How to Create an Impressive Resume

About 40% of the hiring managers are likely to spend less than a minute reviewing your resume. You definitely need an attractive document that is able to show your skills and qualifications in such a situation; that is, why we came up with how to create a resume.

Your resume is probably the most important piece of paper related to your career, yet for many, writing one seems like a mammoth task. 

Perhaps you have so much to include that fitting all of the information onto a single page might seem impossible.

Or perhaps you just aren’t certain how to correctly format and compose your resume, or maybe you’re not entirely sure what one is.

Whatever that may be, in this article, we’ll break down all you need to know in building a from-scratch-the-perfect resume-and show you how. So read on!

What is a Resume?

A resume is, in essence, the summing up of one’s career, whether it has just started or is years in the running.

A resume, about one page in length-two pages only if absolutely necessary-describes the positions you have had and are holding, responsibilities undertaken, skills accrued, and your qualities as a professional.

For most professional résumés, you’ll want to consider these fundamental elements, which generally come in this order:

• Contact information
• Summary statement
• Work experience
• Non-work experience-community service, for example, or projects of any relevance
• Education and certifications
• Skills

Put together, these elements enable the hiring manager to assess your qualifications for and fit within a position. If you have ever heard of something called a curriculum vitae, or CV, just know it’s a little different from a resume and usually applies to academics and job seekers more often.

Read Also – Can I Put My Certificates of Completion Under Skills on Reddit?

Why Does a Good Resume Matter?

A well-written resume will make all the difference in your job search. Here are the key reasons why:

• Gives Visibility: A well-written resume increases your visibility to hiring managers.

• Beats Algorithm Screening: A mediocre resume might get screened out by algorithms before any human sees it. A well-written resume can help you overcome this barrier.

• Essential for Job Applications: Your resume will be required with your job applications. Even when most hiring managers are looking you up on LinkedIn, the need to actually submit a resume remains.

• Tells Your Career Story: Your resume will provide context for your career story in relation to the target position or business. 

• Makes You More Competitive: Your resume keeps you competitive since it targets the position or businesses that you plan to approach or wish to take a chance in.

An effectively written resume represents an investment in the success of your job search.

How to Create an Impressive Resume

Whether you are that person who has never written a resume in your life, or you need a nice, thorough refresher on the process of creating one, follow this step-by-step guide on how to create a resume that is really impressive.

1. Collect Your Professional Information

To create a fantastic resume, one has to prepare a little for it. It is very crucial to save time and put one’s best foot forward by researching the correct information well in advance before commencing the resume.

Elaborately study your relevant qualifications and match them with the requirements of your desired job. Organize a comprehensive list that includes:

• Impressive, measurable accomplishments from previous positions, highlighting achievements and contributions.

• A thorough listing of your soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills that align with the job description requirements.

• Information about previous employers, including company names, dates of employment, locations, job titles, and a full description of your duties.

• Educational background, which would typically include your college degree and any certifications or licenses that demonstrate your expertise in particular fields.

• Relevant volunteer work in which you developed skills and experience.

• Notable awards and honors that testify to your brilliant abilities and efforts.

Study all these against the job description for a perfect fit. An impactful, well-drafted resume reflecting your qualifications improves your chance for the position being applied for.

2. Choose Appropriate Resume Format

Before you even begin to type anything, you need to determine what you want the overall resume to look like. There are three major types of resume formats to choose from:

• Chronological Resume: Lists experiences from most recent to least recent, placing work experiences above education.

• Functional/Skills-Based Resume: Emphasizes skills over work history, ideal for career changers or those with limited work experience.

• Combination Resume: This combines the best of both, highlighting skills at the top and including space for work and education experience below.

3. Start With Your Contact Information 

Your resume needs to have, first and foremost, a well-defined header of contact information. This must include:

• Full name, like what one has used online
• Telephone number
• Business email address

You may also want to add:

• LinkedIn or personal website URL
• GitHub-for technical positions
• Relevant social media profiles
• City and state or, if relevant, “open to relocating”

Remember to make this section clear and easy to read. If hiring managers can’t contact you, your resume won’t get a second glance.

4. Write a Compelling Resume Summary

A well-written summary reflects your experience, quality, and goals, attracting the attention of the reader. Generalities must be avoided; instead, emphasize what sets you apart from the crowd. 

In modern resume writing, a professional summary or resume profile is used instead of a general objective statement. 

Make sure that your summary is interesting, yet brief and straightforward. If you use an objective statement, it should be about the needs of the company rather than your needs.

