Your resume is your own personal ambassador to the world of work. Make it professional and outstanding. Write it so that people who read it want to hire you. This article discusses resume writing best practices to avoid costly mistakes that can derail your employment prospects. These tips would help you and your resume make a positive impression on recruiting managers and potential employers.  

Consider These Factors When Writing Your Resume

Here are 14 important things you must consider in crafting your resume.

1. Understand the Purpose: Why are you writing a resume?

Your resume is a formal but concise document that you create as a job applicant to summarise your suitability for the job you are applying for. The primary purpose of your resume is to showcase your qualifications so that you make a strong first impression on potential employers.

A typical resume must include a brief summary of your education, work experience, skills, and accomplishments, among other things so that you can demonstrate that you are qualified for the job you are applying for. 

Read the RevampCV article on How to Write a Winning Resume for details. 

2. It is Extremely Important to be Honest

It is important that you are truthful about your qualifications, experiences and all other information you are including in your resume. Avoid exaggeration and embellishments in order to appear better than you are. Also avoid misrepresentation. Your goal is not just to get a job, but to do well in it and to continue working. Untruths in your resume are grounds for dismissal from a job in most countries across the world. That is why honesty is really the best policy!

3. Make Resume Short and Easy to Read

The ideal length is a one-page resume. This is especially true for those in their early career or seeking their first job. More experienced people who have a lot more experiences to list down can get away with a two page resume. But making them longer is a bad idea. 

To cover all the basic information and still be concise,  use bullet points in your resume. They also make it easy to read. Using short sentences, bold, relevant headers and including just the relevant information about your skills and achievements will help. Consider underlining important keywords to draw attention of recruiters.

4. Use an ATS-Friendly Resume Template

Many companies these days use automated processes such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) in their human resource management and recruitment. You must select a resume template that is ATS-friendly so that all the important elements in your resume are readable by the software. Some resume  templates may look visually appealing, but if they are not ATS-friendly, they may not help you get into the interview shortlist of companies that use ATS software. 

Click to read more about ATS-Friendly Resume Templates. All of RevampCV resume templates [link here] are created to be ATS-friendly. 

5. Follow Application Instructions 

If a company says you should apply to their job vacancy in a certain manner, follow those  instructions to the word.   

If the vacancy says to apply for the job online, filling in a standard format for both resume or CV and cover letter, follow that instruction. 

If they ask you to forward your application to a given email, be sure to do that. 

If there are instructions on what document format you should send your resume/CV in,—such as PDF, MS Word document etc—follow that instruction. 

Some companies may say to use a certain font, font size and give other detailed instructions. You need to follow  them all. 

If they say to limit your resume to one page, you should do so or risk being disqualified.

If the vacancy gives a closing date, apply well before that date.

Following such instructions closely ensures that your application does not get rejected even before it is seen by a human recruiter. 

6. Tailor Your Resume for Each Job

If you are a first time job seeker or have to end up writing many applications due to a tight job market, tailoring your resume for each job can mean a lot of time and effort. However, consider the time you spend to customise your resume as an investment. 

The best approach is to first create a basic resume using an ATS-friendly resume template. Then use that as the base to tailor a resume for each new job application by aligning your skills and experience to specific requirements of the position. 

Most successful job seekers use keywords from the employer job description so that they can pass through the applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by each employer. This also means using action verbs and other descriptive words that employers have used in their vacancy or would like to see in a job application. 

7. Use a Suitable Resume Format

There are different resume formats you can follow when writing your resume. They are all acceptable.  

Chronological resume formats focus on your work history. Chronological resumes can begin with your first job or take the reverse-chronological format by listing the last job first. Qualifications too can be listed either way. Reverse chronological format is usually acceptable for most jobs and is the most commonly used. . 

Functional formats place a bigger emphasis on your skills and experience and the job roles you have filled in your previous workplaces. 

Combination or hybrid format resumes use a blend of both chronological and functional features. 

