Writing a resume can be daunting, especially if you’re applying for jobs with a highly competitive rate. Studies have shown that about 40% of hiring managers spend less than a minute reviewing resumes. Scary, right?

It is important to have a high quality resume that resonates with the job you’re applying for. This means that for every position you submit an application for, there is bound to be a little tweak here and there just so it is the perfect fit. We also don’t want hiring managers thinking that we’re just ‘bulk submitting’ resumes to companies without really paying attention. That can hurt your chances of ever being called for an interview.

In this blog post, we will look at necessary steps to take to be able to achieve a resume no one would ignore.

Use a resume builder

I know you’re probably wondering why I said that. It doesn’t sound like the best advice, but the goal is to work smarter, not harder. Why do in six hours, what you can do in less than one?

Also, using a resume builder gives you access to different resume styles. You don’t have to use the old boring format anymore.

I recommend using this resume builder for best results.

Keep it clear and concise

Like I mentioned earlier, hiring managers spend a really small amount of time scaling through a resume, and that is mostly because they have hundreds of that same document to go through. No one wants to be stuck doing that for 3 consecutive days.

The truth is that the vast majority of resumes are illogical. They are overburdened with jargon, overly technical, and overly repetitive. So, in a bid to stand out – and possibly have the hirer heave a sigh of relief, your document should say the most with the least amount of words possible.

Use an easy-to-read font

Some text fonts can be hurting to the eye, even though they may not be cursive or bold. Recommended text fonts to use include;

• Arial
• Lato
• Calibri
• Helvetica
• Trebuchet MS
• Cambria
• Georgia
• Garamond
• Book Antiqua
• Times New Roman

You can use a combination of any two or three to spice up your resume.

Limit your resume to 2 pages at most

As tempting as it may sound, putting you work experience in year 2000 is very unnecessary in your resume. Put your most recent experience at the top of your resume. Older jobs and experience should be eliminated or minimized if they are more than 15 years old. As a result, the employer will be able to concentrate on more pertinent information.

Tailor your resume to fit the position you’re applying for

Do not submit a “digital marketer” resume to a “marketing manager” job posting. Always tailor your resume to fit the position you’re applying for. Describe your work experience or accomplishments that are relevant to the position you are applying for. This can be accomplished by reviewing the job description or visiting the employer's website.

Review it one last time

It can be exciting sometimes to click ‘send’ after writing a killing resume, but it is advisable to go through it one last time to remove some unwanted 0’s in your email address, or that extra ‘a’ in your experience section. You can also use a resume checklist to see that everything you’ve written makes sense and aligns perfectly. Show it to some other professional or friend, if you can. A second opinion is always good for things like this.

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