Experienced candidates get familiar with the tips of creating a good resume over time, but newbies and first-timers go through a hard time in drafting, and designing a resume and are always curious about their impression in front the HR. But I believe that anybody can write an appealing resume by dedicating a little time and research. Today I have brought you 7 tips to craft a compelling resume that will definitely help you identify and fill the gaps in your resume or curriculum vitae.
1. Should be self-written and designed
It’s not rocket science to create your resume. You aren’t required to hire someone else to write something which is totally about you. It is just a portrait of your experience, personality and skills. And you are the best person to collate all information and present it expressively to the HR or hiring manager.
Talking about the design, most of the times when you search for resume templates online, you get well-designed and colourful templates, but these templates are really irrelevant in case you are applying for a graphic design or creative opportunity. Moreover, a pre-designed template dodges your ability to format and structure your resume the way you want. That is why I suggest people avoid any ready-made templates. Remember, simplicity is the key.
2. Just be what you are
Over-exaggerating yourself or making long sentences is certainly do the reverse of what you are intended to. Whether or not the HR or the hiring manager test you for the extra skills or hype that your resume affixes you, it can hit you in the long run. I’ve seen a number of people mentioning Photoshop as one of their skills in their resumes but when they are put to work on it, they fail. Surely, you don’t want that for yourself.
3. Must include a cover letter
Your resume must be attached under a cover letter to address and thank the person who has invited you for the interview. A cover letter is a helpful tool to establish your purpose of visit and help you connect better with the interviewer. It often happens that you visit the company and greeted by an assistant or receptionist before meeting the HR. And that person requires to see your cover letter to guide you and forward your CV to the right person.
4. Avoid using first person pronouns
You might find people claiming that it looks more genuine if you use first-person pronouns like – I, me, my, mine in your resume, but most of the consultants still recommend not using them since these reflect bragging and over-advertising of a job-seeker. For example, just use “Possessing good communication skills” instead of “I’m possessing good communication skills“.
5. Make it clutter-free
Make sure that each and every segment of your resume is readable in a glance. The recruiter doesn’t have to stress his/her eyes in scanning the information. Using proper white space wherever applicable will also do the charm, but at the same time, you are required to abstain from excessive lengthening too.
Use bulleted lists and keep bulleted lists more indented in order to differentiate them from the preceding paragraphs. It again improves the readability of your resume.
6. Overcome from “One-Page” phobia
Many people have made it a practice to shrink the whole resume into one single page. However, it is important to keep your resume crisp and concise but on the other hand, it is also very necessary to elaborate your skills and experience. Being too brief may also underrate you in front of a recruiter. Having an extra page will neither bite you nor the recruiter, but ensure to fill all pages completely to the bottom. Also, don’t go any further than a maximum of 4 pages.
7. Follow an appropriate order
Many people don’t know about different orders of drafting a resume. In fact, many don’t bother and consider it traditional. A properly formatted resume is a positive soundless expression in front of a recruiter. There are three types of orders: chronological, reverse-chronological, functional and combination. It is completely your choice to use any one of these. My personal favourite is reverse-chronological since the recruiters are mostly concerned about your latest experience and details.
Bottom Line
I myself have had a hard time working on the above tips time and gain. Of course, there could be endless tips for crafting a good resume, I have come up with the ones that I’ve learnt. If you would like to share any other tips or your personal experience then the comment box below is open for you.
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