When you want to launch yourself in your career, the burning question is how to make your resume because your resume is your face. Not only that, competition in the job market is fierce. Therefore, ensure that your resume acts as a "magic bullet" that can help you land in the right job. Potential employers can make an initial assessment about you only by looking at your resume. So, an "anaemic" resume will not help you land in the right job.
According to a research finding, employers in general will decide whether to read your resume fully or toss it into "discarded" pile within the first 5 to 10 seconds of glancing at it. This means that these 5 or 10 seconds play a crucial role in helping you land in the right job. You should therefore make sure that your resume hooks the recruiter’s attention within these few seconds.
Navigating the resume-making process does not need to be difficult if you have clearly defined your motivations. If you are not power-writer or even just an incredible resume writer, hire a resume writing professional that knows how to create outstanding and impressive resumes.
If you are a new job hunter, your resume should reveal to the employer that you are work-ready. Not all people who graduate from colleges or other educational institutions are employable. Work-ready candidates are those who have clear definitions of their career path. They have an answer if they are asked why they have chosen a particular job.
Sometimes, those who are already employed may want to "decamp" because they may wish to work for those companies where they think they can make use of their skills optimally or their growth prospects are brighter. Likewise, some organizations may not have the luxury of mentoring new employees. They may need experienced candidates who can hit the ground almost immediately with their ability to draw and recall the information they have learned from their previous jobs.
Further, experienced employees should not only list out their accomplishments in their resume but should prove to the new employers that they readily "wake up" to and embrace fresh ideas every day.
Whether you are a new job hunter or an experienced candidate, you must do an in-depth research once you spot a viable and worthy job option. While trying to make an impressive resume, ensure that it is free from mistakes. Let us now look at some of the biggest resume mistakes you may commit.
1. Lack of direction
Your resume should not be generic which means you should tailor it to suit the job for which you are applying. On the contrary, if you request the employer to appoint you for a position they deem fit, that is generic and so, employers may not be interested in you. In short, before beginning the process of making your resume, do sufficient research to know the company, their business and the job and only if you are certain that you are the right fit for the job, you must send in your resume.
Highlighting your career objectives is important also. Explain how you will create a synergy between your objectives and those of the company.
2. Quantify your accomplishments
If you are a new job hunter, your resume must help recruiters understand your personality and characteristic traits. You can talk about the events including the campus events in which you took an active part. These details will help recruiters make out how balanced a person you are.
If you are already employed and are looking for a new job in another company, your resume should talk about your accomplishments. If you just describe the tasks you have all along been carrying out, prospective employers may not be interested in reading your resume further. Remember, you are making a resume and not a laundry list. So, magnifying your strengths and quantifying whatever you have accomplished in your existing or previous jobs are very important for impressing the recruiters.
3. Bigger is not always better
If you think that the bigger your resume is, the better will be the impression you will be creating in the minds of the employers, you are wrong. Instead of writing long, prosaic stories, you must ensure that your resume is presented in an organized and concise manner. According to resume writing experts, the length of a resume must not exceed two pages unless you are a high level executive. By pruning all the unnecessary and irrelevant information, you can cut the length of the resume. Present all the information in a cogent form. Organize the points properly and ensure that the flow of the language on the resume is seamlessly smooth.
Never promise that you can do tasks that you are incapable of doing. Be honest and avoid padding or embellishments because recruiters can easily find out untruths.
If you are like most unemployed and underemployed job hunters that are not skilled at writing unique and impressive resumes, reach a local professional resume writing agency that can make your resume profound!
Most importantly, avoid negativity completely. Your resume should reflect your positive attitude.