It is up to you to choose a format that best fits your career stage and can highlight your strengths in the most suitable manner. 

8. Include Essential Resume Sections

There are a number of essential elements that must be included in every resume. These include:

Contact Information: Include your full name, phone number, email address, and, optionally, your LinkedIn profile.

Summary or Objective: A brief statement highlighting your career goals or summarising your qualifications.

Education: List your educational background, including degrees, institutions, and graduation dates.

Work Experience: Detail your relevant work history with emphasis on achievements and responsibilities.

Skills: Highlight both technical and soft skills relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Remote and hybrid work: These days recruiters are interested in your capabilities about remote and hybrid work and whether you are open to them. 

Additional Sections: Depending on your experience, you may include sections like certifications, projects, or volunteer work.

For more detailed guidance, read the RevampCV article on How to Write a Winning Resume in 2024 – Resume Basics.

9. Quantify Your Achievements

Whenever possible, it is better to use quantifiable metrics for showcasing your achievements.

Examples: 

Instead of saying you “helped increase sales” say you helped “increase sales by 20%”.

You can indicate the size of the geographic area or other indicator to describe the value of your work responsibility. 

Instead of saying “was a team leader/supervisor/manager”, you can say that you “managed a team of 10 employees.”

Instead of saying “worked with senior officials” you can say “reported directly to the CEO/COO or worked directly with the Audit Committee Chair” or some other form to describe how far up the organisation you were operating in and the levels of responsibility you were given. 

Such quantification helps potential employers understand the impact you have had in previous job roles. 

10. Use Action Verbs

When crafting your resume, use each section or bullet point with strong action verbs to convey a sense of accomplishment and responsibility.

Read the RevampCV article on 30 Powerful Job-Related Words to Use in Your Resume to get an idea of how to showcase your talents and experience while crafting or tailoring your resume. 

11. Highlight Relevant Skills and Experiences

Tailoring your resume for each specific job application means highlighting the skills and experiences that are directly relevant to each job. In doing so, remember to include both hard skills (your technical abilities) and soft skills such as communication, teamwork, people skills that will help you perform your responsibilities effectively. Such tailoring is particularly important for applicants who have a wide range of technical and managerial experiences on their resume. 

In particular consider the following:

Professional Development information: Where applicable you could include relevant professional development activities, certifications, or courses you have completed.

Including a Portfolio or LinkedIn Profile: Depending on your field, you might want to include a link to an online portfolio or to your LinkedIn profile. They can be used to provide more in-depth information on your work. 

12. Proofread Your Resume Before Sending

This should be obvious, but judging by the experience of recruiters, a lot of people don’t seem to proofread their application materials before sending them. 

Typos and grammatical errors make a negative impression on readers. Make sure to proofread your resume thoroughly and carefully before sending it out. You can ask someone else to review the resume for you, for an extra level of confidence. 

Get your resume checked before sending it. If you feel you need the support of a professional resume writer, you can do that too through RevampCV. Click to see how to get the services of a professional resume writer to spruce up your resume for your job search. 

13. Send Your Resume with a Tailored Cover Letter

In the same way that you tailor your resume for each job application, the best practice is to also tailor the cover letter that accompanies your resume. Check the Cover Letter guidance section in the RevampCV website for many tips on how to write a winning cover letter. 

14. Keep Updating Your Resume

Remember, your resume is a dynamic document. It too must evolve as your career progresses. It is essential that your resume be periodically updated to reflect new experiences, designations and skills you gain as you climb up the career ladder. 

Share Your Challenges, Questions and Concerns with RevampCV

Do you have any questions regarding the contents of this post? What sections in your resume do you find most challenging? What are the issues that you face when tailoring a resume for a new job application? Please share your challenges, questions and concerns. Tell us how we can help you. 

The RevampCV team wishes you all the best in your job search!

RevampCV Resources You May Find Useful

How to Write a Winning Resume in 2024 – Resume Basics