CV TIPS: This is the ultimate guide to writing a standout resume

Posted 26th July 2022 • Written by fastcompany.com • • • • •

Pro Tip: Put yourself in their shoes. If you’re reading hundreds of résumés, the ones that concisely convey the right information and are easily readable will grab attention.

The red hot U.S. labor market might be shifting toward a cooling period. Rising inflation, interest rate hikes, and a possible recession on the horizon are driving some companies to slow or pause hiring. As the screws turn and things get tighter, the relatively open job market will become more competitive by the day. This is why it’s important to have a strong résumé to ensure that yours will make it into the final pile of potential hires.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Short and sweet is best for résumés. Just think: If you’re a hiring manager reading hundreds of résumés, the ones that will likely be best concisely convey the right information and are easily readable. To ensure this:

Stick with black text on white paper
Use clear headings
Break up different sections with spaces and borders, and big blocks of text with bullets or dashes

Keep your résumé to at most two pages for experienced job seekers and one sheet for newer professionals. Cut the fluff and excessive jargon, and don’t over format. Résumés tend to look boring. and that’s okay. You can use bold, italics, or underline, but not all three in the same sentence. Too much formatting can be distracting.

Also, many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that are programmed to read traditionally formatted résumés. It’s difficult for an ATS to read columns, fancy fonts, and charts. Additionally, recruiters may have difficulty reading overly formatted résumés. Instead of a fancy résumé, keep it simple. Use a font that’s easy for both humans and machines to read, and use formatting sparingly.

DESIGN IT FOR THE JOB YOU WANT

If you want to make it past the first round of cuts and have the chance at an interview, your first move should be to identify target job openings and design your résumé with those jobs in mind. This is important because many companies will receive a lot of applications, and any résumés that don’t seem relevant or are too generic will likely be tossed after a first glance.

Every job has requirements for specific qualifications, skills, and experience, and tailoring your résumé to the employer and the job enables you to present your experience in a way that quickly showcases that you’re well-suited for the role. So do the research:

Check the company’s website
Find its mission statement
Peruse its social media feeds
Read its blogs
Dig into its goals as a company
Understand its clients

All of this will enable you to further tailor your résumé to match what the employer is looking for. Then, read the job description and make a list of any specific job requirements, skills, attributes, experience, and qualifications. If they list responsibilities and duties that you have previously handled, write those down too, and be sure to pull out any specific keywords or phrases from the job posting. This will help ensure you make it past the ATS.

Read through your list and check off any items that relate to your previous skills, experience, or responsibilities. Once you know exactly what relevant qualities you have to offer, set down the most useful ones in the place they will be seen quickly. Put your core skill set at the top of your résumé. Lower priority items can be worked in further down.

SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS

Companies will have a vested interest in the skills you possess. This means that knowing which are relevant to the job is important when considering which skills to include on your résumé. And while it should go without saying, let’s be safe: Be honest in your résumé. Any professional skill listed on your résumé should be a skill you actually possess. There’s nothing worse than showing up on your first day and asking your boss to train you on some workplace tool you said you knew how to use. Skills come in all shapes and sizes, so here’s how to make sure your skills section highlights the right ones for the job you’re seeking.

Generally, there are two types of skills: hard and soft.

Hard skills are technical skills that are specific to a particular job and are often measurable. For designers, their hard skills would include specific design software, for example.

Soft skills are personal, creative, or social abilities that come naturally or can be improved over time. Some examples of soft skills are flexibility, communication, people skills, time management, and empathy.

Again, tailor your skills for the job you are applying for, and use what is most relevant to the open position.

Here’s an example of what hard skills might look like on your résumé:

Accounting and office software administration: Proficient in Intuit Payroll, QuickBooks, Blue Cherry ERP System, FRS Accounting System, 4Gen Accounting System, and Microsoft Office Suite to improve time to process payments by 3x.

Writing and communication: Proficiency in MS Word, Google Docs, WordPress-based content management system to produce up to four 1000+ words-long articles weekly. Used InDesign to create a 90-page user guide for a cloud-based webinar app. Navigated complex content application platforms to submit grant applications that received $160,000 in funding.

You can see that these are technical skills that would be directly relevant to a specific open position. Also, take note of how these skills are written to directly relate to results. It’s great to know you can use Microsoft Word, but it’s even more important to show what you can do with that knowledge.

Here are examples of soft skills:

Project administration: Create partnerships and alliances with legal, developers, equipment buyers, regional VPs, merchandisers, store team leaders, and outside vendors.

Project management: Coordinated 10 people to create a YouTube video ad for a client that resulted in the client’s revenues increasing by over $50,000 within a month.

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