how to make your resume to stand out

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7 tips to make your resume stand out and get that job

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The importance of an outstanding resume

How to write a resume, fine-tuning your resume, make your resume stand out, it all starts with your resume.

Looking for a job is like a rollercoaster. 

There are high and low points throughout the process. The unknown of new opportunities excites you, but you feel vulnerable and anxious at the same time. Everyone experiences that turbulence at some point in their job search . 

Need resume help?

Writing a resume is one of the first steps in that journey, and it’s one of the most overwhelming. You want to make a good first impression — which might leave you second-guessing every last action verb and skill you choose to include. Tools like resume builders and ChatGPT can help you brainstorm a first draft, but it’s up to you to perfect it.

Learning how to make your resume stand out may feel like a science, but there are rules and guidelines you can follow to convince a hiring manager that you're the best choice for the role. 

Within a single sheet of paper is the story of your career. Your work history, accomplishments, and skill set weave together an account of your potential as an employee. And on a job application, your resume should grab a hiring manager’s attention based on the story you tell . 

On average, potential employers spend just 7.4 seconds reviewing a resume. While that may sound like an impossibly short amount of time to judge a candidate, it's often necessary. Some positions draw hundreds of applicants pining for their next job. Hiring managers have to quickly go down a new hire checklist to ensure you have the technical skills or experience necessary to perform the job. 

During this time, hiring managers and recruiters also need to filter out mismatched candidates before reaching out for interviews. They’re looking for someone genuinely interested in the new job — someone motivated enough to show how passionate and qualified they are. And if a hiring manager uses an applicant tracking system, they’ll also filter resumes based on keywords and specific skills. You need to survive both the algorithm and their keen eye. 

Aligning your most relevant qualifications and tuning your language to fit a company's vernacular is a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Effective resume writing targets the job description, and a one-size-fits-all resume can’t do that. The extra effort you spend personalizing every application could put you one step closer to landing your dream position and ending the job search. 

The blank page is daunting to look at. But great resumes start with headings and sections, and starting with an outline helps you fill the page faster. 

Here are the sections you should include:

1. Work experience

Arguably the most crucial section, clearly label your work experience with separate points for every job entry. If you can, only include jobs that highlight your suitability for the role. 

But don't be afraid to include experience that isn’t obviously relevant. While a career change from product engineer to project manager may seem unrelated in technical skills, you can show off the value of transferable soft skills . The key is to include a description or bullet points that make the connection clear.

Each entry should include the following:

Your job title

Name of the organization

Dates of employment

A short description of your accomplishments

Many job seekers opt to organize this section in chronological order from most to least recent. This is likely the best option if your career and skill learning has a clear linear trajectory. 

But sometimes, it makes more sense to put your most relevant experience at the top, even if it's not your most recent job. This is sometimes known as a functional resume . You want your reader to see your best work first. A new parent who quit a full-time job for a part-time job with less hours may want to focus on career highlights rather than recent positions. 

It also might make sense to split your resume into sections for different skills. If you're applying for a management position at a software development company, you might want to have subsections that emphasize management experience and development experience separately. This helps a hiring manager quickly gauge your full potential. 

2. Unpaid work or volunteering 

This section is similar to your work experience but only covers unpaid positions. Follow the same format, instead with volunteer or personal projects relevant to the role or that helped sharpen your skills. This could also include internships. Remember to also include descriptions here so hiring managers clearly see why you chose to include every point.

3. Education

This section will likely be the smallest. List any relevant degrees — associate, bachelor’s, master’s , and even PhDs — in order from most to least recent. Here's what to write:

Name of educational institution

Name of your program or degree

Date of graduation (if you feel comfortable putting this information)

Extra details like Latin honors or GPA (if relevant)

4. Certifications

You may have professional certifications relevant to your role. List them here with the date you acquired them. This is an especially important section if the job you’re applying for requires certification or licensure, legally or otherwise.

If you’re applying for a role that requires something like a driver’s license or certification in a programming language, be sure to highlight it. But non-required certifications fit here as well, like those from online courses. These demonstrate essential soft skills such as self-motivation and initiative .

A summary statement typically goes at the top of your resume, though it usually isn’t recommended. A vague summary or objective statement wastes space. Employers likely don’t want to hear that you’re a “Motivated employee looking to learn new skills” because that doesn’t say much about you. 

If you decide to include a summary, be specific. And if everything you’re saying appears later in your resume, it might be best to omit it entirely. Save this statement for your LinkedIn summary .

List soft skills and technical skills that are relevant to the role. Reinforce each one with practical work experience, metrics, or engaging action verbs that tell a more complete story. The less guesswork a hiring manager has to do, the easier it is to identify the strength of your candidacy. 

This is your space to be as specific as possible. Instead of writing that you have “good communication skills ,” write “thoughtful communicator who uses active listening and empathy to construct strong interpersonal relationships ." And instead of writing “coding,” specify what languages you know and how you’ve used them. You can also emphasize self-directed learning experiences to show your initiative.

7. Link to portfolio

If possible, link to some of your representative work, or at least have a sample 

If relevant, link to some of your representative work or have a portfolio with sample projects ready in case the hiring manager asks for them. In some fields, especially creative, a digital portfolio is standard, so include a link to yours if possible. 

Recruiters and hiring managers may also check your LinkedIn profile and domain-specific profiles, like GitHub, for concrete examples of successful projects. Ensure your resume is consistent with your body of work across all professional platforms.

An effective resume leads a hiring manager's eye to all the right places. Here are three tips for submitting an accurate and concise document: 

1. Include only relevant information

Whether you're a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, including every single piece of professional experience is unnecessary. All of the metrics, skills, and certifications should reflect the specific job you're applying to. Unessential information confuses and distracts potential employers from your value to the role. 

Recent graduates with little practical experience can find ways to highlight relevant transferable skills without filling the page with unnecessary jobs. If you're a recent economics graduate , your job sorting books at the university library shouldn't eclipse valuable internships or coursework — unless that job taught you something about economics. 

2. Highlights accomplishments, not responsibilities 

Managers want to know you can perform. Listing your personal achievements rather than roles and responsibilities shows not only what duties previous positions included, but that you thrived while completing them. Use action verbs or list employee reco gnitions to place the focus on your performance. 

Imagine you previously worked at a public relations firm. Compare these two descriptions:

“I was responsible for the execution of clients’ national media campaigns.” 

“I spearheaded successful national digital media campaigns for clients of varied industries, improving organic engagement by 50%.”

The former tells the recruiter about your job, but the latter tells them about you. The specificity helps readers immediately understand why you were an asset.

3. Keep it short

Like any professional communication, your resume should be short and to the point. It should have clear formatting that guides the eye from one section to another. 

Ideally, you'll fit everything you need on one page. The document may stretch to two pages if you're further along in your career or need to submit a CV instead of a resume . Just make sure everything on those two pages is relevant. Extraneous work history might distract rather than impress. 

Now that you know the basics, here’s how to write the best version of your resume:

1. Consider the hiring manager’s needs

Read the job description closely and explore the company website. Get a sense of company culture by reading its mission statement or company core values . Then, include those elements on your resume to catch a hiring manager's attention and tell them you fit the culture . 

Remember, you aren’t just applying for a job. You’re applying to become part of a team. Show exactly how you’ll add to company culture and collaborate with existing employees. If a company's job ad mentions seeking team players , make sure your resume highlights your history of successful collaboration. 

2. Make sure it looks good

Hiring managers review countless resumes each day. You have some freedom to play with your resume format, but you should follow some general guidelines so it’s easy to read:

Use an appropriate font: Cursive fonts and Wingdings have no place on a professional resume. Consider professional-looking typefaces like Helvetica, Arial, or Times New Roman.

