5 Steps to Attract an Employer with your Resume

An essential part of any job application is the resume. This document conveys critical information to a potential employer about your work history and abilities. But with the Internet making it very easy to apply for jobs, hiring managers often receive hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes for open positions. This typically means they will have very little time to review the resumes they receive, so you don’t want yours to blend in among those submitted by other job seekers.

Instead, you should aim to produce a document that will help you advance to the next stage of the application process and secure the all-important interview. Here are five ways you can make your resume stand out to busy human resources professionals:

Customize Your Resume

If you are in the midst of a job search, you are likely applying to multiple jobs at the same time. And to save time, you may feel tempted to send the same version of your resume to more than one employer. This can be a mistake. Hiring managers who review resumes want to see that prospective employees have taken the time to tailor the documents to the open position. The job description should serve as an essential guide to which experiences you highlight in your resume, and those you may determine are not relevant. You would also be wise to highlight those skills that would make you an asset to the company that hires you.

Include Keywords

One way to demonstrate that you have carefully reviewed the job description and taken time to customize your resume is to include keywords mentioned in the job posting, as well as those relevant to your industry.  Large employers may use applicant tracking software to see if your resume features specific keywords. If it does not, you likely will not make it to the next step of the application process. Inserting some keywords should not be too time-consuming, but can go a long way toward helping you land a coveted position.

Tell a Growth Story

Beyond merely listing your experience, a strong resume highlights how you have grown as an employee as your career has progressed.  You can tell your professional development story by including the main responsibilities you held at different positions, and the accomplishments you amassed while working in those roles. Specifics are always more impactful than generalities.

However, it would be best if you also were careful not to embellish your successes or skills to impress HR professionals. This is one common mistake hiring managers complain about and that can knock you out of the running for a great position.

Reference the Employer’s Values

As part of your research into the company you are seeking to work for, you should review their core values and culture. You may discover that the business puts a strong emphasis on having their employees participate in community service activities. In that case, you could highlight your own volunteer experience, including any charitable initiatives you have led or participated in at past jobs. Another possibility is finding a company that prioritizes wellness, so any experience you have in that realm could catch the eye of a hiring manager.

Highlight Your Online Brand

In the digital age we are in, hiring managers also are likely to examine your presence on the web. Displaying a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume is one way to highlight your online brand. It will also point a potential employer to a place that will likely provide even more detail about your work history than a resume.

If you have an online portfolio of your work, inserting a link to that site on your resume is another good idea because it provides a way for employers to see samples of your work. Additionally, featuring these social media links on your resume indicates you have nothing to hide and are proud of the online brand you have created for yourself. 

If you implement these five steps, you will be well on your way to having a resume that will catch the eye of hiring managers. Remember that if you’re looking for additional career advice you can visit our blog, which features articles that will give an impulse to your job search and professional skills.