If you’re looking to jumpstart your career, a solid resume is a must. Check out today’s blog post for a handful of tips to help you build your resume.
Resumes are frequently considered a necessary evil. As part of the hiring process, their main function is to highlight your education, work experience, and skills to potential employers.
However, they also have another function, which is to make you stand out from other applicants when a hiring manager quickly reviews them.
When should a resume be updated? How much time does it take to prepare an effective resume? What kind of details should be included on a resume? Job searchers who wish to land a job frequently ask these questions.
The answer to all of these questions depends upon your career goals and how long you plan to remain in the workforce.
If you're in the market for a new job or promotion, a sound resume is a must. The following advice can help you build a strong resume and work towards your dream job.
Every resume needs to incorporate various sections that provide detailed information for your resume. That being said, your resume must be thoroughly organized and buttoned up to get the proper message across.
There are a variety of ways that individuals go about creating their resumes. Resumes may be built out in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Pages if they are using a Mac. There are also various design programs such as Canva, Resume Builder, and Adobe that provide the design tools that can be used to build a resume as well.
Before you send your resume off, make sure to correct any formatting issues that leave your resume looking cluttered or unorganized. Take time to double-check the formatting of your resume before submitting it to job applications.
Aside from the formatting, make sure to complete a full spell-check and fact-check of the document. Ensure all dates align, phone numbers are entered correctly, and that you haven't missed any typos. This elevates the professionalism of your resume.
As you go about compiling details for your resume, make sure that you compile a list of pertinent details about yourself. This may include additional languages that you speak, certifications that you've received, or skills that stand out for the job you're applying for. The goal is for employers to easily see what qualifications and experience you have.
As you build out your resume, remember to be specific. Your resume should provide an employer with all of the information that they need at a quick glance, but it should still be thorough. That means that you want to ensure you list out any and all relevant job experience, skills, certificates, or references that would prove beneficial for this job.
The final note to consider is how you format the content on your resume. There are times when a full sentence or paragraph is needed, but there are many instances where bullet points can present the information just as well. As you build out the various sections, consider what gets the job done but also what looks good on the resume.
Now that you have a few tips and details to consider while piecing your resume together, let's get into the different parts of a resume and what type of information you want to consider as you build it.
Formatting your resume header is the first step in creating your resume. Select a professional font, and use a font size that makes your name stand out. Add your first and last name, as well as a title if you find it fitting for the roles that you're applying to. Your name is followed by your contact information. More often than not, we recommend adding the phone number you can be reached at, the best email address to reach you at, and the city that you live in.
In the past, a headshot was not considered a must-have when building out a resume, but we are seeing more and more professionals add their headshots to the resumes they're creating. This helps businesses that are hiring put a face to the name. It can also make the resume much more personal.
A resume objective is a catchy declaration of your desired professional path that is posted above your resume. The resume objective sums up your accomplishments, talents, and professional experience in two to three sentences and shows why you are the best person for the position.
Your resume objective needs to state:
Your resume does not require a complete essay. It is sufficient to quickly outline your career objectives and your strategies for achieving them.
Your complete list of applicable degrees, diplomas, and certificates should be included in your qualifications section and should highlight your key qualifications.
This includes any academic diplomas, accolades, prizes, or other accomplishments you won while you were a student or employee. It also covers any particular education or certification you obtained throughout your professional life.
Even if you lack formal education, you can still describe your accomplishments in this section. For instance, if you were an intern at a business or have done extensive volunteer work, you may include your duties there in your list of qualifications.
Your entire academic history should be included in this area. Go back to your high school years, then to your college and graduate school years. You can also include any additional education that you've completed that can improve your performance on the job. Indicate the names of the degrees you have received, along with the graduation years from each institution.
For jobs that do not require a college degree, list any educational alternatives to college that you have completed, such as trade schools. Highlight any programs that are specific to the job you are applying for.
Perhaps you could think about including a few more details in your education section. You may highlight a single ability you picked up while studying, or you could write a brief essay outlining how your education has helped you be successful in your present role.