Be consistent: When you pick a design format, you commit to a set of "rules" for your resume. Make sure your bullet points follow the same style, the sizing of your  headers is consistent, and your lines have equal spacing. 

Don't overcrowd it: Leave enough room in the margins so your resume doesn’t fill the entire page. White space helps your reader find necessary information quickly. 

Use a resume builder : There are many free resume builders and templates available online . Your word processor might even have some built-in. Consider using one so you don't start from scratch.

Consider color when appropriate: Adding some colored text or icons helps your resume stand out. Just make sure it’s appropriate for the industry you work in. Illustrators can use a creative resume to show off their artistic skills, whereas a colorful document for a public policy analyst could demonstrate a lack of sincerity. 

3. Proofread for errors

Hiring managers might decide not to hire you from as few as five writing errors . Typos and grammar mistakes show carelessness and poor attention to detail , and they’re an easy way to get a job rejection . 

Make sure to check your writing closely. Apps like Grammarly ensure every comma and apostrophe is in the right place. And reading your resume out loud, to yourself or to a friend, helps you catch errors, improve flow, and check for repetitive language.

4. Demonstrate industry knowledge

Always be learning . Intellectual curiosity and commitment to growth are personality traits many hiring managers look for, whether you're new to the workforce or a seasoned employee. It shows employers that you're proactive, engaged, and open to new experiences. 

Now make sure that growth mindset comes through in your resume. It isn't about saying “I love to learn,” but showing it.

Stay on top of current trends in your field and work them into your cover letter and resume. If there's a new programming tool in high demand, share your know-how in the skills section. Describe how you used it to improve your performance at a previous job.

5. Get an objective eye

Ask someone else to look over your resume and give you honest feedback . Seek out people who you trust to give constructive criticism rather than tell you what you want to hear. Coworkers, colleagues, or anyone you feel comfortable turning to for career advice will likely offer the perspective you need to write your best resume . 

Also consider hiring a professional resume writer or career coach . Both offer valuable insights about industry expectations and effective techniques for leveraging your best skills and experiences. 

Now that you know how to make your resume stand out, you can emphasize the right details and grab hiring managers’ attention. 

Writing the perfect resume takes time, thoroughness, and careful editing. And while it may feel daunting, following common resume rules and paying close attention to the job description puts you one step closer to your dream job. 

Invest in your career

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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How to Make a Resume That Stands Out in 2024: A Guide That Stands Out

In This Guide:

What makes a resume stand out in 2023, key takeaways.

So you want to know how to make your resume stand out to recruiters?

You’re here because the generic “best practices from recruiters” advice you got until now was not very helpful. You already knew it all. You know what the baseline is .

But do you know how to write a visually appealing resume that makes you stand out from the crowd?

What makes a resume pop?

We, at Enhancv , asked ourselves the same questions. To find the standout factors, we did some research and testing.

We started by analyzing our clients’ resumes that helped them secure jobs at the likes of Amazon, Spotify, PwC, Verizon, and other top companies. We identified all the resume components that catch the eye of employers and recruiters. Then, we performed solid A/B testing, and finally, put together all our findings into one test resume . This test resume gathered over 1 million views, got covered by CNBC and Business Insider, and was praised by Mark Cuban .

BUILD MY RESUME LIKE THIS

To put it simply – it stood out and attracted attention.

The following advice helped thousands of candidates get interviews and land jobs at leading companies. We’ll share their resumes as case studies and explore different ways to make your resume stand out from the rest.

Here’s what you’ll learn from this guide:

• How to make a resume that both stands out and gets you interviews in 2023
• Case studies, tips, and professional examples from candidates that successfully landed jobs at top companies
• What resume layouts are getting more interviews and which are getting less
• How to pass automatic HR filters when creating a stand out resume

At the end of the day, you want your resume to stand out and land you a job, not raise HR’s eyebrows or get shared on Reddit for the sake of it.

So we won’t be using fancy fonts or inserting funny pictures. Every example we provide and each template we use has been thoroughly tested with HR systems to pass automatic filters.

This guide will take your resume from good to great, and here’s how.

• First, for every section we’ll cover a baseline, a bare minimum you need to do in order to have a competitive resume. Unfortunately, the majority of career guides stop at that.
• From there, we take it one step further with specific advice on how to make every section of your resume even more engaging and remarkable with out-of-box techniques.
• Finally, we’ll talk about the power of formatting and layout in creating an outstanding resume.

Along the way, we’ll provide case studies and real-life examples that helped candidates land real jobs at the companies they wanted.

Create attention-grabbing header section

The Header is the top section of your resume. It includes your name, location, job title, and contact details.

• Baseline: provide clear, typo-free contact and location details so that recruiters could contact you with zero effort.
• Stand out: include a link to your developed LinkedIn profile, add a custom headline, consider adding a photo.

Looking for ways to make your header stand out? See how you can perfect your resume header and get noticed .

Link to LinkedIn and/or personal portfolio website

Here’s a thing: 70% of recruiters will be checking your social media profiles. But the real bummer is that 79% of employers can reject candidates based on their social media.

Let’s turn this into our advantage and put a link to your LinkedIn profile in your Header section.

This will earn you extra points with recruiters and guide their attention to where you want them to be.

If you have a personal portfolio website that you want recruiters to see, link to it as well.

Gal included a link to his personal website to guide the recruiter’s attention, but also to keep his resume one-page without having to describe all the projects he’s worked on over the decade.

Pro tip: when applying for code-heavy jobs, consider linking to your Github.

Custom headline

Recruiters will spend most of their time analyzing the top third of your resume, and a custom headline is one of the most influential and often overlooked ways to grab their attention.

Headline goes immediately after your name on the resume and can include anything from your job title to a personal slogan.

However, you can do much better than simply putting your job title there., e.g. “System Administrator”.

Below are two amazing standout resume examples of a customized headline in action:

In the past, Daniel had two different jobs: Customer Support Engineer and Systems Administrator.

So he combined both qualifications in his headline, emphasizing experience with both people and systems.

This way he framed his diverse experience as an advantage before the recruiter even got to see the rest of the resume.

Result? Intercom hired Daniel. Check out the resume template that got Daniel the job.

For other jobs, you might want to get even more creative with your headline. For example, how are you going to stand out from hundreds of other marketers?

Wrong example : PPC specialist with 5 years of experience.

Right example : Fighting shady, aggressive marketing.

In his headline, Louis took a strong stance against something that was at the time a massive problem for established brands: shady viral marketing tactics of competition. Later he was hired by Hotjar. Check out the template that Louis used to get his dream job.

Custom headline allows you to frame the rest of your resume however you need, providing a halo effect. Daniel framed his work experience as an advantage for his next job, while Louis stood out from hundreds of marketers with the same skillset.

And the best part? Headlines can be easily tailored to every job you’re applying for, so you can easily switch between experience-based headlines, slogans, or anything related to your next job. Learn more about how to craft your headline here .

Should you include a photo in your resume or not?"?

Short answer: it depends. The best practice is to check company and government policy (including photos is illegal in some countries). For the long answer, head over to our helpful post on the topic .

Sam wanted to switch careers, but her extensive investment banking background made her resume look a bit boring for a startup-tech world.

So she used one of our resume templates, including her photo and adding some personality to her resume , to successfully score a job at Spotify.

To sum it up – you’ll need an attractive header section to make your resume stand out from the crowd. What you’ll also need is a special Summary section…

Use summary that captivates recruiters

The summary section is a short paragraph or bulleted list that briefly describes your professional experience before the rest of your resume.

Sometimes Summary is called an “Objective”, especially if you are using it to explain why you’re applying for the job.

• Baseline : short, easy-to-read, and impactful description of your professional experience
• Stand out : make your Summary memorable, use a proper layout .

