Four Easy Ways To Instantly Make Your Resume More Appealing

Nov 12
08:32

2010

Cathy Eng

Cathy Eng

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Most of the resumes I come across could use more focus, better organization, and sharper wording. While professional services are ideal to add these qualities and make your resume more persuasive and polished, it may not be an option at the time. You could spend time making your resume look more eye-catching and unique (e.g. crafting a career summary or even adding a bar graph showing growth in personal sales), but these aspects can take hours and cause a lot of frustration to create.

mediaimage
However,Four Easy Ways To Instantly Make Your Resume More Appealing Articles there are some easy tricks that will make your resume instantly more appealing to a hiring manager or recruiter, which will make them more likely to spend time reading it. Here are some easy tips for instantly improving your resume’s aesthetics and content:
1. Put your most relevant information up front. If you are a recent graduate with little work experience, put your education first. If you are in IT, list your technical certifications right away. This will put your strengths first and keep hiring managers from having to search for your qualifications.
2. Put your specific job highlights into bullets. If you have paragraphs listing your responsibilities and accomplishments under each job, you may want to rethink your approach. The human eye has a much easier time reading separate bullets than a block of text. With bullets, you can be sure each sentence/phrase stands out on its own.
3. Remove personal information. While coaching your child's hockey team shows initiative and a good work/life balance, it is best to leave it off your resume (unless, of course, you are applying for a coaching job). Including personal clubs, groups, or extracurricular activities takes away from your more relevant, career-focused content. 
4. Put your font size at 11 points and use a legible font. Fancy cursive fonts are pretty but if they’re difficult to read, the resume will simply get tossed aside.  At the same time, too-small fonts (10 and lower) are often too hard to read. Large fonts (12 and larger) can appear juvenile and give the impression you are just trying to fill space.
Since your resume gets anywhere from seven to 30 seconds in front of a hiring manager, it must be organized and interesting in order to get noticed. If not, it is immediately bound for the “no” pile. While most resumes could use a thorough makeover, the tips above are good guidelines to instantly make your resume more likely to stay in the “yes” pile!

Also From This Author

Top Three Keys To Making A Great First Impression

Top Three Keys To Making A Great First Impression

When you are job searching, you want to be prepared from all angles. Once you apply for a job, the microscope zooms in and you must be prepared to be examined. Putting your best foot forward when you are being so closely inspected involves more than presenting an error-free resume and wearing a nice smile. Here are the three pieces that fit together to shape how employers see you. Are you lacking in any of these areas?
Job Search Essentials: New Resume, New Suit, New Attitude?

Job Search Essentials: New Resume, New Suit, New Attitude?

When I was searching for my first corporate job, I was called a few days after an interview and told, "Thank you for coming in, however we’ve decided to offer the position to someone else." I politely thanked her and let her know I appreciated the interview and follow-up call. The next day, I received a call from the same person with a job offer. I remember her words so vividly: "I’ll bet you weren’t expecting to hear from me!" It turns out the other applicant had opted for another offer and I was the runner-up.That was an exciting call and I was so thankful that I handled the initial rejection call so well.
You Are NOT Unemployed! Change Your Approach And Supercharge Your Job Search

You Are NOT Unemployed! Change Your Approach And Supercharge Your Job Search

In this economy, it has become clear that companies are leery of hiring unemployed job seekers. Research has indicated that they are perceived as unproductive under-performers, which has created a major problem even for highly qualified and valuable individuals who may be laid off.