7 tips for a great resume to get you hired

Having a great resume is key to getting a great job. The resume is your story that tells recruiters and hiring managers who you are and why they should consider hiring you. Ensuring that your resume casts you in the best light and grabs the attention of the decision makers is one of the most important things you can do in a job search. Here are 7 tips to writing a great resume to get you the job. 

1. Tailor the resume to the industry or job.

Think about what kinds of things are important in your industry and make sure that you include those kinds of things in your resume highlights. If you're applying to a specific job, read through the job listing and look for key words or ideas that you can incorporate into your resume. Remember that recruiters write the job postings, so they'll be looking for candidates that meet the job requirements.

2. Focus on achievements over responsibilities.

A lot of resumes are focused on responsibilities. This is where the writer lists where they worked and what they were responsible. This is a less effective strategy than highlighting achievements. For example instead of saying that you were a manager who managed sales employees, opened and closed the store, handled cash and deposits etc, write something more like "Retail Store Manager who lead a successful team of sales professionals, recognized for performing in top 10% of the company in sales, promoted multiple associates into leadership positions." One paints you as just doing the job, the other paints you as a rock star.

3. Front load

You should write your resume in reverse chronological order, ie. start with your most recent position and work your way back to your oldest. As you work your way back, the amount of detail that you include in what you did and achieved should decrease. For example you might have 6 bullets on your current role but only have 2-3 on your oldest position. Recruiters and hiring managers tend to read your most recent experience thoroughly and skim your older positions. You want to be sure only the highlights are there for the older roles.

4. Use a great template

The look and feel of your resume make a big difference. It goes without saying that you want to use professional fonts, proper formatting and avoid misspellings and grammatical errors of course. You should also consider going online and looking for a great resume template that you can edit to highlight all of your achievements. Try canva.com for some great, beautiful resume templates.

5. Order of operations

The order of your resume matters. Contact info should be right at the top. Name, phone number, email and any professional websites or portfolios you need to link to. After that is your most recent experience working backwards to your oldest experience. At the bottom is your education. 

6. Simple language

Recruiters and hiring managers are smart, but that doesn't mean that they will understand the jargon or language you use at your current job or used at previous jobs. Think about how someone who might be great at recruiting and doesn't know much about what the job normally does might see what you wrote. A great rule of thumb when choosing your resume language is would your grandma understand what you're trying to say? If not, go back and simplify the language to make it more clear. 

7. Leave it out and keep it short

Your resume is about highlighting why you'd be a great candidate for the role. You want to show the hiring manager how you'll make their life easier. Telling the company about your hobbies, what you do on the weekends etc, shows how you'd be cool to hang out with, not how you'll excel in the role. Leave these out. Also leave out phrases like references available on request, salary negotiable and other phrases that don't reference your ability to do the role. The company will ask for references and knows you'll provide them and they also know that salary is negotiable. No need to tell them things that are normal parts of the hiring process.

What do you think of these tips? What else do you do to ensure your resume paints you in the best light? Tell us below!