Think of your Summary section as a cold email you’re sending someone you don’t know. If it’s a long, boring, and self-centered cold email, no one wants to read that.

But if you research your recipient, create an engaging and short cold email, you have a much higher chance of someone responding to it.

The Summary section, when done right, is one of the most powerful ways of “aligning” you to the position.

Sometimes you’ll hear the opinion that the Summary section takes too much space on your resume.

First, there’s an easy fix to it.

Let’s look at Daniel’s resume once again.

He puts the Summary section to the right of his Experience section. Why?

When recruiters scan your resume, they are checking your experience section first, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to learn more about you after.

With his Summary, Daniel once again frames the recruiter’s perception, highlighting that he did the majority of his work experience remotely. It helps a lot given that the company he applied for, Intercom, is a fully remote organization.

At the same time, he also provides some insight into his personality, as he knows how important culture fit is in remote companies.

Learn as much as you can about the company you’re applying for to know what’s important to them, and use this information to make your Summary more memorable.

Another great way to use the Summary section is when you’re switching careers, have no work experience, or have gaps in your work history.

Seeing your experience section, recruiters will immediately ask themselves questions: why are they making the career switch? Do they have enough experience?

Be proactive and address the elephant in the room yourself.

Akshay S. Rao put a brief summary section before his experience section to explain why he wants the internship with Tesla in the first place.

Check out the job-winning resume layout that Akshay used to land a promising internship.

Okay, so you’ve mastered the Summary, and you are one step closer to making a creative resume that stands out from the rest. Now, it’s time to understand how to tie results with responsibilities and present your work achievements on your resume.

Always provide quantifiable achievements

One of the most common pieces of advice we hear from recruiters is “provide results, not responsibilities”.

Well, yeah, it’s great advice. But we can do even better than that.

• Baseline: when describing your experience, demonstrate the impact of your work and contribution to the bottom-line of a company
• Stand out: Add quantifiable achievements to other sections of your resume, creating a cohesive “rainmaker” narrative.

Compare these two Experience sections from our job-winning Tech resume guide.

The first example may seem clean and concise, but in reality, it’s generic and doesn’t bring impact.

When you provide quantifiable achievements in your resume, it’s not about bragging with numbers.

It gives recruiters the impression that the person knows the impact of their work and their value to the company. And knowing your impact makes you more effective and loyal, a recruiter’s dream.

Here’s a formula we are using to describe our experience in an engaging and impactful manner:

Accomplished [A] as measured in [B] by doing [C]

Just remember that quantifiable achievements don’t necessarily mean “numeric achievements”. Simply adding numbers to something doesn’t make it impactful.

As long as what you did makes an impact and benefits the company, it will resonate with recruiters.

The best part is that you can demonstrate impact throughout other sections of your resume, instantly making them more engaging and effective: Summary, Projects, even your headline.

Maximilian Malterer, who now works at Amazon, used our “Most Proud of” section and moved it right next to his experience section.

No matter how recruiters will be scanning this resume, they will notice the impact you made.

Access the job-winning resume of Maximilian layout at our library of top-performing templates .

Now, let’s discover what the Achievement section is and how to use it wisely.

Highlight awards and recognitions

• Baseline : candidates rarely have this section in their resumes
• Stand out : adding an Achievements section to your resume sets you apart from the majority of candidates in the hiring pool.

If we were to summarize what sets apart the majority of our customers whose successful resumes we’ve used throughout this guide, we’d say custom sections.

“Achievements”, “Awards”, and “Most Proud” sections are all great examples.

Adding them within our resume builder is a one-step drag-and-drop process, but the most important part is that you can quickly change the whole layout based on your particular needs.

As mentioned before, Maximilian put his most impactful Achievements right next to his Experience section, amplifying the overall impact, which is critical when you work with Amazon partners.

But Julian Prim, who now works with PwC, took a different approach. His high-stakes analyst job required extra attention to detail and next to perfect time-management skills.

After all, that’s what PwC had in mind for their operations specialist.

So Julian put his skills first to let recruiters know he checks all these boxes and added his “Most Proud” section below.

While Maximillians’s resume narrative is an ambitious and impactful account manager, Julian Prim is an efficient and timid analyst. The layouts of their resumes work great for both of them.

Pro tip : with simple drag and drop you can quickly change layouts and thus how your resume narrative.

Julian can easily become an ambitious superstar data wizard and apply for some hot BigData startup by simply dragging his “Most Proud” section to the top. Experiment with resume layouts by using the top-performing templates directly in our resume builder .

Surely, sharing awards and recognition is a way to make your resume stand out from other applicants and land you the job. But if you want to get things to the next level, you’d spend some time tailoring your resume and make it more specific to the position you are applying for.

Tailor your resume

Tailoring your resume to the job description is an extremely effective strategy for landing more job interviews.

Just don’t overdo it, otherwise, your efforts might seem too obvious.

• Baseline : include in your resume skills and keywords from your target job description
• Stand out : group skills and provide context for your core skills to maximize the impact and prove that you actually have these skills.

There are several ways to feature both technical and soft skills on your resume.

The majority of candidates will simply list them, but for recruiters, it’s as engaging as reading someone’s shopping list.

Instead, we have a few more easy-to-read and effective options you can use.

Daniel is a technical person. It was important for him to showcase his technical skills when applying for a job at Intercom, but he didn’t want to scare off recruiters with a poorly formatted list of 100+ technologies he learned during his career in IT.

He mentioned many skills and technologies he worked with when describing his Experience section, but for the skills section he followed the old wisdom of “less is more”.

So he identified four of the most important groups of skills he has and presented them as engaging infographics.

Adapt this layout and try out various visual styles using our freely accessible resume templates .

Julian went for the jugular with his PwC analyst resume. He was perfectly aware that the majority of analysts lack soft skills, and that was a great opportunity to stand out from his competition.

But instead of simply listing soft skills he presented them in a real-world context. Finally, he renamed the whole section “Strengths” to grab the recruiter’s attention.

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment with the names for your custom resume sections.

Recruiters are tired of seeing thousands of “My skills” sections to the point they automatically skim them.

But try naming them “Core strengths” or “Tech achievements” and you’ll hold their attention.

If you are interested in learning more about making your resume laser-targeted, read our post on the topic .

Did you know that nothing sets your resume apart from the rest more than sharing your personal story in it…

Show your career and personal story

So far, we’ve managed to make every section of your resume stand out and engage recruiters, showcasing your experience and achievement in the most convincing way.

Let’s apply some final effort with custom sections that will push your resume into a league of its own.

Here are the four custom sections our customers most often add to their job-winning resumes:

• Life philosophy

Marcellus Nixon, now Senior Director of Network Operations, had an excellent work history in the network communications sector.

You can access Marcellus’s full resume template here .

But so did every candidate who was aiming for an executive role at Verizon.

At this level, candidates rarely can outperform each other on a skill basis.

At the end of the day, organizations hire humans, and if recruiters feel that there’s a person behind all the achievements on your paper, they will remember you.

That’s why Marcellus decided to add “A Day In My Life” and “Life Philosophy” sections.

With these two custom sections, his resume narrative switched from “experienced network executive” to “experienced network executive with a strong work ethic and a solid plan.”

Exactly what Verizon, a global network mogul, needs.

Still with us? Good.

It’s all fun and games until we mention proper formatting. Are there any tricks to it? What colors and fonts are appropriate? Let’s see how you can make your resume stand out visually.

Apply formatting tricks to create stand out resume

Watch out for white space.

According to an eye-tracking study from Ladders Inc, resumes that lack white space turn recruiters off.

The easier your resume reads, the more chances there will be that the recruiter reads every section of it.

If you have a lot to put on your resume, use smart layout and custom sections.

