How to Make Your Resume Stand Out in 2023
Competing for a position with a great employer can be highly pressured and mean pitching your skills, personality, and expertise against thousands of other candidates–standing out from the crowd is essential if you want to capture attention and snag yourself an interview!
There are several options, from hiring one of the top resume writing services to learning how to write a resume on Google Docs if you’re short on time or don’t have the funds to pay a professional. Whichever route you take, there are a few solid tips to ensure your resume makes it to the top of the pile.
The Ideal Length and Format for a Resume
Step one is to ensure you maximize the fraction of time you get to make a first impression! Whether you build a resume for free or hire somebody to help, you’ll get the same six to seven seconds while a prospective interviewer scans your resume to make a fast yes-or-no decision.
A lot depends on the specific job and the requirements, but the key is to keep it clear and concise.
- Recruiters are busy, and if you ensure your resume is to the point, you’ll avoid wasting their time–they want a snappy overview of what you can offer!
- It’s rarely worth using page space for experience over ten years ago or high school diplomas that aren’t 100% relevant to the role; filter out everything that isn’t directly linked to the job you’re after.
- Never copy and paste the same resume for multiple jobs. Making a few tweaks to tailor your resume to the role, company, and sector shows attention to detail and means you won’t prioritize past positions or skills that aren’t necessary.
The perfect resume is just one page, although you can run to two if you absolutely must. As a rule of thumb, the more senior the position, the more detail you’ll be expected to provide.
Using headers, lists, and easy-to-read fonts (Times New Roman, Calibri, and Arial are all great choices) is far better than opting for a fancy print that doesn’t jump off the page.
How to Make Your Resume Visually Appealing
Next, let’s think about style. If you’re applying for a creative post involving graphics, design, or artwork, you might want to bear that in mind–otherwise, A4 portrait paper with a size-twelve font is the right way to go. Colors are a good way to stand out, but avoid anything too bright, such as a fuchsia pink, as it can convey a lack of professionalism or be perceived as a gimmick.
If you use a resume builder, you’ll normally be able to choose from templates or palettes, perhaps with a blue or green border or text boxes. Lighter colors are a no-go because they’re tricky to see under indoor lighting, and if you reserve pops of shade for important details, it’ll help emphasize the bits you want the recruiter to notice!
However, unless it’s a creative role, your resume isn’t a sample of your work and should be clean and straightforward and avoid anything distracting or confusing.
What to Include in Your Resume
Before you write anything, read the specification or job posting at least twice. You can take notes to make sure you cover everything included, such as:
- Essential skills or experience
- Qualifications or accreditations
- Ability to travel or work in specific locations
It’s important never to assume a recruiter will read between the lines because all they have to go on is what you put on the page. For example, if the role requires three years of experience in a comparable sector, you should state this in your cover letter or intro, even if you’ve listed past employment that demonstrates you meet the requirement.
Adding a bold header and summary or personal statement (three sentences max) is an opportunity to inject some personality into your resume without writing an essay. Your name should be at the very top, in a slightly bigger font, and you need to include contact details–an email address, phone number, and your city and state are plenty.
Other essentials include your skills, education, achievements, and experience, but remember to proofread thoroughly, remove anything that isn’t completely relevant, and tailor your resume to the key attributes the employer wants to see.
Title: How to Make Your Resume Stand Out
Category: Resume
Tags: How to Make Your Resume Stand Out, skills that make your resume stand out, resumes that stand out, how to make your resume stand out in 2023, What to Include in Your Resume
Co-Author: Becky is a contributor for theJub. She’s a writing and talent acquisition specialist who loves to apply her skills through creative writing and editing.
