Looking for work can be a time-consuming experience involving a lot of research, phone calls, and interviews. One important step in the job hunt not to overlook is the value of a good resume. With many companies receiving several applications for desirable jobs, there is a high level of competition among job seekers. Having a good resume can set you apart from a large pool of applicants and increase your odds of getting an interview for the job you’ve been looking for. The following resume tips for job seekers will show why a good resume is so important and what you should focus on when writing it.

The Importance Of a Good Resume

• Explain Your Skills and Experience: a well-structured resume details your experience and most relevant skills to potential employers. Many employers are looking for specific useful skills, and you can write your resume to specifically focus on those and how your work history is a good match. Also, you get to show a complete history of your work highlighting past successes. When writing your resume, you can use formatting tools such as margins, unique design features, and color to draw readers to what you want them to focus on.
• Show How Hiring You Is a Benefit: employment should be a two-way relationship where both parties benefit. When writing your resume, be sure to show that, in addition to having desirable skills, you also provide results. Highlighting past sales figures, the number of accounts you managed, and exact metrics show clearly the value you can bring to a company. Making use of numbers and percentages shows exact quantifiable results to potential employers.
• Grab Attention: most open jobs receive a high number of applicants. Standing out from the crowd and rising above the noise is critical when looking for work. Make use of summarized information that grabs attention quickly and is interesting to a hiring agent. Many people stick to basics when designing a resume, adding a summarization of specific past tasks and impressive figures will help you stand out.
• You Can Design Your Resume To Fit The Job: sometimes a generalized resume is not the best tool for the job. If you’re looking for work in a field you have specific skills in, you can highlight those by matching your resume to skills and keywords found in the job description. For example, if an opening is looking for experience with a piece of software you’ve used in the past be sure to point this out on your resume.
• It Gets You Past The First Step: sometimes the hardest part of getting a job is simply getting an interview. You can be an expert at job interviews and have several great answers to common questions, but you have to get an interview to make use of these skills. A good resume helps get your foot in the door and can lead to getting you the job you want.

General Writing Tips

When writing your resume keep the following in mind. Many resume examples are online, so be sure to read these to get a general idea about tone and layout. Make use of professional fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman and use proper font sizes, commonly 10 or 12. Try to keep your resume to one page and, for openings that commonly receive longer resumes, do not exceed three pages.

Make use of the active voice to make your writing less passive and be sure to proofread and make edits to ensure your resume reads the way you want it to. A good resume takes some time and work to write but with some effort and rewrites you can successfully communicate what makes your job history unique and why employers would want to hire you.