The two resume examples feature the same amount of information, yet the second one is much more engaging and comfortable to digest.

Pro tip: after you filled all the sections of your resume, look at it with your eyes squinted. If your resume feels like a big cluttered black spot, start decluttering it.

Declutter your resume with minimalism approach

Make a point of using as few words to describe your experience as possible. The worst thing you can do is trying to sound smart.

Bad example: developed an elaborate testing environment throughout a wide array of 22 company and partner software assets

Good example: Launched a test-to-production environment for 22 software products

Use well-tested fonts and combinations

Don’t be afraid to use several fonts on your resume, especially if you want to bold certain parts of your resume like headers or titles.

Just remember to limit yourself to only three fonts per resume , and try using font pairs that were already tested together by designers and user experience experts.

Make colors work for you

Here’s a really elaborate, but effective trick you can use to earn some extra points: try using the company’s brand colors on your resume.

Surely don’t put a company logo or use the exact color palette, go for a subtle effect .

It’s a bit of reverse psychology: in-house recruiters that know brand colors too well may subconsciously gravitate towards resumes with familiar colors.

Proofread your resume at least 3 times

Even the most elaborate and engaging resume can quickly become a recruiter’s kryptonite when a single typo creeps into your sentences.Make sure to proofread your resumes at least three times before you send them out. If you’re using our resume builder, it will automatically check every resume you create or upload for typos.

Study specific cases of resumes that stood out from competition

Writing a resume that stands out with no work experience.

• Put Education and Projects section on the top left and top right
• Hide GPA if it’s below 3
• Add a link to personal industry-related projects or Github if you’re in development
• Include a short objective to frame the recruiter’s expectations
• Use custom sections (e.g. Projects and Certification) to stand out from hundreds of applicants
• DON’T mention passion in your objective.

Successful example: [internship at Tesla]

Tips for making your resume stand out for senior employees

• Use custom section to stand out from your competition and add personality to your top-management experience (e.g. “A Day In My Life” and “Life Philosophy”  sections)
• Frame your experience with a well-researched custom headline on top
• Add links to a business-related profile (LinkedIn)
• Frame Skills sections in a unique way (e.g. name them “Workflows”, “Strengths”)

Successful example: senior manager resume at Verizon

How to create a standout resume with bad work history

• Go for a functional layout resume where skills and workflows are prioritized over the experience section
• Create a proxy item in your experience section, e.g. “Freelancer”, or “Agency” and list your temporary experiences within it
• Write an engaging Summary section to address the recruiter’s questions about your inconsistent work history and turn it to your advantage (e.g. several areas of competence)
• DON’T mention passion in your objective. Just don’t.

Standout resume for different positions

Over years we’ve shared and updated a library of 530+ professional resume example guides with best practices and tips for specific job titles.

Simply type in the job title you’re applying for, and you’ll get a resume guide similar to this one with actionable tips specific to your dream job.

BROWSE RESUME EXAMPLES

• Small details matter: make every section stand out for the compound effect
• Extensively research the company you’re applying for and use your findings in different sections
• Add custom sections to stand out and boost engagement with recruiters
• Visuals and readability matter more than you think. Watch your white space, fonts, and formatting

Did you like the guide? Anything else that we’re forgetting and you might want to add? What are your tips for creating a stand-out resume? Jump in the discussion below.

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How To Make Your Resume Stand Out (With Examples)

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Resumes are more than just words; they are also about style. The keywords you utilize to highlight your accomplishments and qualifications are what will help get your resume securely through the resume reader . How you present those keywords stylistically and structurally is what will grab the reader’s attention.

Keep reading for ten tips on how to make your resume rise above the competition.

Key Takeaways:

Tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying to.

When writing you resume, use industry-specific keywords and buzzwords.

Make sure you resume is well organized and easy to read.

Have someone proofread your resume to catch any mistakes that you may have missed.

10 Tips To Make Your Resume Stand Out

Why it’s important for your resume to stand out, final thoughts, expert opinions.

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Let’s start with a gentle reminder that you don’t have to add all of these tips to get your resume picked out from the rest. Pick the tips that resonate most with you and add a touch of your style.

Ensuring your resume reflects the true you versus a computer is often accomplished by not forgetting your personal touch. With that in mind, here are ten tips on how to make your resume stand out from the rest, both stylistically and structurally:

Use resume buzzwords. The first hurdle you have to overcome when writing a resume is making sure your resume makes it through the resume readers and answers the main question: do you have the qualifications necessary for the job ?

Organize your resume well. Once you’ve completed your resume buzzword brainstorm, you’ll need to use them in the correct format. You’ll want to make your resume well organized and specific to your situation.

Are you a recent graduate or an experienced worker back in the job search ? What about a Veteran? Are you applying for a federal job ? These types of situations require specific resume organizations.

Show evidence. Now that you’ve picked out which buzzwords to use and how you’ll organize your resume, you’ll need to fill in each section. When you do, make sure you show evidence for the skills and accomplishments you claim on your resume.

To best show evidence for your accomplishments and deliverables, put numbers to them. If you managed a team, how many people were on your team? If you improved site traffic, by what percent did you improve it over time?

Keep it short. Most resumes should only be about a page long. If you need to make it two pages, you can but try to make it short. Only include information that can help you stand out from the other candidates.

Make your resume a compelling story. While a daunting sheet of paper, a resume is just a formal story of your work experience . Read over it with that lens and make sure the story makes sense.

Are there any major gaps in it? Does each chapter of your work history make sense and flow into the next?

Add a cover letter. If a resume summary doesn’t explain the transitions or your qualifications enough for the job, definitely don’t forget to write a cover letter .

However, no matter what your current job situation is, adding a cover letter will help you appear more dedicated to the job application. It also gives your resume a more personal voice.

Tailor it to make it job specific. Another way you can make your resume stand out is to make your resume specific to the job application . One of the last things hiring managers want to see is a resume that is so generic, you likely used the same one for every single job application.

Make your resume easy on the eyes. An easy way for your resume to find its way to the bottom of the pile, even if it did make it through the resume scanner , is by having your resume so cramped and difficult to read. You should avoid:

Small fonts

Multiple colors

Too many differing fonts

Removing all your margins .

Remember that your resume readers may not have 20/20 vision and may just chuck your resume away because they don’t want to squint to read it. Consider a few graphics and different ways of organizing and consolidating your information to make it fit better.

Be careful about the graphics you use. With graphics in mind, take special care with how many graphics you use . Unless you are applying for a design position, using too many graphics can sometimes hurt your resume because resume scanners cannot read those resumes as easily.

Proofread. Finally, when you have finished writing your resume, and you think it’s perfect, take a look at it again. You can also have someone else look at it. View it as a practice run for the hiring manager . You should also run the resume through programs like Grammarly to clear it of basic mistakes.

Writing resumes is a tricky business — you want your resume to have the right keywords and phrases so that it can make it through electronic resume readers , but you also want it different enough to catch the hiring manager’s eye.

Your resume is a document that showcases your qualifications for a job. You will want to include your education, experience, skills and other achievements that you have made.

Having a resume that stands out will make a hiring manager stop and take a second look and will see what sets you apart from other candidates. Having a resume that is not visually appealing, has mistakes, or is too long can be the difference from you being considered for a job or not.

Making your resume stand out can be difficult if you’re new to the job application game or if your industry is saturated with candidates. Our guide can help you stand out from the rest.

At the end of this article, just remember that you know yourself best. Use that knowledge and the tips above to deliver a stellar resume.

How do you get your resume noticed?

Murray Schulman Independent Business Owner

Recruiters receive stacks of online resumes. My advice is to keep your resume short and concise. Be bold and powerful from the start. Catch the recruiter’s attention in the first few lines of your resume. Don’t get passed over.

