12 Top Resume Writing Tips

If you try to write an effective resume on your own without professional help of the third parties (i.e. resume writing companies, freelance resume writers, etc.), then you would probably face many challenges along the way. This is absolutely normal because you cannot know everything about how to write a good resume. It doesn’t mean you have to deal with it on your own – there many resources that can help you answer all questions. But if you attempt to find help online, you will come across multiple articles that claim to provide best tips on resume writing techniques. In fact, if you take all recommendations and advice found online and put it together in one place, you will probably have a 200 page book. We understand that most job seekers don’t have time to read and digest that much of an information in order to write a 1 or 2 page document. As a result, we have created a list of twelve most helpful resume writing tips. The list contains most important things about resume writing techniques that should help one get interview offers.

Best Recommendations for Developing a Winning Resume

In 2015 resume tips were not that much different from what we have to offer in the list. However, there are some new things that were not included in the guideline of 2015 resume tips. This one is brand new list reflecting the latest tendencies in hiring practices and resume standards.

1. Target your resume for each job opening. Forget about creating a resume you can send to hundreds of companies in hopes it will get you an interview. Instead, adjust your resume or CV to match the requirements of every job opening. This may be annoying but there is no other way around.
2. Be relevant. In a sense, being relevant on your resume is the same as targeting your resume for each and every job. However, it is more specific. Being relevant assumes you choose to list only those facts that would be relevant for the particular employer. Everything that has nothing to do with the job requirements should be left out.
3. Be brief. In average, it takes from 5 to 10 seconds to review one resume. Now think about it from the hiring manager’s perspective. What can possibly one see within 10 seconds on a 6 page resume? Keep in mind, HRs don’t have time to read autobiographies. A good resume is always a concise document listing relevant facts in a brief manner.
4. Forget an objective. In the past, everybody used an objective statement as sort of an introduction on a resume. Unless you can formulate an objective in a way that would emphasize your value proposition to a potential employer, you are better off with the summary section.
5. Use a reverse-chronological format. This means you should list your employment history in a reverse-chronological order starting from the most recent jobs. Don’t try to hide any gaps in your experience – HR managers are not stupid, they understand everything.
6. Focus on accomplishments. It is probably the most valuable advice among all resume writing tips you will be able to find. Listing routine responsibilities isn’t what will make you stand out among other candidates. What you achieved (results) is much more important than what you did. At least for key decision makers.
7. Avoid details in the education section. Don’t list all courses you have taken in college unless you are a student trying to get an internship position (even in this case all courses are not needed, only those that are relevant). Provide the degrees earned, the places you obtained them at, and the graduation dates only.
8. Make the skills section matter. Don’t include the skills section if you are going to repeat there the things you have mentioned throughout the resume. Instead, have this section list those abilities that were not mentioned before.
9. Technical proficiency. As the importance of technologies grows, job seekers need to make sure they keep up with the progress. Listing the software you can use can make a difference between you and another candidate.
10. Stick to a clean format. Don’t try to come up with a creative resume layout if you are not a designer. In most cases, such creativity results in a poor design that becomes a turn-off for employers. A good resume doesn’t need any ‘cool’ design to get selected.
11. Get the structure right. Make sure your resume is well-structured which means it is easy to find needed information. Also, you should organize information in a way where the most important (for employers) pieces of information appear first on a resume.
12. Proofread. A good resume is a document that doesn’t contain mistakes. Proofreading is an important step in writing any kind of document and resume is no exception. All resume writing tips have this recommendation as a concluding stage of completing the writing process.