Are you in the middle of a job hunt and looking for ways to ensure your resume showcases the best of you and your skills? Here’s a quick guide to how to write a winning resume.
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Why does your resume matter in the hiring process?
Maybe you’re wondering, “If I am talented and hardworking, why do I have to work to sell myself so much?” The answer to that is simple: no matter how vibrant your resume is, it’s going to be one in a hundred, perhaps even a thousand. That’s why it’s important that your profile stands out the moment someone (likely an incredibly busy recruiter) takes a look at it.
Think of a resume as a brochure or a “teaser” for you and your skill set. More than anything else, it’s meant to be a foot in the door, getting the recruiter (and anyone else you interact with throughout the hiring process) excited about working with you.
Of course, there’s only so much you can say in a page or two. And you will have numerous chances to prove your talent and expertise throughout the process, usually in interviews or even an application test. But a resume is the first impression that a company has of you, and so it should give its evaluator a sense of what you can bring to the table.
The difference between a CV and a resume
You may have noticed that people use these two terms interchangeably. But they’re not the same, although both fulfill the same purpose: they are documents that detail your work experience and educational background.
A CV, also known as a curriculum vitae, is typically the longer of the two. It’s a phrase that means “the course of my life” in Latin and, true to its meaning, it’s a documentation of all of your professional work. A resume (also written as a résumé or resumé) is a shorter version of your CV, usually only one or two pages long, and is meant to be specific to the job you’re applying for.
Of the two, job applications generally ask you for your resume. There are a handful of instances that call for a CV, though, usually for specialised roles or academic positions.
What should your resume convey?
When a company is hiring new employees, they want to see applicants who can bring something unique to the table. So, what makes a resume stellar is personality. It’s not simply a list of your job experience, skillset, and academic background. It needs a narrative that intrigues the recruiter and makes them excited about the prospect of working with you. Here’s what you should be saying through your resume:
- You’re a high-quality professional: You’re not just qualified for your job, but you can do it really, really well. You’re someone who can get things done swiftly and even pick up new skills along the way.
- You’re a great addition to the team: You’re someone who’s proactive and will utilize your expertise for the betterment of the team or company.
- You’re a great person to work with: You’re amicable, you’re professional to the boot, and you make a great colleague. Essentially, you maintain friendly but effective workplace relationships.
So on one level, your resume is a sales pitch that should eventually secure your employment.
On another level, it’s an offer you’re making to the company — an offer they can’t refuse. In fact, they’d be lucky to have you on board.
8 tips to write a winning resume
Here are some resume writing tips that will come in handy whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced professional. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how to write a good resume, we hope these tips guide your writing process.
- Study the job description and the company
- Have keywords that align with the job description
- Add numbers and examples to make the resume substantial
- Create a custom resume for each designation
- Add a brief introduction
- Keep the aesthetics simple
- Stick to simple tenses
- Apply for the job even if you fit only some requirements
Study the job description and the company
Read the job description, which will give you insight into the role you’re applying for. If you have time, also do some research about the company to get a sense of what they do and how you might fit there. Accordingly, review your resume. You may need to make some minor changes to convey that you’re fitting for the job.
Have keywords that align with the job description
Make quick edits to your resume so that it aligns with the job profile or even the company philosophy. A recruiter is more likely to spend some time on your resume if they see that your profile is in sync with what the role calls for. You can incorporate relevant synonyms that you find in the job brief, rearrange your skills section to highlight the ones relevant for the position, or tweak your profile summary to show that you share the company’s values and goals. The point is to make your resume more focused and ensure that relevant keywords stand out.
Note: Pay extra attention to the words you use if you know your resume is going through an automated screening test or an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). You’re likely to succeed if you consider what the algorithm wants.
Add numbers and examples to make the resume substantial
Adding numbers, percentages, and qualitative examples is an excellent way to demonstrate impact. Like we said earlier, a resume should tell its reader that you can do your job well, and the best way to do that is to put cold, hard evidence of what contributions you made to the organisations you’ve worked with. If numbers matter in your role even remotely, put them down in your resume.