5. Write Your Work History Section

When your resume is being reviewed, prospective employers want to understand the impact you have made in your previous positions. To do this, use the work history section to enumerate three to five achievements in bullet points, with quantification wherever possible.

As a 2018 CareerBuilder survey points out, 34% of hiring managers say a lack of specific results is a key turn-off, so use numbers and metrics.

Format your work experience section in reverse-chronological order, with the following items:

• Job title
• Company name and location
• Dates of employment
• Bullet points highlighting top achievements and responsibilities

6. Skills Section to Mention Your Strength

While writing the resume, a minimum of one bulleted skill list is to be included irrespective of the structure of the resume. Include in your resume some hard and some soft skills in order to present yourself as versatile to the recruiter.

Think about what to include in a resume skills section, averaging six to eight of one’s best strengths, provided they relate to the job one is seeking.

If one is changing careers or applying for their first job without work experience, focus on transferable skills like communication and critical thinking-skills that apply to almost any job.

7. List Your Education Credentials 

A very important step in learning how to create a resume for a job is learning how to list your education credentials. Here’s what goes on a resume education section:

• School name: University, community college, or high school-appropriate
• Location: City and state
• Graduation date: Month and year or expected graduation date
• Degree and program: Type of degree and field of study, such as “Bachelor of Science in Nursing”

You can also include

• GPA: If 3.5 or higher, and recently graduated or required
• Relevant coursework: Bulleted list for recent graduates or those without work experience
• Honors and awards: Full name and year received (e.g., “Dean’s List, 2020”)

Read Also – Top Certifications in Digital Technology Skills

8. Add Relevant Certifications, Licenses and Training 

Creating a Strong Certifications Section

For jobs requiring certifications, licenses, or specialized training, a dedicated section on your resume is a must. Here’s how to create an effective certifications section.

Include the Following Information:

• Certification title: The name of the certification, course, or license.
• Issuing organization: The name of the certifying agency or body.
• Date obtained: The date you received the certification.
• Expiration date: The date the certification expires.
• Progress indicator: If incomplete, indicate “In Progress” with your expected completion date.

Place the certifications section directly under your education section. This makes it very easy for the hiring managers and recruiters to see.

9. Add Optional Work Experience Sections

Effective resume writing is not merely stating the basics but presenting achievements and experiences. Consider adding such sections to highlight your:

• Volunteer work
• Awards and honors
• Publications

Use these additional sections to highlight stellar credentials, including any publications or awards. Volunteer work is also a positive addition to your resume, and it demonstrates that you’re willing to commit time and care about something.

Format your volunteer work like you would your work history. If you have limited work experience, you can include volunteer work in your work history section.

10. Proofread and Save Your Resume 

Typos, grammatical errors, and single formatting mistakes can be what makes a hiring manager say no. Make your resume free from errors and very readable by considering the following points:

• Reread your resume for typos and grammatical errors.

• Check dates and company names for correctness.

• Let your resume be short-one page for 10 years of experience or less, two to three pages for more experience.

• Leave one inch on every side, except in cases that require 0.5-inch margins.

• Keep the font to standard use which is Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica.

• Use a font size of 10-12 pt for the body and 14-16 points for the headlines.

• Use single to 1.5 points line spacing.

• Format it as a PDF or Word Document  whichever the employer uses.

• Use these naming conventions: “[First Name]_[Last Name]_[Resume].pdf”.
• You might include the company name or job title in the filename for organizational purposes.

And that’s all there is to knowing how to create a resume!

What Do Hiring Managers Look for in a Resume?

Create an attention-getting profile by building onto these three keys: action, motivation, and outcome. Each of your bullet points in a resume should answer questions like: 

• What did you do?
• Why did you do it? 
• What was the result?

Use clear, concise language with no industry jargon or technicalities. Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes and consider how to make your resume accessible to them. 

Remember, hiring managers care about how you can contribute to their organization, not just your individual achievements.

Also Read – Can I Put My Certificates of Completion Under Skills on Reddit?

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Writing a resume can be an overwhelming task, but once you break it down into manageable steps, it is doable.

With these simple tips on how to create a resume, you get off to a flying start in developing an attractive and effective resume.

The key is just to present one’s own particular strengths and special skills and experience. And the only things taken are little patience and practice till that dream job is landed, with a great resume at hand.

References 

• www.indeed.com – How To Make a Comprehensive Resume (With Examples)
• www.themuse.com – How to Make the Perfect Resume: Your Step-by-Step Guide (with Examples!)

Recommendations 

• Can I Put My Certificates of Completion Under Skills on Reddit?
• Top Certifications in Digital Technology Skills