It is incredible to see how well the economy is growing, especially here in Ottawa. New and existing businesses are expanding their operations, opening new jobs on various levels, and plenty of opportunities for job seekers and professionals are becoming available. The job market is becoming a competitive playing field now that businesses are looking for the best candidates for the positions they’re trying to fill.
To remain competitive and to land that dream job you have always wanted, now is the perfect time to start making improvements to your resume. Here are a few simple tips.
There are two elements that will set your resume apart from the first time a hiring manager sees it, and they are structure and clearness. A good structure separates every element of the resume and arranges them in a scan-able way; ‘scan-able’ being the keyword here. Most hiring managers don’t really read your resume thoroughly at first. Instead, they scan through hundreds of resumes to find eligible candidates. Having a resume with a strong structure will make yours very easy to scan, increasing your chances of getting picked.
At the same time, make sure all elements of the resume are displayed clearly. Use a big enough font to display important information. Don’t forget to highlight key information on every part. When talking about your experience, for instance, you can put key job experiences in bold or italic to direct attention to them.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when making a resume is using colorful design and attractive visual elements when applying for a serious position, or vice versa. You can’t expect one resume theme to work for every job or industry.
To really set your resume apart, you need to take into account industry-specific requirements or approaches. Bradley University and its BSN to DNP online department posted a very good article on how nurses can create the best resume.
The article is mainly designed for nurse practitioner doctorate degree students, but it really shows how specific, industry-related information and elements can turn any ordinary resume into one that really lets your expertise and experience shine.
This is the kind of approach you need to take when making a resume for any specific industry. The colorful design elements and unique layout, for example, will work well if you’re applying for a creative position.
There are reasons why resumes need to be short and concise. Hiring managers often have to screen through hundreds – even thousands – of resumes to fill one position. Submitting a resume that is 10 pages long will only reduce your chances of getting the job.
Instead of including everything, include only points that are relevant to the position you’re pursuing. Keep job experiences and other entries as relevant as they can be; no one wants to know about the one volunteer project you did in high school, so stop including it in your resume.
These are very simple tips you can apply today, but they are tips that will help transform your resume and make it stand out even more. The next time you want to apply for the job, make sure you take the time to make an improvement to your resume to boost your chances of getting the position.
