Tips for Writing a Resume That Gets Noticed

Your resume can make the difference between getting a foot in the door and getting filtered out before the first interview ever takes place. It definitely pays to put in the time and effort if you want your resume and your skills to get noticed.

The following five tips can help you succeed when it comes to writing a resume that gets you noticed:

• Plan ahead. Focus on the key sections – your objective, professional experience, education, special skills – and determine how this will resume will help you get an interview. The more organized you are, the more it will show in the final result. Prepare an outline before you start writing so you know what you are going to include and what you are going to leave out.

• Employ action verbs and bullet points. Action verbs are strong and incisive and can clearly showcase your skills. You can choose words such as: managed, planned, developed, presented, coordinated, engaged and increased. Bullet points help you make concise, easy-to-read statements about your experience for a better reading experience.

• Be specific. “Grew department revenue by 30 percent year over year” is more powerful than “Increased department revenue.” Use specific numbers, percentages, dollar amounts and dates to really drive home your point.

• Focus on the positive. Make sure you accentuate the positive – and leave out the negative – throughout your resume. Share special accomplishments, unique skills, awards and other winning work. You can list your contact information at the top, but you don’t need to share any personal information beyond that.

• Turn to key words. Key words are great for getting your resume noticed – some companies even use scanners that seek out words relevant to jobs posted. Likewise, they can show that you have the right job or industry knowledge. For example, a market research professional could mention expertise in voice of customer work, developing actionable customer insights and analyzing high-level data and research.

Finally, you can continue to hone your resume for each job you apply for, adding in key words and skills that the company is specifically looking for. Your resume is a living, breathing document that can continue to grow and develop as your skills do.

CV Red Flags That May Prevent You From Getting the Job You Want

For recruiters, selecting the right candidate to match client specifications is essential. But, it’s also a recruiter’s job to support our candidates and help them put their best foot forward to a prospective employer. To do so, candidates need to put forward compelling CV content that’s well-structured. 

Of course, if left unchecked, even minor CV errors present red flags that won’t land candidates the job or even the interview. Here are some specifics to watch out for:  

• CV’s that aren’t tailored to the job – A CV shouldn’t just be a document listing a candidate’s career and educational history. Rather, it should showcase a candidate’s suitability for the specific opportunity or sector they’re pursuing. So, CV’s should be adapted to match each job description, including specific keywords and core strengths. 

• CV’s with poor formatting - CV structure is almost as important as the content within. Candidates should format for easy reading by breaking up large blocks of text, using bullet points and bold headings to create distinctive sections.

• CV’s that focus on duties, not achievements – Candidate CV’s should focus on the impact they made within a previous organization. The goal is to highlight key accomplishments with sector-specific achievements that prove value. 

• CV’s littered with clichés - Overused phrases add nothing to a CV. They just take up valuable space that should instead be used for more in-depth descriptions and specific, unique content.   

• CV’s contain unexplained gaps – Any unexplained gaps in your career should be honestly addressed. Context is key to explaining these variances to employers. Those who are open and upfront are more likely to be considered than candidates who try to hide gaps.  

By keeping your candidate in-check and helping them watch out for these common CV red flags, they’ll be more likely to secure the opportunity, which will not only reflect well on them but on you.