How to Make Standout Resumes to Get Hired in 2020

This year has brought its challenges. Don’t let getting hired be another obstacle. Check out how to make standout resumes to get hired.

Finding and securing a job in today’s economic landscape may seem like a daunting prospect. With so much competition out there, how is it possible that your resume will stand out from the rest?

Advice on creating standout resumes is actually quite conflicting. Should it only be one page or more? Do you need an introductory paragraph or a resume photo?

If you’re looking for some clarity and a few resume writing tips that deliver proven results, just keep on reading.

Standout Resumes Keep Things Simple

Resumes that are cluttered, cramped, and overly wordy are more likely to land at the bottom of the pile and stay there.

In today’s world, recruiters and employers are looking for simple, succinct, and relevant resumes. A cover letter is not always necessary, but if you want to make the extra effort, check out these cover letter templates to make your life easier.

Here are a few simple resume writing principals to implement:

• Use clear, bold headings – preferably in capital letters
• Ensure your resume has a good balance of white space, this way, it won’t look cramped
• Use bullet points and short sentences

It’s also wise to skip fancy or colorful font. There’s no need to include illustrations, pie charts, or anything over-complicated. These details don’t play well with resume-running software anyway!

A Summary Statement Is Still Relevant

There once was a time when a resume objective had meaning, i.e. ”seeking a senior-level role in the marketing space”. Nowadays, recruiters and employers are well aware of the role you’re looking for based on your job application.

Instead, a summary statement is a good way to highlight the value you can bring to their business. Mention your skills, strengths, and attributes that make you an asset to their company.

Ensure Key Skills Are Specific to the Job

Don’t make the mistake of writing a blanket or generic summary statement about your key skills. It’s important to tailor each statement about yourself according to the job you’re applying for. Make sure the skills you list are relevant to the position and match up with the job requirements.

Read the job description carefully and take note of the keywords they use. List your skillset in reverse-chronological order, from your most recent position, backward.

Make Your Resume Easy to Skim Read

As mentioned, large, wordy paragraphs are never read in their entirety. This means that recruiters and employers could overlook important information about your skills and overall experience.

To avoid this, make sure your resume is easy to skim read with the use of bullet-point lists and short sentences. Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb.

Quantify Your Skillset and Experience

In addition to highlighting your skills, it’s important to quantify how you put your skills into practice. This is a good way to show the exact impact you had in a previous role and the value you can add to a new business.

In short, a new employer is not really interested in what you did every day at a previous job. They care about results and how you impacted the business. So, mention things like the size of the team you worked with or managed. How frequently you performed a task and the quantifiable results you delivered, etc.

Make Mention of Volunteer Work and Other Experience

Include a list of volunteer work and your other interests in your resume. This is important so that new employers can get an idea of who you are. This way, you create a more three-dimensional impression, rather than just a few sentences on a piece of paper!

Find Your Voice, Find Opportunity

Standout resumes have a clear voice — they deliver just the right amount of information, without saying too much.

If you’re looking to find your own voice, be sure to check out the rest of this blog for more on black culture, music, sports, style, and the BLM movement.