10 Essential Resume Tips from the Experts at Resume World
At Resume World, we’ve spent over 35 years helping job seekers craft resumes that grab the attention of employers and recruiters in today’s competitive job market. Our team of experts, each with over 20 years of writing experience, understands the intricacies of creating a resume that not only looks professional but also passes through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). We’re here to provide you with our top tips and techniques for building a resume that gets you results.
1. Choose the Right Resume Format
Before diving into layout and design, it’s crucial to select the resume format that best suits your career history and goals. The three most common formats are chronological, functional, and combination. A chronological format works best if you have a solid and consistent work history. A functional format is ideal if you’re changing careers or have gaps in your experience, as it emphasizes skills over work experience. A combination format blends both approaches, allowing you to highlight both skills and experience. Choosing the right format sets the foundation for how your resume will present your experience and qualifications, and once that’s established, you can focus on the layout to ensure it is easy to read and professional.
2. Tailor Your Resume to the Job Description
One of the biggest mistakes we see job seekers make is using the same resume for every position. At Resume World, we emphasize the importance of tailoring each resume to the job description. Our experience shows that highlighting relevant skills and achievements for each position significantly increases your chances of landing an interview.
3. Optimize Your Resume for ATS with Keywords
Having built the first “on-demand” ATS system, Talcura, we have intricate knowledge of how these systems filter resumes. Including relevant industry-specific keywords from the job description is crucial to getting past ATS algorithms. Many job seekers aren’t aware of this, but our expertise ensures that your resume is optimized for these systems without overloading it with unnecessary keywords.
4. Focus on Achievements, Not Just Duties
From our experience, employers are far more interested in results than just a list of duties. That’s why we encourage you to focus on measurable achievements. Whether it’s improving productivity, managing a team, or boosting sales, numbers and metrics speak volumes. We’ve helped thousands of clients articulate these accomplishments, which helps them land interviews and secure job offers.
5. Use Strong Action Verbs
We’ve seen firsthand how using dynamic action verbs can transform a resume. Instead of listing responsibilities, start each bullet point with powerful words like—led, developed, increased, created or achieved. This helps create a strong, confident tone that shows your impact and results.
6. Keep It Concise
As resume professionals, we know how crucial it is to make every word count. Recruiters often scan resumes in seconds, so we advise keeping your resume concise—ideally two pages for candidates with less than 10 years of experience. Our team ensures that each section or job experience is clear and relevant, making your resume easy to read and pinpoint relevant information.
7. Highlight Transferable Skills
At Resume World, we’ve helped many job seekers successfully transition into new industries and positions. The key is to highlight transferable skills like leadership, customer service, technical/functional, communication, project management, etc. that are relevant to your goals. Our team will guide you in showcasing these skills in a way that applies to the position you’re aiming for.
8. Include a Professional Summary
We’ve found that a well-written professional summary at the top of your resume can make a powerful first impression and stimulate recruiters’ interest, encouraging them to read further. This brief section provides recruiters with a quick snapshot of your experience, skills, and accomplishments, allowing them to quickly grasp your qualifications without needing to read the entire resume—especially since most recruiters spend only seconds reviewing each candidate’s resume.
9. Proofread for Errors
Over the years, we’ve seen how typos and formatting errors can ruin even the most impressive resumes. That’s why we emphasize the importance of careful proofreading. Ensure that your resume is polished and error-free, demonstrating your professionalism and attention to detail.
10. Keep Your Resume Updated
Finally, we always advise our clients to keep their resumes updated, even if they aren’t actively job hunting. You never know when a great opportunity will come your way, and being prepared can make all the difference. Our team helps you maintain an up-to-date resume that reflects your latest work experience, achievements, and skills.
Final thoughts
You are getting insights from resume experts who have helped thousands of job seekers succeed. By following these resume tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a resume that not only impresses hiring managers but also passes ATS screenings. Your resume is often your first introduction and impression to a potential employer or recruiter, so make sure it accurately reflects your skills, accomplishments, and the value you bring to the table.
Need help perfecting your resume? Explore more articles in our Resume Tips and Techniques category for additional guidance, or contact us for a free, 20-minute one-on-one consultation with one of our resume experts!