The employers and occupations you've held in the past should be listed here. Put the position you held most recently first. Include a description of your job duties below each of your experiences.
Write a separate paragraph for each industry you worked in if you had experience with multiple businesses. These are crucial parts of your employment history and can provide a potential employer with a quick glance at the tasks that you've completed in previous roles.
References are an important factor when it comes to resume sections since they demonstrate your suitability for a certain position. They provide a potential employer with the opportunity to reach out to someone that you've worked with in the past.
Given your references could provide insight into your ability to perform, you want to make sure you think about who you're going to use as a reference on your resume. Choosing individuals you worked with closely in previous roles can ensure any potential jobs get a clear idea of how you work. Choosing to ask leaders to be a reference can also provide additional support to the benefits of hiring you.
Before you put any names on your reference list, make sure to reach out to your contact and get the green light from them. Anyone who serves as a reference should always give their consent before having their name appear on your resume.
Here are some pointers to assist you in writing a powerful resume:
Your abilities and experiences are described by keywords, which are words or phrases. When individuals read through your resume, you want to make sure they see the words and phrases that stick out to them for the role. This may be in the form of previous employers, job titles, skills, or the like.
Ultimately, take into consideration what verbiage you use when writing out your resume, and make sure to incorporate keywords that you see in the job listing as well as the terms associated with the company that you're applying to.
Regardless of the abilities you have, if your resume is poorly structured, companies won't take it seriously. Here are some tips for formatting your resume from header to footer.
If there's a specific role that you're going to be applying for, you want to make sure that your resume clearly aligns with the position. This ties back to incorporating specific keywords throughout your resume so that hiring managers can quickly and clearly see the connection between you as a potential employee and the open role they're looking to feel.
Look over the requirements for the job that you're applying for and do your best to incorporate skills, education, background, and the like into your resume.
For a resume to be outstanding, proofreading is crucial. Verify your punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Check for any errors that can lead to misunderstandings.
You should carefully review your resume multiple times until you are comfortable with it. Then ask someone else to look it over. Ask a friend or member of your family to proofread your resume for mistakes.
As we mentioned earlier, there are various programs available for resume creation. Take time to browse through the various templates so that you can find one that represents you well and matches the industry that you're applying for.
It can be easy to get carried away with the templates available online, so do your best to keep the final draft clean, organized, and concise. Ask friends and family about their impression of the layout of your resume.
As mentioned above, references can give hiring managers important information about your qualifications and achievements. Additionally, they provide prospective employers with more proof that you are qualified for the position.
Consider asking three people who know you well to be a reference. Request the names and email addresses of your references, and then send them a copy of your resume.
Make sure to print your resume on sturdy, high-quality paper. Your resume will look professional and stand out as a result.
Print out your resume on plain white paper. Check that your resume's background isn't black before scanning it.
Not all resumes will need to be printed. If you're going to be submitting a digital version of your resume, make sure that you're downloading a high-quality file so that, when you send it to potential employers, it opens easily and downloads as intended.
A brief introduction that goes with your resume is known as a cover letter. Make use of it to emphasize your qualifications for the position.
The following queries should be covered in your cover letter with ease for the hiring manager:
Aside from details specific to the position, you can also use your cover letter to provide the employer with more information on who you are as an individual.
Gain Experience in the Work Force at PCI
If you're looking to join the workforce, college isn't the only option. Gaining experience at a trade school like Pinnacle Career Institute is a great alternative that can provide a significant amount of opportunity.
Our online trade school programs prepare students for satisfying and rewarding careers in fields like HVAC and wind energy technology. Additionally, we provide GWO safety training programs designed for full teams of personnel.
These are all the good options that can set you on a career path that you may or may not have considered before. Choosing to go through PCI allows you to gain the experience, soft skills, essential elements, and technical skills that hiring managers value most for their newest employees.
If you are ready to get started on your journey towards achieving your goals, apply now!