As human resources managers become pickier with each resume they lay eyes on, in order to stand out, your resume needs to be carefully crafted to grab managers’ attention within six seconds. It is no easy task, but to help you out, we have gathered a few tips on how to best highlight your accomplishments when writing or updating your resume.
1.Wording Matters
You need to express both your achievements and your personal and managerial skills. And whenever possible, follow these up with quantitative data, metrics, percentages, time frames.
Use words like “initiated”, “accelerated”, and “produced” followed by brief project description and results, e.g. “increased product x sales by 19% in 1 year.”
Make sure to use words that demonstrate your people skills while linking them to measurable results – “negotiated a deal” or “collaborated with x department which resulted in a $3M revenue project.”
2.Use the S.T.A.R Method
Try to critically describe your previous experiences in Scope, Task, Action and Results, rather than just listing positions and tasks. And if you are called for an interview, try to mentally list the lessons you learned with each experience so you have an interesting way to discuss your strengths and weaknesses with potential employers.
3. Brag About Your Promotions
Hiring managers look for professionals who stand out, so if you’ve ever gotten a promotion within six months, or if you’ve been given great responsibilities that went beyond your job description, add that to the Professional Achievements section on your resume.
4. Make the Most of What you Have
If you’re a recent graduate, or still at the beginning stages of your career, use whatever experience you had at university or in volunteering activities and internships. Show hiring managers that you can work in a team, that you have leadership skills, organization and project management capabilities, and that you are eager to learn and complete tasks on time.
Hopefully these tips are helpful and will guide you in the process of writing or updating your resume. Spend some time and effort preparing a resume, and create new versions tailored specifically for each job you apply for. Use your previous experience to demonstrate you have the skills they are looking for and that you can get the job done.
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