Note: If you are including numbers and stats in your resume, make sure it’s not confidential information. Put something that indicates the impact you had without giving away important or proprietary information about the company you were at.
Create a custom resume for each designation
While it’s ideal to customise your resume for every single application you send it out for, it’s just not possible if you’re applying for tens and hundreds of jobs, perhaps even for multiple roles. If this is where you are, create custom resumes for each designation. For example, let’s say you’re a writer and editor. If you’re applying to both writing and editorial positions, you should create two versions of your resume: one that highlights your writing skill more than editing, and vice versa. Having a resume that’s oriented to a particular position increases the chance of your resume being noticed more (and faster).
Add a brief introduction
Add a brief two or three sentence summary that sheds light on your career history, your unique point of view, and a hint of where you want to go in your professional life. This introductory section is an excellent space for you to establish the story you want the recruiter to see. Make it vibrant, exciting, and accurate, gently leading the reader to the information they are about to read.
Keep the aesthetics simple
One of the best things you can do to make it easier for the recruiter to skim your resume is to keep it visually simple. Pay attention to how you arrange the sections in your resume: prioritise your work history and the skills section. Use commonly used font types such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Stick to using a template that has only one or two colours. Once you’re done, show your resume to a friend or a family member to check if it reads well to them.
These may seem like minute details, but they improve the readability of your whole document greatly!
Stick to simple tenses
Maintain consistency in the tenses you use throughout your resume. The general convention for this is this: simple present tense for your current job, simple past tense for your previous job(s).
For example:
Simple present: “Curating and editing long-form content for the marketing team”
Past tense: “Curated and edited long-form content for the marketing team”
Apply for the job even if you fit only some requirements
If you find that you don’t fit all the requirements and feel worried that you might be underqualified for the role, go for it anyway! Job descriptions are broad because the recruiter usually wants to cast a wide net. The truth is it’s incredibly rare that a resume fits a job description like a glove. And you have nothing to lose!
Bonus: Our pick of resume making tools
You could do it the old-fashioned way and create your resume on a Microsoft Word document, or you could try out an resume making tool or app to give it a more modern touch. Here are our best picks for online resume creation tools:
- Canva
- Zety
- Novoresume
- ResumeGenius
- LiveCareer
Canva
Mostly known for its multitude of resources for graphic designers, Canva is actually a fantastic tool to start making your resume. It’s perfect for a beginner who’s probably short on cash: the site has hundreds of templates to choose from and some are also designed for specific job profiles. You can download your resume in a .pdf or image format for free.
Zety
Zety is one of the most well-known resume creation apps around. With their resume checker, CV maker, and cover letter builder features, you can prepare all your application documents in one place! Zety saves you the stress of creating a resume from scratch, by offering customisable templates that are ATS-friendly. Once you’re done, the app also provides actionable advice on how you can improve it.
Novoresume
Novoresume is a fantastic free tool that will help you create a resume in as little as 5 minutes! (Or so they say.) Some of their clients have been hired by some of the biggest companies on the planet, so you know what they’re doing. They have a range of templates you can choose from and they’re all ATS-friendly. They offer both free and premium features; so whether you’re on a budget or can afford to embellish your resume, you’re in good hands!
ResumeGenius
ResumeGenius boasts one of the biggest online collections of free resume templates. No matter what your field is, you’re bound to find an appropriate one on this site. In fact, the site even generates bullet point descriptions for roles covering many industries. So if you’re not sure about how to write the resume or where to begin, these folks have got you covered!
LiveCareer
LiveCareer promises that you can be “hired faster” when you create a resume with them. In addition to a user-friendly resume builder, the site has a host of career resources including how-to articles, sample resumes, and step-by-step guides. They also help you craft custom cover letters that help your application stand out!
If you’re interested in knowing more about how to write a winning resume, check out this LinkedIn live by Amit Ray, the founder of CrazyTok. For more tips, insights, and advice on career development, head over to our podcast JobTok.