How do you make a resume stand out?

Kolby Goodman Career Coach The Job Huntr

When writing your resume, always remember your audience: your next manager. Too often I see resumes written to remind the candidate of what they can do in a job. Tell your next company not just what you can do, but how you can impact them.

You are presenting yourself as an asset to your new company. Businesses tend to measure the impact of a potential asset in one of 4 ways: making money, saving money, saving time, and reducing risk. If you can align experience and expertise to showcase how they move the needle in one of these areas, you will be leapfrogging your competition.

If you have a hard time taking credit for your work, get proactive in soliciting feedback. Go to the people you’ve worked with ( boss , co-workers, clients/customers) and ask them this simple question “How have I been able to help you?” The responses to this question will help you get some perspective about how your contributions and impact are being felt by others.

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Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

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How to Write a Résumé That Stands Out

Share accomplishments, not responsibilities.

It can be hard to know how to make your resume stand out. Start by accepting that it’s going to take some time and effort. Don’t try to sit down and knock it out in an hour – you’re carefully crafting a marketing document. Open strong with a summary of your expertise. Use an accomplishments section after the opener to link your experience to the job requirements. You don’t want to waste space upfront on irrelevant job experience. It’s okay to be selective about what employment, achievements, and skills you include; after all, you should tailor your resume for each position. Give concrete examples of your expertise, quantifying your accomplishments with numbers where you can. Seek input from a mentor or friend who can review it and give you feedback. Lastly, create a personable LinkedIn profile to complement your resume.

The resume: there are so many conflicting recommendations out there. Should you keep it to one page? Do you put a summary up top? Do you include personal interests and volunteer gigs? And how do you make it stand out, especially when you know the hiring manager is receiving  tons of applications? This may be your best chance to make a good first impression, so you’ve got to get it right.

• Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of the Women at Work podcast , and the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict . She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Watch her TEDx talk on conflict and follow her on LinkedIn . amyegallo

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How to Make Your Resume Stand Out, According to 24 Experts

Most hiring managers and HR personnel have ways of weeding out candidates as quickly as possible.

That is why we asked experts to provide practical advice on how to make your resume stand out from the crowd.

Table of Contents

Don’t include an objective

Be sure to add a career summary, add a skills section, don’t include dates with your education, include only relevant and more recent jobs, stop trying to make the resume look like a work of art, stop believing a resume should only be two pages, identify what you really need, avoid long paragraphs as your ‘objective’, keep the font simple, make sure your formatting is professional and appropriate for what you’re seeking, make sure your resume is error and mistake-free, realize that the most important piece of information on there is your name, make sure your resume is tailored for what you’re seeking, ensure your resume is ats fully-compliant, use the right mix of quantitative and qualitative information, consider page length, the key to a standout resume is the focus, focus on what you can do for the position you’re applying for, create a visually appealing format, provide a branding statement, include keywords from the job description, add a cover letter, the resume should be tailored very specifically for a select audience, keep resume content heavily results-focused and not task-focused, watch the length and avoid drowning the reader in long narratives, make sure that you give priority to relevant experience and skills, create a targeted resumé, show the employer your unique value, use a modern, professional format, but keep your formatting clean and consistent, tailor your resumé to the job, keep it to one page, highlight proficiencies, consider adding your hobbies, don’t go wild with your resume format, use a big headline, put things where they belong, if possible, pass your resume along internally, include measurable achievements, show achievements, include facts and figures to quantify your achievements, avoid jargons and have someone proofread it for you, use a reverse-chronological resume rather than a functional resume, focus on accomplishments, always list your education on the resume even if you feel it is not relevant, add some colors to the top corner(s) of your resume, vary the overall design of your resume depending on the job you’re applying for, submit a different resume for each different role you’re applying for, easy-to-skim, job-winning content is the key to standing out when applying for jobs online, get creative, provide clear, concise bullet points of roles/responsibilities, keep it organized, clean, and clear, highlight your experience for the position you’re applying for, use industry, and job-specific keywords and common industry phrases within your resume, check your format, ensure your resume is tailor-made for this particular role you are applying for, utilize headers, format professionally, add a professional headshot, frequently asked questions.

Dr. Heather Rothbauer-Wanish

Owner, Feather Communications | Author, Getting Back in the Game: How to Build Your Resume After Taking a Break

No one cares about your objective. The company cares about what you can do for them. How are you going to make their job easier? Stating that you are looking to “ …grow your leadership abilities while enhancing their organization… ” isn’t helping your cause.

Provide the company with a high-overview of you as a job candidate. It only needs to be a three to five-line summary that gives several skill-sets and aligns with keywords in the job search. Please know that this is the first part of the resume.

If you don’t have a qualifications/skills/core competencies/areas of expertise section, you are missing out. And, more importantly, companies are missing out on you. This is the place to utilize those keywords used in the job posting.

Unless you graduated from college last Saturday, the year you graduated no longer matters. In fact, at some point, that information could start to hurt you and could potentially bring about age discrimination. And, if you are yet to graduate from college, put your estimated date of month and year of graduation on your resume.

While I loved my job as a bank teller in high school, that was more than 20+ years ago and is no longer relevant. You don’t need to include very single job that you have ever had on your resume. Think relevance over quantity of past job experiences.

Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

CEO, D. Boyer Consulting | Author, Human Resource Professionals in Government Contracting Guidebook

No one sees the original resumes once they are uploaded in the Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS) – those original resumes get parsed over to Boolean searchable SQL databases and converted to text files – recruiters may never see the ‘pretty.’

It’s perfectly ok to go to a third page if your experience and history are rich and diverse. Use the third page for certifications, training, awards, and recognition. You can always print a double-side first and second page to take to job fairs.

Know the difference between a bio (one-page intro), a resume (2-4 page job history for 10-15 years), and a Curriculum Vitae (Latin for life-story) which can run 20-30 pages long (academic institution job search).

When you are writing the ‘ Objective ’ at the top of the resume, all you need is the job title for which you are applying. Avoid the long boring subjective paragraph that recruiters roll their eyes at and skip over.

Summarize your ‘general’ type of jobs in years of experience list at the top of the resume, e.g., 5 years, Supervisory Management, 10 years, Technical Analyst (military, federal government), etc.

It can either be Arial or Times New Roman between 10 and 12 points tall; do not make larger fonts for your name or locations or objective lines – this doesn’t help and makes the resume look amateurish.

Ron Auerbach, MBA

Career Coach | Consultant | Author, Think Like an Interviewer: Your Job Hunting Guide to Success

So the first impression they will get is the overall visual look. And if that doesn’t impress them, they won’t look at the content, no matter how great it is. FYI, this is why a lot, if not most resume templates you find on the Internet fail so miserably.

Free of typos, grammatical issues, and other mistakes. Why is this so important? The reason is very simple. You are being judged by your actions and inaction. So having mistakes or errors on your resume equate to your either being this way on the job, which isn’t good! Or it means you missed it, which isn’t good either!

Worst of all is you did notice the problem(s) and did nothing about it! On the job, do we want people to notice but leave problems alone? No way!

When there’s a stack of resumes on someone’s pile, making sure that yours stands out from others is important. So you want your name to be the biggest thing on there. That way, it screams out, “This is my resume!”

So while you can create an excellent generic resume, it may not work in every case. So you do need to tweak and/or make major revisions accordingly. The same with a resume you’ve used lots of other times for that kind of work of that specific job.

The requirements and/or specific role you’ll play can vary company-to-company. Thus, you must revise things as needed in order to successfully get through the screening.

The last thing you can afford when you’re job hunting is your resume automatically being rejected or not being accurately read. So making sure you have your resume in an ATS-compliant fashion is key to getting it noticed.

