A truly “killer” resume is a resume which is ultra-competitive, stands out, and it is instantly noticed by the people who decide who gets an interview and who doesn’t. Writing resumes like one of these isn’t necessarily straightforward, but it is possible when you focus on delivering high-value content.
If you’re wondering how to write a killer resume, we have a few tips to help you make your resume a real killer resume.
Resume content basics overview
These are the issues that you need to consider effective resume writing:
- The length of your resume –
A good resume doesn’t have to be long, it simply has to deliver the information required. One or at most two pages really are the maximum. Your resume really shouldn’t need to be any longer than that. The good news for job applicants is that this much shorter resume format is also a lot easier to edit and work with. - Organizing your information – Most people are trained to write their resumes in a particular way and simply continue to write that way, long after that resume style is obsolete. Check out the latest resume formats and layouts online, and you will see that modern resumes are very brief, sticking to the point at all times.
Play to your strengths – Use your resume to emphasize the positives. You need to manage your information to your advantage. If you’re a great salesperson, focus on sales. If you’re an excellent customer service person, focus on client relations management. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many people barely even mention the best skills.- Use the best formatting – One of the most common problems with everybody’s resume is that formatting is very unimaginative, uninspiring, and worse, sometimes confusing. Stick to a straightforward layout, but be sure to investigate all the possibilities of using graphics, standout text boxes, and text inserts to manage information and improve your layout.
All your information should be relevant to the job application – Another own goal for many job applicants is that they go off topic and provide information which isn’t necessary. When going for a sales job, these applicants will provide a lot of information about their work as a cleaner, or some other irrelevant, unproductive information. Be absolutely ruthless about removing any information on your resume which doesn’t relate to the position for which you are applying.- Destroy all typos – Typos are not necessarily important errors, although some classic typos are legendary in the employment industry for making applicants look ridiculous. The real problem with typos is that they do undermine your confidence. When you discover a typo on an application that you have already sent, they are infuriating. Be patient, but be meticulous. Destroy typos wherever you find them. If you need to edit your resume three times, do that.
Images are taken from bluepipes.com, grantdigital.com.au, torontoschoolbus.org.
