A high-quality resume is needed to get any candidate into an interview. If it’s well done, that resume could give an otherwise unlikely candidate the opportunity for a great job.
What separates the good resumes from the bad ones? If you’re a person who looks at a lot of job applications, you’ve probably identified a few qualities that you look for. Maybe you just go with your gut.
If you’re on the other end, you’re likely curious as to how you can give your application a little more kick. We’re here to give you a few pointers on what is needed in a resume.
Whether you’re joining a hiring committee or looking for a new job, these points should help you out.
What is Needed in a Resume?
Even the best job candidates fall on bad luck sometimes. Being jobless can cause a lot of emotional and financial stress, so it’s essential that you show employers just how great a candidate you are.
A good candidate can be revealed through a resume in a couple of ways. Because it’s usually just a sheet or two of paper, the resume can be kind of limiting in the way of describing a person.
That’s what the interview is there for, though, and the resume’s purpose is to expose the best candidates right off of the bat. For that reason, the paper needs to stick out in a stack of other applicants.
Arrangement
The format of a resume should be unique. The applicant must find a way to express themselves within the confines of the sheet of paper while adhering to resume standards.
This expression could come in the font, the color of text, or the arrangement of each section. Stylistically, these elements should come together to be professional, telling, and personal.
Another element of the arrangement is the order in which qualifications are listed. An applicant should typically list their most appealing qualifications first, as those are the ones that will stand out to the hiring committee.
For example, if a person was applying for a job that they had no prior work experience for, but a lot of life experience for, they would list their relevant personal experiences before they listed their work experience.
Further, there should be little reference to experiences or qualities that have no relevance to the job. It would be great if being a juggler got you a job at a law firm but it doesn’t, so you can leave it off of your resume.
Any one of the Best Certified Professional Resume Writers would say the same thing.
Consistency
Another piece of the resume puzzle is the stylistic consistency of its parts. Whether or not the person reading your application is conscious of discrepancies on the page, it plays a part in how you come off.
We’re talking about different font sizes and styles, the lining of different sections, and the capitalization and spelling of different words. Make sure that you indent twice when you type the description of one job if you indented twice on the previous one.
It’s important to have a critical eye for those things on the resume because they reflect your ability to analyze situations in the workplace.
You’ve Got This!
Determining what is needed in a resume is the first step, the interview is the second. The interview is where you get to shine.
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