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Creating a stand-out résumé

– By Vikas Rana

Many job seekers can attest to the monotony of sending off their résumé, hoping to be one of the lucky few individuals out of hundreds to be interviewed for a position they probably won’t get. It’s no secret that landing a good job can be difficult, especially in this day and age, but it’s not all doom and gloom. There are many hints and tips the average job seeker can use to give them that edge to finally land that job they’ve always wanted.

In this digital age, almost all applications are made online through a number of job sites, allowing people to apply for more jobs than ever with considerable ease. More applicants mean more competition, and with an average of a few hundred applicants per job, how can your résumé stand out among the hundreds of résumés hiring managers receive weekly? Find a job in Australia with these valuable Resume tips-

Keywords are important

Keywords are incredibly important when a hiring manager is narrowing down their list of potential candidates through word search tools. Of course, many people try to trick hiring managers through the use of “blank words”, or words in white text. However, this trick can be easily discovered with a simple highlight, which most hiring managers would check anyway, especially if they can’t find the keywords they searched for.

For those who aren’t tricksters, having keywords will essentially determine if your résumé will even be looked at. Like with most people using the ‘crtl+F’ command to search through documents for words, hiring managers essentially do the same thing with résumés, and if someone’s résumé doesn’t have what they’re looking for, it’s not going to be seen. How do you avoid this? Simple. You need to use keywords to pique a hiring manager’s attention and more importantly, your résumé needs to contain the keywords the company is looking for. Looking for patterns and ‘buzz’ words in the job description will show that you’ve been paying attention and that you’re the right fit for the job.

Highlight your impact, not your success

Anyone can list what they did in a previous position, and you can bet your bottom dollar that hundreds of other candidates have with their cookie-cutter résumés. But, if you really want to stand out, you need to drop the tasks and show employers something that really catches the eye: what impact you had.

Whether it’s telling potential employers of the time you voiced a ground-breaking idea, re-designed your company’s Facebook page, or did something that somehow benefitted your workplace, it all works well to show them that you’re a cut above the rest. Of course, it’s not that simple to be such an influential force in a workplace, but if you look hard into finding what meaning you had in a past experience, you shouldn’t go wrong.

Honesty is the key

It’s no secret that everyone lies every now-and-again, but there is one thing you should never lie with: your résumé. Unless you’re a master at the art of deceit, the likelihood is you will be found out and blacklisted for wasting precious time and resources. Even those who are able to acquire a position through lying aren’t safe, as it’s common for employers to check and double-check your information, even after being employed.

If you’re lying to make up for a lack of experience or a particularly large unemployment period, don’t worry. Though hiring managers and employers are business-minded, they’re not heartless. You have more of a chance acquiring a job through honesty than deceit. And if you are really lacking in experience, volunteer and strengthen your portfolio.

Check your spelling & grammar etc.

Though a blatantly obvious point, spell check isn’t perfect and there’s nothing more embarrassing than having a misspelt word or poorly constructed sentence on your résumé, especially when you only have one page to show a hiring manager why you’re right for the job. Having a mistake on your résumé can ultimately cost you your dream job, regardless of how polished your résumé is. But if you’re not the best writer, there are always tools to assist you. If you don’t have someone to proofread your résumé, websites like Grammarly.com can prove invaluable in making sure your résumé is ready for submission.

Checking your information is also incredibly important, as accidentally getting your contact details, your name or the company’s name wrong will not only make you look like a fool, but also rob you of potentially hundreds of calls and emails from employers who wish to talk to you, which does happen.

Customise your résumé

Space is limited on a résumé, so why clutter things with experience that a hiring manager wouldn’t be interested in? Though an obvious point, making sure to only include experience and skills relevant to the job you’re applying for is paramount. Besides that, altering your descriptions about what you did can help too. We’re not telling you to lie, but if you have the ability to swap out one word for another more applicable word, do so.

Adding your LinkedIn and Twitter handle may even help you acquire a job, especially within the media industry. Most job sites now allow you to link your LinkedIn profile to your résumé or even use it as a résumé. So if you haven’t created a LinkedIn or haven’t updated it in a long time, here’s your reminder.

Use those bullet points

Hiring managers don’t have much time to search through the deluge of résumés and cover letters that come through every day, so make it easier on them by quickly and concisely writing down short, sweet points about your experience and skills. Not only does this save more space for you, it also gives your résumé a much more fluid feel to it. The chances are a hiring manager will be able to appreciate your skills more deeply while also giving you less to remember while in an interview, as you can also elaborate on certain points.

What to avoid

Résumés are by nature meant to be short and concise. Having more than two pages means that your résumé will most likely be overlooked. Even then, it’s often best just to stick to the one page and utilise all the space you have. Of course, a lot of job seekers think they’re clever by reducing the font size and change the font type, but hiring managers are not idiots. They know all the tricks and the more flowery and tiny the text, the less professional and appealing it will look. You have one chance to make a lasting impression. Make it count.

As always, there is a list of fatal mistakes that can cause you to miss out.

• Don’t include an objective statement.
• Don’t list your dates first. A good order is: title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, and then dates.
• Take up one whole page. Two if need be.
• Avoid dense paragraphs.
• Don’t focus on irrelevant or past job descriptions.
• Keep the personal stuff at bay.
• Avoid “References available upon request”.
• Abstain from the big words.