7 Resume Tips For Landing a Dream Job

Think about this:  If you work eight hours per day, you could end up spending 90,000 hours on the job during your lifetime. That’s a lot of time.

So, do you want to waste it working a job you don’t like? Well, it’s more complicated than that. We all want jobs we like, but it’s hard to fight for a fantastic job on a super competitive market.

The good news is you don’t have to put yourself at risk. All you need to do is learn how to write a good resume and target jobs you’ll love. So, here are seven quick hacks that will help you improve your resume. 

7 Resume Tips For Landing a Dream Job
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  1. Make Your Resume Easy to Scan

Before anyone ever reads your resume, they’re going to scan it. That’s because 32% of recruiters say that they get too many unqualified resumes, and another 50% can’t find the talent they need. (source)

So, before a recruiter wastes time, they’re going to glance at your resume to see if it’s relevant in the first place. Regardless of what they’re looking for, they aren’t going to find it if your resume is sloppy.

So, you need to help recruiters scan your resume:

  • Consider using a resume template to provide a clean structure.
  • Left-align all content on your resume.
  • Use bullet points to create a visual hierarchy.
  • Format your text with bold, italics, and CAPS to highlight valuable information.
  1. Order Your Content

You need a resume that’s easy to read and accessible. So, put the best information in the top third of your resume.

What information is the best?

Your most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements.

To put these things at the top, write a resume summary or resume objective.

Both are short, snappy introductions that list a couple of your skills and achievements while explaining how you’re suited for the job. Such a statement lets recruiters know that your resume is relevant and worth reading.

  1. Pick the Right Font

Even if you layout your resume well, a font can still impact readability. Which fonts should you consider for your resume? Arial, Verdana, and Helvetica are all great. Steer clear of fonts like Comic Sans, Courier, or Times New Roman.

  1. Add Details and Numbers

Another way to make recruiters see that you’re accomplished at first glance is to add details and figures to your achievements. That’s how you prove that your skills have a real impact. Here’s an example to show you how it works.

Let’s say you’re applying for a position where customer service skills are essential.

 

When describing your professional experience, you can write something like this:

Significantly decreased customer complaints.

Or you could write this:

Decreased customer complaints by 15%.

The number shows the real impact you had on consumer complaints. You didn’t just resolve the issue. You fixed it by 15%. Now the hiring manager can imagine you doing the same for them.

  1. Use Keywords Strategically

Your next step is to tailor your resume to the job descriptionTailor your resume by sprinkling relevant keywords throughout the document. Your keywords are the required experiences, skills, and qualifications listed in the job description.

To find out which keywords are most relevant, have a look at other job offers for similar positions. Do you see any skills or qualifications repeated?  They’re probably important.

Pro Tip: Also tailor your cover letter by adding keywords. 

  1. Proofread Your Resume

No matter how perfect you are for the job, your resume also needs to be perfect. That’s because typos lead 72% of recruiters to reject a resume. (source)

You need to proofread your resume – twice. Use apps like Grammarly or Language Tool. Then ask a friend to proofread your resume. They can also tell you whether your resume represents you accurately.

  1. Blend Your Online and Offline Profiles

Remember that your resume is just one source of information available to recruiters. Most hiring managers will research you via Google and social media platforms.

Your resume and online profiles need to contain the same information. Different phone numbers or dates can cause confusion. So, update your online profiles to match the information on your resume.

You can also polish your online presence by removing unwanted Google results and deleting posts that might compromise your reputation.

Key Takeaway

A perfect resume is your passport to a dream job. And if you use these seven easy tips, you’ll have a resume that gets you closer to scoring more interviews than ever. 

 

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