As a job seeker, it’s difficult to stand out from the crowd. Postings receive hundreds of responses, but only one candidate can get the position. This makes it difficult to get hired, even if you work in an in-demand field like engineering. You have to know how to appeal to hiring managers’ needs if you want to submit a successful application.
But this isn’t always an easy task. Hiring managers’ expectations differ depending on the role for which they’re hiring. You can’t expect to employ the same strategies repeatedly and still find success. The application process requires plenty of thought, care, and editing.
Fortunately, you can still catch an employer’s eye with a few effective resume tips. This post will show you how to attract the right kind of attention from hiring committees. If you make the right moves, you won’t be looking for a job for much longer.
1. Always Base Your Resumes on a Specific Description
Hiring managers are very particular about what they put in job descriptions. Usually, they list specific traits that are essential to the role they’re advertising. They also screen applications for keywords related to these categories. If your resume doesn’t contain these phrases, you might not get through to the interview phase.
That’s why you need to base every resume on a particular job description. Don’t just include details you think will be relevant. Demonstrate how you fulfill the conditions listed in the ad and use similar keywords. After all, you don’t want to be disqualified from your dream job just because you didn’t use the right terminology.
2. Be Specific
It’s hard to determine a candidate’s accomplishments from a resume alone. While many candidates list their responsibilities from past jobs, they rarely go into detail about what these duties entailed. This is understandable given that resumes must be concise, but it’s better to include one specific point than five undeveloped ideas.
You need to use concrete metrics when you describe your achievements. Use percentage points, dollar amounts and other concrete metrics to show your value. Anyone can say they provided value, but cold hard numbers prove it.
3. Show How You’ve Benefitted Past Employers
Hiring managers need to know that prospective hires are dependable and will provide value to them beyond the bottom line. A history of reliable behavior is a strong indicator of professionalism, so you need to establish these impressions on your resume.
4. Don’t Waste the Reader’s Time
A rambling resume is a bad resume. Hiring managers don’t have time to scroll through insignificant work experience or unclear objectives. Eliminate these components if you want to reach an employer.
Don’t bury your most important work experience under trivial information. Make it accessible and easy to read. Place it prominently so that it catches the reader’s eye. If you make hiring managers’ jobs easier, they’ll be more likely to reward your effort with an interview.
5. Maintain Consistent Formatting
This is one of the simplest resume tips, but so many applicants fail to follow it. It’s not difficult to make a resume look sloppy. Hiring managers often search out typos as an easy way to eliminate candidates. Yet the information a C.V. conveys isn’t always the main component of a successful or unsuccessful application. Sometimes, the way a resume looks sends the wrong impression.
Your formatting should be like a great special effect in a movie. It should enhance what the reader sees without being overtly noticeable. Remember—a flashy C.V. can do as much harm as a messy one. Make sure that everything is formatted neatly and consistently, and that nothing looks out of place. Your high school or college resume may not be cutting it in 2023—your resume should look modern and up to date.
Not sure how to format your technical resume to catch the eye of the employer? We’ve done the work for you. Follow these resume tips to help you get to the hiring table faster.