Something else you should do to stand out is incorporate keywords they’ll be looking for. And inserting those keywords into various sections of your resume so, no matter where they’re looking, you will have the kinds of things they’ll want and will be impressed by.

FYI, despite what some advocate, you do not always need to include numbers of some type to impress. Qualitative data, when presented in the right way, can work equally well. Sometimes, even better! For example:

• “Increased revenues by 35%” 

Notice how I used numbers here. Now, this may really impress. Then again, it’s a matter of how they’ll react to 35%. Is this really a big enough increase to be considered “impressive?” That is the unknown question! So you might actually stand out better with being qualitative rather than quantitative here. For example:

• “Dramatically increased revenues”
• “Significantly increased revenues”

Notice how I’m leaving numbers out here and using a qualifier in the description to showcase the increase. And with “dramatically” and “significant” being subjective whereby each reader has their own range of what numbers it could be, you’re playing into this as a way to impress.

So it’s an excellent way to get around numbers that you may think are impressive but they do not. Thus, do not underestimate the power of being qualitative!

A resume, no matter what level of responsibility and/or experiences you have, should be above two pages. First of all, going beyond two pages is too much for them to be reading when they have lots of applications to go through and other tasks on their platter. So help them out by reducing not increasing their workload!

Secondly, two pages are more than enough space to convince them you’re qualified and worth considering for employment. If you cannot do so with this many pages, you never will!

So you do not need to go overboard in your background and qualifications, which is where a lot of job seekers going for C-level positions make a mistake.

You only need to give them enough to show you’re worth bringing in for an interview. Then you can fill in the rest with your full background!

Krystal Yates

Certified HR Expert | Founder, EBR Consulting, LLC

Creating a resume that stands out is much easier than most people think. A good resume must include three components:

• It must get you past the applicant tracking software (ATS)
• It must tell the reader why you are a good fit for their job
• It must be visually appealing

Too often, we overcomplicate the resume but forget these three basics.

That means that first, you must decide what your next position looks like. Spend some time to figure out exactly what you want from your next job, then ensure your resume tells that story. While that advice feels counterintuitive to many, it works very well.

In the past, a resume was a job history, now it is your brochure. Instead of broadly telling the reader everything you’ve done in the past, focus on how you solve the problem of the reader (the hiring manager). This should be easy to do since you know exactly what types of positions you will be applying for.

Review two or three similar job postings and pull out the terminology you see used over and over. These are the keywords you want to include in the resume to get you past the ATS.

The good news is, there is no one right way to do this. Decide what appeals to you. After all, this reflects you. Make sure the document is easy to skim and that you’ve used a font that is easy to read. If using color, ensure it still looks good printed in black and white.

Ebony Joyce

Chief Resume Writer | Founder, Next Level Career Services, LLC

No one else has the same brand as you. Your branding statement isn’t simply a list of accomplishments, but a three-to-five-line statement that tells who you are and sums up your value proposition. What sets you apart from others? What added value will you bring to the organization?

So, dig deep to formulating the qualities that differentiate you from others. The best way to land your next opportunity is to do a great job writing this section and make your resume stand out.

Using the job description as a guide is one best way to make your resume stand out. Job descriptions are written with certain keywords and when recruiters and hiring manager see keywords those are the resumes that get attention.

While it may be time-consuming, take the time to make a minor tweak to customize your resume for each individual job is a way to stand out since many applicants won’t take this time to do so.

If a job application says to submit a resume most people will do just that, submit a resume. So just the mere fact that not everyone includes cover letters with their resume is reason enough for you to submit one.

The cover letter is your opportunity to express your personality and provide a supplement to your resume that briefly expands upon your skills. Recruiters are going to appreciate the extra time you took in crafting a cover letter and set yourself apart from the applicants.

Related: How Long Should a Cover Letter Be , How to End a Cover Letter  

Adrienne Tom

Interview Coach | Executive Resume Writer, Career Impressions

General, one-size-fits-all resumes rarely work. Make it easy for each employer to see how you would provide value to their open position by aligning all resume content with job requirements. If a detail or point is not related to the target job – remove it or replace it!

Employers are not interested in all of the basic job duties you performed in each past position. Instead, they want to know “ what’s in it for me if I hire you?” .

To create interest and support your candidacy for the open position you must provide proof of the skills and capabilities you claim to possess. The proof is best shared through results.

In addition, quantify achievements to boost the quality of your resume content and provide more depth and breadth to expertise. For example, instead of just saying “created cost-savings” , take content one step further and provide quantified details such as “saved $16K in annual operating costs by introducing new streamlined inventory management procedure.”

Employers are often short on time and what to know ‘what’s in it for me?” – fast – when they scan a resume. Keep content in check by aiming for an average of 2 pages, focusing on the quality of content and not quantity.

Mix up content delivery by sharing details in both short paragraphs and bulleted statements and aim to keep the information as succinct as possible for easier readability.

Finally, eliminate unnecessary filler words like “a, to, by, and the” to sharpen content focus.

Related: How Long Should Your Resume Be

Rob Morgenroth

Executive Vice President, Mason Frank International

Despite the limited space you have on a resume anyway, you’d be surprised how much detail on it goes unread. Most hiring managers or recruiters will be skim-reading a huge pile of applications, looking for skills, experience, and qualifications that match exactly what they’re looking for.

It’ll then be narrowed down to decide who to invite to interview, but it’s vital you make an impression to survive that first cut.

A potential employer isn’t interested in clichés about you being a team player or great communicator at this stage. Those are just basic things everyone in the world of work is expected to have, so if you’re listing those, you may as well list other non-factors such as ‘punctual’ or ‘hard-working.’

Your personality, ambition, and general cultural fit will be determined during the face-to-face or phone interview itself, so at this stage, it’s about making sure you’ve got the right role-specific buzzwords on your resume.

Keep anything else as brief as possible. Highlight the qualities that match what the employer is looking for and remember to cover soft skills sparingly. Using bullet points can be a good way to avoid the temptation of providing too much unnecessary information, but be wary of how you format this.

One of the most common mistakes I see is giving the same amount of prominence to a job with zero transferable skills.

Standing out can be difficult if the vacancy attracts a high caliber of the applicant, but starting your resume with your most relevant strengths will give you the best chance possible of making it to the next round.

Holly Leyva

ACRW-Certified Professional Resumé and Cover Letter Writer | Customer and Career Services Division Manager, Virtual Vocations

Many job seekers create a general resumé and send that out to every employer, but not only will this not score well on an ATS system, but it makes it difficult for the hiring manager to easily see why you’re a good fit for the job. I recently posted for a customer service position and received over 100 resumés.

Many had professional titles completely unrelated to the job I had posted, so I didn’t even give those a second look. They immediately went into the discard pile because it was not clear that they had applied to the job I had posted.

For best results, create a targeted professional headline on your resumé that reflects the position for which you are applying, and make sure your summary is targeted, as well.

Instead of talking about skills and tasks that everyone is going to have, show the employer what you have done and the impact you’ve made in your prior roles on your resumé.

This will prove what you can do and why you’re better than the other applicants. This should be done in both the summary section and in the professional experience section—and be sure to use metrics and data whenever possible!

For a professional, easy-to-scan resumé, use plenty of white space and limit your sections of text to two or three lines maximum. Long, dense sections of text are too hard to read, making it difficult for employers to easily see your value.

Look through the job description and pull out specific keywords and skills that employer has mentioned, and incorporate these keywords into your resumé. Be sure to use them in context, rather than just in a list of skills, however, so the employer can see what you’ve accomplished and how you’ve made an impact using the skills they require.

Sean Sessel

Director, The Oculus Institute

In today’s age, far too many people submit resumes that are 2, 3, or even 4 or more pages long. Not only does nobody want to wade through that, but it demonstrates an inability to be concise.

