Have you ever looked at your resume and knew it needed to be refreshed but didn't know exactly how to give it that much-needed upgrade? Well, I think that has happened to all of us as we try to figure out how to best present our resumes to employers to land an interview.
Recently, I came across a job that I felt perfectly matched my work experience and interests. The only challenge was building a resume that marketed my skills so perfectly, I would not only increase the chance of me passing through the applicant tracking system (ATS) but reaching the actual talent acquisition team. I knew my resume could be better because there are available resources to help me make my resume stand out in the candidate pool. It was just a matter of finding them.
I came across three resume building guides that were so helpful that I had to share them with you. I know if they helped me assess my skills and challenged me to construct my resume in a way that highlighted my story, it can help you too.
One tip that is very important in building a resume is finding resources that are in your field. For example, if your field is journalism, marketing, communications, or social media try to find online resources that specifically cater to that particular industry. Although the general concept of resumes is inclusive, a resume for a career path in social media will have different results for a nurse.
Here are the resources that helped me improved my most recent resume.
What I truly liked about this resume guide was that it broke down every section of the resume and asked you questions that challenged you to think about your work experience. This guide stood out because it tells you to elaborate on what you can do for a company instead of just bullet listing your job responsibilities.
This resume guide has great notes explaining why you should put things a certain way. You get a clear understanding of how to market your resume if you're working in journalism.
Now, this guide is a compilation of examples of resume templates. In this guide what I liked was how each resume was different in terms of style and format; yet, each was simple and clear. Creative resumes are a great way to stand out but sometimes simple works just as well. For example, it shows how you can arrange the sections in order of importance. Have you tried listing your key competencies first and then your work history?
The resources are there to help you land that dream job. Whether you're a fresh college graduate, a career changer, or re-entering the workforce your resume is a marketing tool that speaks of your brand. What do you want yours to say about you? At the end of the day remember to the secure that bag.