It may seem as if a regular resume is no longer relevant in a time of social media and LinkedIn, but it isn’t true. Your digital presence or a page on LinkedIn won’t replace your resume, which is still one of the most important parts of any job hunt. Here are tips that can help you write a better resume.
Make Sure You Express Yourself Well
Good writing skills may be rare, but they are critical when it comes to writing a resume. Simply being able to look at a well-written resume can give a hiring manager the feeling the writer is organized. Concise, to-the-point language can make them feel you are no-nonsense and all business. These qualities may not come from any specific thing you say on your resume. They simply come from the language used overall. It’s essential to devote as much time as you can to getting the language in the resume right.
Treat Your Resume Like a Marketing Tool for Yourself
You should see your resume the way you would see advertising copy. The product here is you — if what you have written won’t sell you to the hiring manager, you need to put more work into it. Think of yourself as a brand, and create your resume to push out key messages. Just as with advertising copy, you should not put every single detail about yourself in it. You should pick and choose, and aim to create an overall impact rather than a catalog.
Customize Your Resume
Customizing your resume for every job you apply to can be difficult, but it is essential. It’s important to remember that hiring managers look at resumes for an average of only six seconds. Customizing can help make the most of the precious time you have.
It’s also important to think of the kind of difficulty hiring managers often have reading the same types of sentences on every resume they see. A little humanity, and a little creative individuality in different places through the resume can brighten it up and make it more memorable.
Think About the Different Sections to Include in Your Resume
Make sure your resume includes all the necessary sections. It should begin with a header section that provides the reader with your name and contact information. It should go on to provide a summary of your resume — with qualifications and your ideas for what you can offer the company in the role you’re applying to. A work experience section should come next, along with one that talks about your hard and soft skills as they relate to the job you’re applying to. Next, list your education and any academic honors you’ve received. There could be more sections that you choose to include, but these are the essential ones.
Decide on the Best Resume Format
In most cases, the reverse chronological order is the best way to format resumes. Whoever takes a look at your resume, reverse order puts your most recent and relevant information at the top, where they are likely to see it.
A resume is still one of the most basic of the job hunter’s tools. Recruiters and hiring managers still require that candidates apply with resumes, and they want them to quickly answer the questions they have about the candidate. A good resume benefits both you and the hiring manager.
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an honors organization, boasting 320 plus chapter nationwide, that recognizes high-achieving first-and second-year students. With its three pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service, NSCS is proud to provide career and graduate school connections, leadership and service experiences, practical and skills-based content, access to discounts and savings, and over a million dollars in scholarships, chapter funds and awards annually. To learn more about joining the NSCS honors society, visit us at http://www.nscs.org/join.