The best resume is one that has been crafted to support a particular job application. Here’s why it’s important to write a great resume and how to do it.
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If you’re a recent high school or college graduate looking to land your first job, experienced but wanting a new job role or making a career change, you need a great resume this year – and fast! Without a resume, it’s impossible to apply for a job opportunity and only the best resumes will get noticed. We can help you create a polished resume in minutes!
A resume is an official document that showcases your personal, professional and educational experience and accompanies a job application. In today’s job market, having a basic resume won’t land you at the top of the hiring manager’s resume pile. You need an outstanding resume, one that grabs attention and convinces a prospective employer that you deserve a job interview. While our resume builder will take you step-by-step through the resume building process, here are some critical resume basics you need to know.
Let this be the year that your job search and resume gets you the job you want! Our resume builder tool can help you create a quick and powerful professional resume that will immediately convince a hiring manager that you are the best candidate for the role you are applying to.
Here’s how our resume builder works:
Before you begin writing your resume, our career experts have provided information about resume formats, resume writing and quick resume tips!
A resume is an official document that showcases your personal, professional and educational experience and accompanies a job application. In today’s job market, having a basic resume won’t land you at the top of the hiring manager’s resume pile. You need an outstanding resume, one that grabs attention and convinces a prospective employer that you deserve a job interview. While our resume builder will take you step-by-step through the resume building process, here are some critical resume basics you need to know.
There are three main resume formats that you can choose from when you start writing your own:
A chronological resume format places emphasis on the job seekers’ work history and professional experience. This format is best for people who have a lot of work experience that is relevant to the job description but not so great for people with a limited or spotty work history.
A functional resume format is one that focuses on a job seeker’s skill set and competencies. This resume format is best for those who lack work experience or who have employment gaps.
A combination or hybrid resume format balances professional experience and skills, and is good for those who are changing careers or have a mix of important skills and work experiences that apply to the job.
You can find free resume templates for each of these formats via the ResumeHelp resume builder. You can also find hundreds of industry-specific resume examples to use for inspiration and wording suggestions.
If you want to write a job winning resume, there are a few important sections that should be present no matter what format you use or industry you work in. These may seem like basic resume sections but with your added impressive skills, career history, education and the most exciting career highlights, your resume will stand out among other job candidates.
Your resume header should contain your full name and contact information, including your phone number and links to your professional social media profiles such as LinkedIn.
A resume summary is a sum-up of the skills and qualifications that make you best suited for the role that you are applying for. This is the best choice if you have a lot of work experience. If you are a recent graduate or lack work experience, go with a resume objective statement, which is a statement of your career goals and best skills.
The resume skills section should include between eight and twelve relevant skills presented using bullet points. Try to put your most important skills at the top of the section to ensure that hiring managers see them first. Your skills section should include hard skills (technical related skills) and soft skills (personality traits). If your skills don’t match exactly to the required skills, transferable skills from your previous work experience can apply to the new job.
The work experience section of your resume should present your employment history in reverse-chronological order and include up to 10 years of work experience. Include a few bullets for each job spelling out major responsibilities and accomplishments and use action verbs to describe each achievement. If you lack relevant work experience, you can include volunteer work.
Your education section should contain information about your most relevant and advanced academic achievements. Highlight your most recent degree or current study in progress. Include the school name, location and field of study, honors, awards and relevant coursework. If you’re still in school, include the expected graduation date. Do not include high school information if you already completed college. GPA is not necessary unless otherwise requested.
If needed, you can also create sections for internships, volunteer experiences and professional memberships or certifications. For more guidance on putting together your resume, consider relevant resume samples for inspiration. You will also find it helpful to use an online resume builder, as these tools have professional resume templates that are free to use. The perfect resume template can give you an edge but will also ensure that formatting details like font type and size are in line with U.S. resume requirements.
Competition is tough these days. There are lots of qualified applicants applying for the same job. You need to show the employer that you have the skills and experience to be an asset to the company and perform the job successfully. A great resume is the most powerful tool in a job seeker’s arsenal. If you have a well-written resume that is tailored to the needs of the job titles that you are applying for, your chance of getting invited to an interview will be significantly higher for two main reasons:
In short, a great resume is important because it will drastically increase your chance of being invited to a job interview and therefore increase your chance of getting a new job.
If you are planning to apply for a new part-time or full-time job this year, you need a resume to accompany your job application. A resume is the official document that will highlight your accomplishments to show a hiring manager, recruiter or prospective employer that you are an ideal candidate for the job. In fact, a resume and a cover letter are your first way to make a good impression and land you a job interview.
To optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS), include the skills, experience and requirements noted in the job description. The ATS scanning software is programmed to look for specific keywords on applicant resumes to pick out the most qualified candidates. The ATS can reject unqualified resumes before they even get read by the employer. For effective scanning, select an easy to read layout with simple fonts like Arial or Times New Roman, and no unnecessary graphics.
Experts suggest that your resume shouldn’t go back further than 10 years. To achieve this, only include your most relevant work history on your resume. Highlight relevant career achievements that show you’re qualified to effectively perform the work duties required in the job description.
A resume should not be longer than a single page so a busy hiring manager can take a quick look at a resume and decide whether to continue reading the resume in detail.
Your resume should look neat and professional. This means having .5 to 1-inch margins all around, using a professional font in 12 pt. size and avoiding overly complex design elements. For more information on resume design, the ResumeHelp experts have lots of resources, sample resumes and career advice for you to look at.
A cover letter is a supplementary, single-page document submitted along with a resume. Addressed directly to the hiring manager, a cover letter should provide additional information to support your job application and explain to employers why you’re a good fit for the job.
Yes. Matching your resume and cover letter templates can be very helpful as it will give your job application a professional appearance. To make a great first impression on a hiring manager or recruiter, use our ResumeHelp cover letter builder to make the process quicker and easier.
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