Do you know how long a hiring manager spends looking at your resume? A study found that you have just six seconds to impress before they move on to the next application. This means you’ve got to get it right!
As such, it’s important that you take the time to perfect your application and create a resume that employers want to read. Below, Resume-Library shares the four must-haves if you hope to secure yourself an interview and land a job.
1. Contact details
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to include the important details. You want to keep your resume short and sweet, so you don’t need to include irrelevant details like your full address. But it’s important that you add your full name and contact details (email and phone number) to your resume.
You might also choose to include links or handles for your social media profiles if these are relevant or could support your application. For example, you might have your own blog that you’d like to share with the hiring manager.
2. Keywords
The best way to grab the employer’s attention is by using keywords so they can quickly and easily identify that you’re suited to the role. Spend some time going through the job description picking out any keywords or requirements that the employer has included.
You can then pepper these keywords throughout your resume. That way, as the hiring manager scans through they can easily see if you are a good fit for the job and decide whether they should read your application in more detail.
3. Figures
It can be extremely beneficial to quantify your success throughout your resume. What does this mean? It means that you should use numbers where you can, to illustrate why you are great for the job. For example, you could write about the time you managed a team of 25 people, or you could talk about how you increased revenue by $10,000.
In some industries it is easier to quantify your success than others, but there is always a way you can demonstrate your skills through numbers. Perhaps you helped grow the company’s social media following or visitors to the company website. Whatever it may be, it helps the hiring manager to better understand your achievements and why you’re a strong candidate.
4. Relevant information
It can be tempting to throw down every job or qualification you’ve ever had, but it’s important that your resume contains only the most relevant information. Hiring managers don’t want to read a long list of jobs that have nothing to do with the role you’re applying too (unless you’ve got some good transferable skills to shout about).
So instead make sure you choose your most recent roles and those that are going to compliment your application. Remember, you want your resume to be short and sweet and being selective about what you choose to include is crucial to this.
Final thoughts
Perfecting your resume can feel time consuming, but getting this right from the start can boost your chances of securing an interview and landing a job. Be sure to include only the relevant information and use keywords and examples to show the hiring manager you’re a good fit for the role.
