Often overlooked during a job search, a resume is the most important weapon for the job seeker in his pursuit to get the job he/she desires. A resume is the first impression job seekers give hiring managers and as the saying goes, “the first impression is the last impression”. So in order to make it a positive one, your resume needs to be written and presented in a very professional manner. To help get you started on creating an professional and impressionable resume, we have listed out some points that will help make your resume ‘the diamond among the rocks’.

Before looking up at the points though, you would need to know what a resume actually is. While everyone has their own answers to this question, in reality, a resume can be referred to as a document which contains the summary of the individual’s qualifications, achievements and skills. It also provides an insight to the talent levels of the individual and helps hiring managers deduce the utility of the said individual in their ventures. While the premise of a resume sounds easy, in reality, it takes a lot of skills to write a resume which attracts the eye of the hiring folks and makes you stand out from the crowd. Due to the complexity associated with writing resumes, many people produce bad resumes which goes to the trash can of the hiring managers’ office. The following points will explain how to make a resume which is short yet precise and professional and will help you to be the unique one among the slew of applicants for the job you desire.

FONT STYLING

To make a resume that is presentable you need to ensure that it is formatted well. You should use professional looking fonts which will give your resume a nice clean look. Serif fonts have been the mainstay for writing resumes, but nowadays even sans-serif fonts are being used to give resumes a fresh look. The font size should be balanced too. Usually font sizes ranging from 10 to 12 work well. The key is to use a font which is legible and ensures the best parts of your resume are highlighted well.

LAYOUTS AND MARGINS

A good resume is the one which is made using creativity and has proper time and effort invested into it. You would need to involve yourself in the resume making process because ultimately, this is the resume for your dream job and you cannot afford to slack off. Proper resumes have margins ranging from ½ inch to 1 inch on all sides with single line spacing to ensure uniformity across the resume. The resume should be formatted in such a way that it looks pleasant to view and read.

CATEGORIZATION

Resumes are generally divided into three categories, which are chronological resumes, functional resumes and combinational resumes. Chronological resumes are ideal for those who have a large work experience as it helps them to list their experiences in a chronological order. Functional Resumes are good for those who wish to focus more on their talents and are new job hunters. Lastly, combinational resumes are good for those who wish to lay emphasis on their skills as well as their work history.

ORGANIZATION

A proper resume needs good organization, as hiring managers tend to focus on certain aspects more than others. A mixed up resume is bad news, as these resumes are more likely to be rejected. Organizing your skills, talents, work history in different categories goes a long way to improving the readability of your resume as well as making your resume a good source of information about you to anyone looking at your resume.

CUSTOMIZATION

If you’re applying to several job posts at once and sending the same old resume, then you’re doing it wrong. You would need to tailor your resume for the job you are specifically applying for, as a tailored resume is bound to have more views than a generic resume.

WORDING AND GRAMMAR

Being a professional document, a good resume would need to be grammatically correct at all times. You should also ensure that your resume does not have any spelling errors as these errors give a bad impression. Try using “power” words, that is words which would catch attention of anyone looking at your resume. This does not mean that you stuff your entire resume with power words, only use power words where it would provide the maximum impact.

LENGTH

A resume is supposed to be a summary, and this point should be kept in mind while preparing your resume. While you should definitely put the important points like your skills and talents, never fluff up your resume with irrelevant content. Nobody has time for reading longer resumes and thus they are generally not preferred.

UNIQUE CONTENT

Try posting any unique content about yourself, like a link to your website, if any. People prefer resumes of people with their own website as they provide an insight about the individual applying for the job. Now, this does not mean giving information about your personal life or even your photographs as these are considered to be a big “noes” while reviewing resumes.

PAPER QUALITY

Many people overlook this important aspect, but printing your resume in good quality paper is a point which I cannot emphasize enough. Being a very important professional document, you need to print it in the highest quality paper so that it doesn’t lose its legibility even after staying at a place for long. Also printing your resume in a standard sized 8 ½ to 11-inch sized paper is preferred as printing in uneven sized papers looks really unprofessional and leaves a bad taste.

HONESTY

Always try to post the truth about your skills, qualifications and talents. Hyping up about your own skills leaves a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. Also, if you lie about anything on your resume, your resume is straightaway rejected. It is thus, better to leave an honest resume.

These simple yet important points can help you make a resume which would be unique and would help you to stand out from the crowd. If you still have any qualms about preparing a resume or you want a professional to prepare your resume in a unique yet eye pleasing manner, please contact us at. Our experts will ensure that your resume is the diamond among the rocks and would help you get the job you have always dreamt of. As they say, opportunities are present for every human, success comes to those who grab their opportunity at the correct time.