.jpg)
In today’s competitive job market, your resume is more than just a list of your experiences and skills—it’s your first impression, your professional handshake, and often your entry ticket to countless job opportunities.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, a strong resume can make the difference between landing an interview or being overlooked. It’s your chance to showcase your unique qualifications and convince employers that you’re the perfect fit for their team. In this post, we’ll dive into practical tips for creating a resume that stands out, helping you put your best foot forward and open doors to new career possibilities.
1. Your Personal Information
Your resume should start with your personal information, but it's important to present it in a clear and professional way:
Name: Ensure your name is easy to read. Use a legible font size and style—avoid fancy or exotic fonts that could make your name difficult to understand.
Contact Information: Include the following:
Email: Use a professional email address. Avoid something like: partylover123@email.com
Phone Number: Make sure it’s up-to-date and reachable.
LinkedIn Profile: Personalize your LinkedIn’s profile link and include it here.
Under profile, go to the top right and hit edit on public profile & URL. Enter your custom URL, full name is recommended.
Location: Add your city and country. There’s no need to include your full address.
National ID: It’s not necessary to include your national ID number or any other personal identification numbers.
Picture: Optional but Considered
Professional Appearance: If you decide to include a photo, make sure it is professional. A headshot with a solid background and professional attire is ideal.
Size and Formatting: Ensure the picture is appropriately sized, so it doesn’t disrupt the overall layout of your resume or make it look cluttered.
2. Professional Experience
Your professional experience should be the next section of your resume. This is where you showcase your career journey, highlighting the skills and accomplishments that make you a valuable candidate.
Order: List your experiences from the most recent to the oldest. Your current or most recent position should always go first.
Details: Clearly state the name of the company, your position, and the dates you worked there.
Achievements: Focus on your accomplishments rather than just listing tasks. Use bullet points to detail your results and the impact of your work.
Example: Turning General Tasks into Achievements
If you have this | Instead, use this |
Generated digital marketing strategies for product positioning. | Generated digital marketing strategies, such as a targeted ad campaign, which led to a 25% increase in product engagement within three months. |
Responsible for managing social media accounts. | Managed the Instagram account, posting three times a day, which resulted in a 40% increase in followers and a 15% boost in engagement rate. |
Cold-calling new prospects to generate leads. | Successfully brought in 30 new accounts through cold-calling, generating approximately $50,000 in additional revenue. |
Responsible for adding new prospects to automated sequences. | Added an average of 15 new prospects per day to the sales automation platform, Outreach, and made around 20 follow-up calls daily, increasing lead conversion by 10%. |
Responsible for sending a monthly newsletter to clients and prospects. | Implemented a bi-monthly newsletter using Mailchimp, increasing client engagement by 20% and expanding outreach to new prospects. |
This approach helps employers quickly understand your impact in previous roles, showing not just what you did, but how well you did it.
3. Education
The education section should be clear and to the point. Focus on listing accredited studies only.
Order: Start with your most recent or current education and work your way backward.
Details: Include the following information:
Institution Name: Clearly state the name of the school, college, or university.
Location: Mention the city and country of the institution.
Degree Accomplished: Specify the degree or certification you completed.
Dates of Attendance: Indicate the years you attended.
Special Mentions: Highlight any special recognitions, such as honors, dean's list, or other academic achievements.
4. Leadership and Volunteering
This section is where you can showcase your involvement in leadership roles or volunteer work. Highlight any opportunities where you've contributed to a cause or organization, even if it's outside of your professional career.
Order: List your volunteer experiences from the most recent to the oldest.
Details: Include the following information:
Institution or Organization Name: Clearly state the name of the group or institution where you volunteered or took on a leadership role.
Role: Mention the position or role you held.
Dates of Participation: Indicate the time period during which you were involved.
Accomplishments and Duties: It's okay to list both your achievements and specific duties in this section. Be clear about the tasks you performed and any impact you made.
Example:
Community Food Bank, Houston, USAVolunteer, 2021 - Present
Worked at the soup kitchen on Saturdays, preparing meals for over 200 people weekly.
Organized food drives that resulted in collecting over 1,000 pounds of non-perishable items for local families.
5. Skills and Software
In this section, highlight the types of software and tools you have experience with, focusing on areas relevant to your role and industry. These might include project management tools, CRM systems, email marketing platforms, sales automation software, and design tools.
For this section, avoid mentioning repetitive items you have already listed in previous sections. The main goal of this section is to complement the rest of the bullet points already added.
Closing Thoughts
When crafting your resume, you might wonder whether to include an overview or introductory paragraph at the top. While it's an option, in many cases, it’s best to leave it out. Intro paragraphs can make your resume longer without necessarily adding value, as they often don’t provide specific results or achievements that catch the reader's eye.
Remember, the primary goal of your resume is to act as your entry ticket into new career opportunities. It's your chance to highlight your most impressive accomplishments as a way to open the door to a conversation with potential employers. Focus on making your achievements stand out, turning them into mouth-openers that spark curiosity about how you achieved those results. Let your resume do the talking, creating intrigue and interest that leads to interviews where you can dive deeper into the details.
A well-crafted resume isn't just a document; it’s your first step toward making a lasting impression. By showcasing your unique skills, experiences, and successes, you're paving the way to open new doors in your professional journey. So, put your best foot forward, and let your resume be the bridge to your next great opportunity.
Thank you for reading, and we hope these tips help you create a resume that truly sets you apart. Cheers, until next time!
Comments