Powerful Resume Tips To Help You Stand Out From The Competition

Are you having a difficult time trying to make your resume stand out among everyone else’s?

Many other people feel they are getting lost in the maze of submitted resumes as well.

Job websites can be competitive, making it difficult to get a job in your career field.

The best way to increase your chances of getting a job is to stand out from everyone else.

Luckily, you can easily make your resume attention-grabbing with just a few simple resume tips.

Let’s take a look at some resume do’s and don’ts.

What Are the Necessary Parts of a Resume?

Employers usually require resumes no matter what job you are applying for because employers need to see all your information and experience in words.

With this in mind, there are some key components that you should always ensure you have on your resume.

If you’re wondering what to put on a resume, include the following.

Name and Contact Information

Your name and contact information are essential, as the employer needs to be able to contact you for interviews, questions, and responses regarding the status of your application. Include both your first and last name.

You won’t usually need your middle name. For contact information, you should ensure you have an appropriate email and cell phone number.

Objective or Summary

An objective or summary should be the next thing on your resume. Including this allows you to talk about yourself and how you can be an asset to the company you’re applying for.

You should include any special skills and explain how you can add value to your potential new working environment.

Work Experience

Employers often look at your resume to make sure you have the required work experience to do the job they are offering. Make sure you have all previous jobs included on your resume.

It might be helpful to include detailed descriptions of what you did at each job so the employer can assess the skills you might have.

Education

Including your education is a must. Many entry-level jobs require that you at least have a high school diploma, so make sure you include your high school.

If you’re applying to a higher-level job, they will probably require that you have at least a bachelor’s degree. So, if you have an upper-level education degree, you should always include it.

Skills

You should list every skill you have on your resume, even if it’s something simple like detail-oriented or good with computers. Sometimes hiring doesn’t always depend on your education.

Employers look for highly-skilled people, and sometimes higher education isn’t always equal to that.

Certifications

Sometimes jobs such as child care or real estate agents require a certification.

If you have any type of certification, it might be wise to include it. Employers might come across your resume, see that you have a certification, and it might give you some leverage over other candidates.

What Should a Resume Look Like?

To make the perfect resume, you should make sure it has the following:

• A professional font that is consistent throughout the entire resume
• No pictures or fancy borders
• Large, clear headings to identify what each section is about

You should always try and keep your resume to a single page.

If it’s any longer, it can be annoying and time-consuming to read, which can push away some employers. Typically, employers spend four to five minutes on each resume they receive.

What Do Employers Look For in a Resume?

Employers tend to look for specific things when reading through resumes.

Here are some things you need to keep in mind.

Your Roles and Responsibilities

Employers generally like to see that you can lead and work with a team.

Clearly describing your roles and responsibilities will allow the employer to get a sense of what you can do and how you’ll act in situations.

You always need a description of what you did at each job. Simply stating the roles gives close to no information.

Your Experience

Work experience is something you must have on your resume because employers can’t judge how well you’ll do at the job if there’s nothing to show them.

Approximately 47.9% of jobs require prior experience, especially if they are high-level jobs.

Your Relevant Certifications and Qualifications

Ensure you have all certifications and qualifications you need for the job in your field, and make sure you listed them in your resume.

A simple CPR certification can be the decider if you get the job or not.  

Your Achievements

If you received any awards or special achievements while working at other jobs, then you should include them. They show that you can add value to the place you’re applying to.

Some good examples to include are:

• Improving the way something worked
• Awards
• Specific times when you used successful problem-solving
• Any other proud moments you received while working

Your Education

Always include your education on your resume, even if it’s simply your high school diploma.

The United States public high school graduation rate is 86%, so not everyone has a diploma.

Most jobs do require a high school diploma as a minimum requirement, so ensure you show them that you graduated.

If you have any higher education, include that too. About 23.5% of people 25 years old and older in the United States have a bachelor’s.

Not everyone goes to college, so your efforts to further your education can catch the eye of employers, especially if they require a degree.

Easy-To-Read

If you want the best of the best resume outline, you’ll make it easy to read and have a great flow.

A good way to make your resume easy to read is to use short sentences and paragraphs, and take advantage of white space.

Short sentences and paragraphs flow easier when reading, and white space acts as a divider between each paragraph or section.