Instead, show your ability to extract the core important information by keeping only things that are relevant and limiting your resume to one page.

Nowadays, many resumes are scanned for keywords and key phrases by computers before an actual human being ever sees them. That’s why I have my clients include a section called “ Proficiencies ” that includes languages, software, certifications, and any defined skill set that would come up as a keyword or key phrase.

Related: How to Include Language Skills (Proficiencies) on Your Resume

Resumes can be extremely dry, so it’s a good idea to humanize yourself by including a one-line section at the end called “Hobbies” where you share some of your interests.

When your resume actually does get to a human being, this section will allow them to relate to you and imagine themselves working with you, which is what really matters at the end of the day.

Debbie Winkelbauer

CEO, SurfSearch

You won’t stand a chance if your resume is never seen! We get hundreds of resumes sent to us every week and most are loaded directly into our applicant tracking system .

Resumes that have text boxes, photos, side columns, and fancy fonts don’t always load into the applicant tracking system correctly.

I imagine that is true with company websites as well. We do not have the time to contact these candidates about this so candidates might not realize their resume was never considered because it did not get into the system.

Eli Howayeck

Career Coach | Founder and CEO, Crafted Career Concepts

Avoid the fluffy paragraph or key word stuffing at the top of your resume. Use a headline instead that is short and concise. The rule of 3’s applies. What three themes do you want the reader to take away from your headline?

Resume readers read rapidly. Don’t annoy the reader (and the decider of your destiny) by making them search for the things they need to know. Chronological is best, name at the top, education towards the end (unless you’ve recently graduated).

Find someone well respected within the organization to pass your resume along internally. If your resume gets passed to the hiring manager (or HR) from multiple sources, it’s more likely to make an impact.

Jeri Walker

Career and Job Search Strategist | Founder, Your Best Designed Career  

Outside of using simplified formatting and keywords to get your resume past the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), one of the most important components in getting your resume noticed is including measurable achievements on the top fold of your resume.

Because when a hiring manager is looking for their ideal candidate, they want to know what problems you can solve and how you can make their lives easier.

What results can you deliver? How have you impacted the bottom line of your past employers? Hiring managers know that if you have driven results in the past, then you will do the same for them.

Achievements can be difficult for people to come up with because they feel like they are bragging about themselves and they’re not comfortable with it, but it’s really important for your reader to know how you can solve problems.

And achievements can be measured in many ways, it’s not just about increasing sales. It can be how you’ve decreased costs, increased efficiencies, improved processes, surpassed deadlines or saved a client account.

Get creative and put some thought into the various achievements you have made that are relevant to this position and list 3 or 4 of them in bullet form at the top of your resume.

Also, once you’ve come up with the most important achievements and have placed them at the top of your resume, you should sprinkle all the rest of them throughout your job experience section as well. Seeing achievements on a resume is much more compelling and meaningful than just bullet points of your job duties.

Always remember, it’s about that hiring manager and what they need so be sure to demonstrate how you will help them on your resume so that you will be their ideal candidate.

James Burroughes

Managing Consultant, Traverse Success Coaching

Cutting and pasting your job description or a list of responsibilities only tells the hiring manager that you can recite what you should be doing and could apply to anyone doing that job. Not how well you did it.

Your CV must be different. It needs to demonstrate specific instances and examples of accomplishments that show the difference you have made in your work and therefore the likely difference you will make in a new role.

With a little thought, you find most achievements can be boiled down to a number in some form. These could be reducing the time taken for a task, cutting costs, or driving sales. Make sure they show a black and white result that can’t be refuted. Managers love this.

Too many resumes have jargon, abbreviations, and company-specific language which means nothing to a reader outside your business. If someone you know can’t understand what your Golden Gift Award is, or your PDB increase by 12% is, it’s too “ jargony “. This will mean you stand out for the wrong reasons. Keep it simple and explain things accordingly.

Frank Grossman

Founder, Resumes That Shine

Resumes are scanned with automated systems called ATS systems that cannot digest functional resumes. If your resume does reach a hiring manager, you still will not be considered because managers feel you are hiding something when you use a functional resume.

Most resumes people send me list job titles and the job candidate’s job description. Hiring managers either know your job description or they can look it up online. They cannot look up your accomplishments in the job.

Employers may require a college degree to consider you, for example, even if you have experience. Your major may not matter.

One of my job candidates at an employment program was denied an interview because her resume did not list her college degree, even though the employer knew her!

Additional resume tips I give job candidates that want to stand out include:

• Do not show your street address and zip code on your resume. We are naturally curious and will look up the address to see where you live. Then, we may make incorrect assumptions about your salary needs, ethnicity, criminal past, etc.
• Use a personal brand statement instead of the words “profile” or “summary” under your contact information so employers know what folder to put your resume in right away.
• Add a summary under the branding statement  including a sentence about your job title and industry, a few hard skill highlights and two or three accomplishment highlights.
• Include a core competency matrix of 9, 12, or 15 hard skills in three columns to help ATS systems find your resume.

HR Manager, Tree AMS

When it comes to resumes, HR professionals often have endless piles to go through. Thus, knowing how to make your resume stand out from the rest is key.

Of course, it shouldn’t come off as tacky; instead, you can use professional colors such as blue or maroon. Seeing your resume stick out from the corner might capture the attention of the employer. This demonstrates your wit and that you have put some thought into your resume.

For example, if you’re going for a graphic designer role, you should definitely showcase your design skills by personalizing your resume design. Alternatively, you can also pick a professional theme that suits your industry.

Refer to the job description and state relevant skills and experiences in your resume accordingly. This indicates to the employer that you’ve meticulously reviewed what’s expected of you.

Steph Cartwright

Certified Professional Resume Writer, Off The Clock Resumes, LLC

How you look and apply for jobs matters. A graphic resume with flashy colors, charts, icons, and other graphic elements will certainly stand out when networking and physically handing your resume to a hiring manager; however, these resumes won’t get through employer software if you’re applying for jobs online.

If you’re targeting your resume to demonstrate the skills listed on the job posting in action throughout your work history and using bullet lists to draw attention to major contributions toward organizational goals, your resume will get through the Applicant Tracking software and stand out the right way when seen by a decision-maker.

Joe Flanagan

Senior Career Advisor, MintResume

If you’re in a creative career, such as graphic design or video production, your resume can be much more creative and unique than someone applying for a job in accounting.

Research the prospective employer’s website to see just how out of the box they’re comfortable with. Using that as a guideline, get creative with color, image, layout or verbiage that’s in keeping with the potential employer’s style and approach.

Resumes for jobs in the arts or creative work can differentiate you by using approaches that are much more out of the box.

Talent Acquisition Manager, PrimePay

You want to make sure you’re not providing too much or not enough information – a good balance is key! I also really enjoy when candidates list out their specific achievements/accomplishments in each role, to really showcase what they’re most proud of themselves for!

I recruit mostly sales representatives, and really enjoy reading when candidates exceed quota, win awards/trips, or place at the top of their teams!

Erin Murphree

You can make your resume stand out in different ways- positively or negatively. When it comes to standing out in a positive manner, take these tips into account!

• Provide complete basic information such as your contact information, education, and work experience. If you just graduated from school, list the projects you did while in school. Were you a part of any clubs on campus? What type of leadership roles have you held?
• Tailor your resume towards the job you are applying to.
• Begin each bullet point with power verbs like initiated, improved, demonstrated, etc.
• Add quantitative results especially when it comes to a metrics-driven position.
• Highlight awards, accomplishments and recognition.
• Utilize keywords that are relevant to the job opportunity and company.
• Make sure all information is accurate and matches your LinkedIn information.
• Be concise and use bullet points.

