Job Resume Tips For Landing An Interview
3 Tips from industry professionals on improving your resume.
While work is necessary for anyone, finding meaningful work should be at the forefront of job seekers.
What field you’re in matters greatly in how you approach your resume. It may seem ironic, to receive tips to improve a resume, for individuals who have careers in recruiting. If you’re not specifically in that crowd, this will be a more practical approach to improving your resume.
In essence, there’s always room for improvement. It’s never too early or too late to go into a job application feeling confident in the resume you’re sending out.
Especially in resume building, it’s what you know and how you show that can make the difference. Here are 3 tips from reputable sources on how to improve a resume for seasoned or aspiring recruiters.
“Have more than you show, speak less than you know.” — William Shakespeare
1) Include job-specific skills in your resume.
Indeed, one of the largest job posting sites, provided some insights for recruiters to bolster their resumes. The big takeaway? Highlighting job-related skills from previous work experience.
“Job-specific skills are those that are only useful for certain employment opportunities. If you have job-specific recruiter skills, these add value to you, as a candidate.” — Indeed Editorial team.
Having an updated resume is important for anyone job hunting. The difference here that Indeed is pointing out is allowing yourself the advantage of including job-specific skills as actionable keywords to stand out in the crowd.
For example, desire looking for a job as a recruiter that requires knowledge of workday, or any Application tracking system? Include in previous experiences actionable skills that will relate to a job that you’re applying for. Short and purposeful bullet points will do the trick. Don’t know what skills are required? A simple read of the job’s basic qualifications and requirements will give you the insight needed.
And of course, if you don’t have experience in that skill, don’t lie and say you do. More on what you can do instead in the following tip.
2) Include relevant work experience near the top.
6 seconds. That’s the general understanding that the person looking at your resume will give before deciding if you’re worth a closer look.
While I don’t have the patience or lifespan to verify if this is true for every industry or role, a simple google search of “resume 6-second rule,” provided me with dozens and dozens of searches on the topic.
While attending a seminar through Handshake, a recruiter shared insights on how to stand out with your resume. To help pass the eye test for a resume, she explained that:
“Most relevant work/internship experience should come first, then education.”
While this is true for those that have graduated, those still in school should have their current education on top.
Going back to the example of someone looking for a job as a recruiter, providing recent relevant work on top will help serve you a better chance at acing the 6-second rule.
3) Be active in clubs or local organizations in the field
At the end of this seminar, the floor was open for Q and As in the chat box. As a current undergrad student not having relevant experience in the career I want to go into, my question of what to put on a resume for those jobs scored enough likes to be answered by the recruiter.
Her insight has been invaluable to me as it should be for you:
“Include what clubs you are in! Be involved in organizations outside of school.”
This advice encouraged me to join my school’s on-campus HR society. While this advice wouldn’t apply to people out of school, it’s worth noting that many professionals still connect with organizations and societies in their industry. I’ve done several informational interviews with HR professionals that share how they enjoy learning from attending SHRM or SIOP events.
There may be limited resources of organizations or groups that you can’t be a part of, especially time permitting. In that case, the recruiter recommended it would be helpful to reach out to recruiters through LinkedIn that are a part of the company you are interested in. Ask them what skills they are looking for in applicants.
Another practical way you can apply this is through your current work. If you have the flexibility, consider asking your supervisor for opportunities to learn job functions that will translate to your future career.
Taking the time to learn about your industry is my best advice. A proactive approach if anything tells people that you take initiative and have an interest in opportunities.
Again for your resume, consider adding job-specific skills, pass the 6-second test, and take part in organizations or clubs.
Happy job search!