Free of Inconsistencies

Inconsistencies can make it look like you don’t know what you’re doing. Make sure you do the following to prevent inconsistencies:

• Ensure you use the same font and font size throughout the entire resume
• Use the same spacing
• Use the same verb tense throughout the whole resume
• Make sure you don’t have conflicting information
• Ensure your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct

What Are Some Red Flags In a Resume?

Red flags can easily decide whether you get the job or not.

If you have any of the following red flags, employers might not take your resume seriously. Use these red flags as resume tips to help you understand what not to do.

Inconsistencies

If you have any inconsistencies in your resume, it can make you look rather unprofessional.

They can make it look like you have no attention to detail and don’t care about what you’re putting out there.

This assumed attitude, even if it isn’t true, is an immediate red flag for employers.

Unexplained Long Gaps Between Jobs

If you have long gaps between jobs, you might want to include an explanation.

Explain what was going on and tell the employer what you learned during that time away from work.

However, keep the description short and to the point.

Typos

About 77% of resumes have typos in them.

This is a clear sign to employers that you didn’t take the time to proofread your resume. It can give them the idea that you don’t care, which is off-putting.

Proofread your resume yourself, have someone else do it, or use a program to ensure you have no typos before sending in your resume.

Job Descriptions That Don’t Go into Detail

You should explain all the duties you performed while working at each of your past jobs.

This can help show the employer what skills you might have based on what you did within each position.

If you were a receptionist, don’t simply say that you answered phone calls.

Explain all the clerical work that went along with it and what skills you used for it.

Poor Formatting

Inconsistent formatting can make your resume look unorganized to employers. To prevent this, use the same line spacings, margins, fonts, etc.

Keep everything consistent so it looks like your resume is one piece rather than multiple small pieces.

Job Hopping

If you spent a lot of time job hopping, it might make employers think that your previous employers fired you.

It might be a good idea to have an explanation for the job hopping if they ask or want to know why you left.

Template Resume

Many people use templates for their resumes.

So this means that multiple job seekers probably have the same-looking types of resumes. You don’t want this because you’ll blend in with everyone else.

What Not To Put on a Resume

Here are some things to avoid putting on your resume.

• Too Much Information: If you ramble with too much information, your resume will take a long time to read. Employers don’t typically have time to look through long resumes, so make it short. Keep your information to the point, and try to keep your resume to one page.
• Mistakes: Ensure you proofread your resume before submitting it, as mistakes are unprofessional. They will put you at risk of getting rejected.
• Complaints about a Former Job or Employer: Don’t complain about your previous job, no matter how much you hated it. They might sound like reasons to you for leaving your job, but it just sounds like complaining to employers.
• Too Many Personal Details: Employers only need to know simple personal information like your name, email, and phone number. Do not tell them your life story or anything else that is too personal.
• Unprofessional Email Address: Don’t use your sixth-grade email address that has all kinds of weird names and numbers in it. This is off-putting and can seem childish to employers. Use an email that has just your name in it.
• Your Age: Employers don’t necessarily need to know your age unless the job requires that you be a certain age. Don’t include it on your resume, as it isn’t usually important.
• A Photo: Employers don’t need to know what you look like. It can also bring up discrimination issues, which employers want to avoid.
• Expired Certificates: Using expired certificates doesn’t help you, as you no longer have certification. Employers look for in-date certifications.

What Are the Top Tips For a Resume?

There are approximately 5.7 million unemployed people in the United States. You need to make your resume stand out, so here are some resume tips to follow to help with this.

Resume Tips For Students

Some resume tips for students include:

• Don’t lie
• Keep your resume short
• Use professional contact details
• Include relevant schoolwork and projects
• Since you might be new to this, get help from popular resume-writing services if you’re stuck
• Proofread

Resume Writing Tips

Some helpful resume-writing tips include:

• Keyword optimize your resume
• Make your resume skimmable
• Use bullet points
• Include skills you learned outside of jobs and education
• Use your personality

Resume Writing Tips For Experienced Professionals

Experienced professionals should keep the following in mind with their resumes:

• Use numbers to explain achievements
• Make your resume targeted toward the job you’re applying for
• Heavily focus on your experience
• Show that you can adapt to current technology

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding resumes.

Wrapping Up

You need your resume to be clear, organized, and to the point, without any grammatical or spelling issues.

Doing this will give your resume and yourself a professional look to potential future employers.

It might seem a little difficult and time-consuming to do, but with the above resume tips, your resume and application are sure to catch some attention from employers.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions about the resume tips provided!