If you aren’t landing job interviews, one of the biggest reasons may be your resume. Because you face steep competition for a role, your resume needs to show why you’re the most qualified candidate. This will increase your chances of having a hiring manager review your information and decide to meet with you. Fortunately, you can make changes to your resume that may have a significant impact on your results.
Here are three updates that can get your resume read by a hiring manager.
Include Keywords
Find keywords from the job description to include throughout your resume. Focus on keywords related to hard skills, such as software development or financial analysis, and soft skills, such as leadership or problem-solving. Organically place them into the flow of your information. Use each keyword once per job, where applicable and relevant, and once in other sections of your resume. This shows you are a strong match for the role. Your resume should get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and to the hiring manager.
Highlight Your Value
Point out the value you provided for previous employers and can provide for your next one. To determine what is most important to the company with the role you want, look at the job description. Determine what the most pressing needs are and how you can fill them. The skills the employer can benefit from most are what you want to emphasize on your resume. Picture yourself working in the role, then think about how the duties you performed in the past apply. Use action words, such as “reduced” or “targeted,” to specify the benefit, impact, or result of your efforts. Also, include keywords, context, and detail in your descriptions. For instance, “Increased profits by 20% over 6 months,” or “Reduced waste by 30% in 12 months.” Be sure to show how you took on more responsibility and added more value over time.
Measure Your Accomplishments
Share quantifiable accomplishments that demonstrate the scope, complexity, and impact of your work. These may include specific ways you increased revenue or savings, improved a process, enhanced customer satisfaction, or came up with an idea that benefitted the organization. Or, perhaps you received positive feedback, reviews, awards, or recognition for your contributions. Be sure to add dollar amounts, percentages, or other numbers to measure your accomplishments. For instance, “Managed a team of 17 salespeople to grow company revenue 74% in 6 months.”
Get Help Updating Your Resume
Work on updating your resume with a recruiter from Staffing Texas. We can set you up with local companies in need of staff and coach you through the hiring process. See which jobs interest you today.
