).
- Resume Summary or Objective: Write a concise summary or objective statement that captures your career goals and what you can bring to the role. Again, try to be specific to the job you’re actually applying for here. How does your particular background and experience make you a viable candidate for the position at hand.
- Work Experience: List your previous jobs, including job titles, company names, dates of employment, and key responsibilities and achievements. Try to identify experiences and positions that have a direct correlation to the job at hand and highlight these within these areas.
- Education: Include your educational background, including degrees, institutions, graduation dates, and any relevant certifications. It’s less important to add your date of graduation and more important to be specific with your particular degree or emphasis of study.
- Skills: Highlight your key skills, both hard (e.g., technical skills) and soft (e.g., communication, leadership). Soft skills are extremely valuable for many of today’s roles, so be sure not to diminish what you’re capable of in this arena.
- Achievements and Awards: Mention any awards, recognitions, or significant achievements. Don’t embellish here and also be sure to ONLY mention awards you’ve actually won or been nominated for if they’re prestigious or relevant to the position. (No one cares that you were first place in a baking contest — except of course if you’re applying to a bakery or culinary school!)
Step 4: Organize Your Resume Sections
Now, it’s time to organize your resume into clear sections. A typical resume includes the following sections:
- Contact Information
- Resume Summary or Objective
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
- Achievements and Awards (optional)
- Certifications (optional)
- Additional Sections (e.g., languages spoken, volunteer work)
Use clear headings and bullet points to make your resume easy to read and navigate.
But wait! What about References? Shouldn’t you include a list of references?
Another Resume Writing Tip — have a list of references ready to go as a separate sheet. I personally prefer to use this as a “leave behind” that I bring with me to the interview. Be sure to make your list in the same font style, size and paper choice as your resume with your contact info at the top as well. This isn’t crucial, but in case your resume gets misplaced this is the easiest way for your potential employer to remember who you are.
Step 5: Tailor Your Resume to the Job
We mentioned it above, but one of the most critical steps in writing a resume is tailoring it to the job you’re applying for. Study the job description and company culture to identify keywords and specific qualifications they are looking for. Incorporate these keywords into your resume to demonstrate that you’re a perfect fit for the role.
This will help you stand out in among a probable stack of resumes. These “keywords” are often what the Human Resources exec will type in to help them identify a list of ‘qualified’ candidates rather than having to sift through hundreds of resumes manually.
Again, only add in those skill sets that you can actually accomplish and have experience in.
Step 6: The Best Resume Writing is Concise and Clear
When writing a resume, describe your work experience and accomplishments using concise language and bullet points to convey information clearly. Start each bullet point with a strong action verb (e.g., “managed,” “implemented,” “achieved”). Quantify your achievements whenever possible, using numbers to showcase your impact (e.g., “increased sales by 20%”).
Step 7: Showcase Your Achievements
Employers are interested in what you’ve accomplished, not just your job responsibilities. Use the “Achievements and Awards” section to highlight your contributions and the results you’ve achieved in your previous roles. Use metrics and specific examples to demonstrate your impact.
You can also do this within some of the work experiences as well. If you exceeded a sales forecast, or implemented a new system, or developed a product, bring these accomplishments to the forefront by highlighting them here.
Step 8: Highlight Relevant Skills When Writing a Resume
In the “Skills” section, focus on skills that are directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. One great resume writing tip is that you should include both hard skills (e.g., programming languages, software proficiency) and soft skills (e.g., communication, leadership). If possible, provide evidence of how you’ve applied these skills in your previous roles.
When you’re writing your resume if you feel that this section is repetitive or unnecessary, sometimes I recommend deleting it. Try to put your skills within the context of the work experience instead of including them when writing your resume. You can also speak to your particular set of skills in the interview itself.
Step 9: Proofread and Edit
A perfectly written resume is free of typos, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies. Take the time to proofread your resume carefully. Consider asking a friend or professional to review it as well.
I know this might seem tedious, but there’s nothing worse than a typi. See?
Step 10: Format for Readability
Use a clean and professional resume template with consistent fonts and formatting. Ensure that your resume is visually appealing and easy to skim. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri and keep the font size between 10 and 12 points.
Resume Writing Tip: While the above tip is my usual advice for 95% of resume writers, there are exceptions. If you’re applying for a design position or as a creative writer or graphic design, sometimes I challenge folks to try something different. Remember, 99.9% of resumes will look alike. But in the realm of the creative fields, sometimes ‘different’ is exactly what’s required.
Conclusion
Creating a perfect resume is a crucial step in your job search journey. A well-crafted resume can open doors to opportunities and make a lasting impression on potential employers. By following these step-by-step guidelines and tailoring your resume to the job you desire, you’ll be well on your way to securing interviews and advancing your career.
One last resume writing tip however — be sure to keep updating your resume throughout your career. A career is never a straight line and opportunities come up often when you least expect them. So you want to be ready to pounce when they do.
For a little touch of humor and also to see what NOT to do, you may want to see examples of some of the worst resume writing techniques we’ve ever seen.
Hope this was helpful and I wish you luck!