Jason Patel

Founder, Transizion

Think of aesthetics and readability first. Why? Hiring managers, small business owners, and department heads don’t have time to waste, which is why they’ll initially review resumes for seven to nine seconds.

If your resume doesn’t pass this quick test, it’ll be discarded. The best way to pass this test, or, at least, not fail quickly,

Specifically, keep your bullet points aligned, keep your grammar and formatting even, and make sure your spacing is neat.

To do this, break up your resume into discernible sections so that you can review it for mistakes and the hiring manager likes its aesthetic. A neat and clean resume signifies the applicant is someone who takes the time to clean up her work and pays attention to detail .

CEO & Founder, UpKeep | Awardee, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Manufacturing

Almost every hiring manager knows hiring is tough. With hundreds of applicants and resumes, it’s no longer simply about having the skills and background listed in a job description, but being able to stand out from the crowd.

Hiring managers read hundreds of resumes a day. At the end of the day, the longer a resume is, the better, right? Wrong! You can read a job description and know exactly what our hiring managers are looking for by looking at the required skills.

If you have experience with any of the skills or requirements listed in the job description, don’t be afraid to add the company’s language to your resume directly.

This highlights your resume to show companies that you’ve got the skills and experience for what they might be looking for and that you’ve read the job description thoroughly!

If you don’t have the skills, requirements, and experience yet, don’t hide it. Share with your potential employer as to why now is the time to learn? How have your past experiences prepared you to take on this new challenge?

Related: How to Get an Entry Level Job with No Qualifications or Experience

Business Development Consultant, My Trading Skills

Don’t overdo it, and make sure that these terms are well-distributed throughout the resume and fit naturally into sentences.

Use the most modern, appropriate, appealing and most preferred resume format for your industry.

This entails demonstrating the specific set of skills and knowledge that will help you succeed in the role if hired.

Have a header below your name and contact information that succinctly captures who you are bearing in mind the position you are applying for.

Bottom Line: To ensure that your resume stands out, have a succinct and definitive header, use the most appropriate resume format, make the resume specific to the role you are applying for, and use industry keywords naturally throughout the resume.

Nate Masterson

CMO, Maple Holistics

You want your resume to physically stand out from the rest of the applications that hiring managers are sifting through. That being said, you want to ensure that it displays your professionalism.

Your layout is as much as part of your ‘brand’ as the actual information on your resume.

Employ different sized fonts to help titles and relevant roles catch the eye and use paragraphs to your advantage to make things clear.

One of the biggest mistakes that potential applicants make when applying for multiple jobs, is sending the same resume to each application.

Make sure that you tailor your resume for the specific position that you’re applying to.

There will be nuanced differences in roles and an easy way to recognize this is by using keywords from the original job posting in your resume. While all the jobs you’re applying for might be the same, companies look for different things to ensure that you’ve acknowledged this in your resume to help you stand out.

Garrett Mynatt, M.A.

Professional Photographer

Including a quality headshot will do a couple of things that not only help you stand out but also reinforce you are the right person for the job.

You want to have a headshot that you are proud of and one that represents you authentically within your field, so an outdoor guide on white background may not be authentic to them, much like an accountant’s headshot probably doesn’t need to be on top of a mountain.

By including a headshot it shows you are in fact a real person but more important than that it represents you as the confident expert you are, which creates a connection with the person on the other side. You have now gone from being another number in the pile to a familiar face.

As an added bonus, create consistency by using the same headshot across all public platforms, the more consistent you are the more trust is formed, and don’t we all want to work with someone like that?

Should I Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

A professional resume writer can be a good option if you’re struggling to create a resume that effectively showcases your skills and qualifications. Here are a few things to consider if you decide to hire a professional resume writer:

• A professional resume writer can help you create a resume tailored to your specific industry and career goals. • A professional resume writer can provide valuable feedback and advice on your resume’s content, format, and design. • A professional resume writer can save you time and help you avoid common mistakes that could hurt your chances of getting an interview.

However, using a professional writer can be expensive, and you must do your research to find a reputable and qualified professional.

Should I Include a List of References on My Resume?

It’s not necessary to include a list of references on your resume, but it’s a good idea to have a list ready in case you’re asked for it during the interview. Here are some tips for creating a strong list of references:

• Choose people who know your work well and can speak about your skills and qualifications. • Ensure you have their current contact information, phone number, and email address. • Let your references know that you’re applying for jobs, and give them a copy of your resume and a description of the jobs you’re applying for. • Thank your references for their time, and keep them updated on your job search.

Should I Include My GPA on My Resume?

Including your grade point average on your resume is usually only necessary if you are a recent college graduate or your GPA is particularly high (over 3.5). However, if your GPA is below 3.0, it may be better to leave it off your resume.

Here are some tips on how to decide if you should include your GPA on your resume:

• If you’re a recent graduate, including your grade point average can show your academic achievements and potential. • If you already have work experience in your field, your work experience may be more important than your GPA, and you may not need to include it. • Suppose you don’t have a strong GPA. In that case, it may be best to omit it and focus on other areas of your experience and qualifications.

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How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

• 08 Aug 2019

At 3.7 percent, the US unemployment rate is lower than it’s been in 50 years, giving those looking for work an advantage. But competition is always fierce for the most coveted roles at the hottest organizations. Before you submit your application, here are eight tips to help ensure your resume will get noticed.

1. Your Online Profile May Matter Most

If you play your cards right, recruiters will come to you. To make that happen, almost more important than a resume is a solid LinkedIn or online profile. Be sure your profile (and resume) tell a story about what you’ve done in your career, why you’ve done it, and the results you achieved. Use clear and simple language, and carefully sprinkle in keywords that are important for the role you desire and field you’re pursuing.

2. Use Keywords and Optimize Your Profile for Search

We live in a Google-centric world, and machines do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to screening applicants. According to CNBC , 75 percent of resumes are never reviewed by a human. To guarantee that yours is part of the other 25 percent, you should ensure that:

• Recruiters who are sourcing candidates on job boards find you
• Your resume makes it through the machine filtering software the majority of companies use to track applicants

Optimize your LinkedIn and online profiles for job sites like Indeed and Glassdoor, and bolster your resume using keywords commonly used in your field. Buzzwords, specific applications you use, and certifications you’ve earned can all help you rise to the top.

3. Show Your Creativity

You absolutely need to have a text-only version of your resume for uploading to company sites, but since most jobs come through networking , your actual resume and profile should show off your personality. Be sure that the PDF version you send to a personal contact within a company or bring to an interview is visually appealing.

Make yours stand out by using a modern (but not too funky) font, layout, color palette, and punchy copy. A unique twist or fresh look and feel on your resume could be what catches the hiring manager’s eye.

4. Action Speaks Louder than Words

Strong job candidates show, rather than just tell. Delivering a clear story about what you did in your previous roles is a start, but it’s more important to share the results of your actions and prove the impact you had on a project or at a company. Whenever possible, demonstrate your success with numbers that show efficiency, money saved or secured for a business, or goals exceeded.

For some jobs—like software developer, content developer, or social media expert—showing your proficiency may be critical to capturing a recruiter’s attention. You can tease your results on your resume, but actually directing readers to your personal website, social media channels, or developer proficiency site, like GitHub, can really bring your capabilities to life.

5. Tailor for the Job

It’s great to have a summary at the top of your resume that captures what you’re seeking in your next role, along with your core competencies and achievements. Equally important is tailoring your profile for each job. If you’re in the communications field, for example, you might play up your PR experience when it’s specifically called out in the position’s requirements. But if the title is Social Media Manager, Content Creator, or Internal Communications Specialist, the emphasis needs to be on the skills for those particular roles.

Related: How to Land Your Dream Job in 9 Steps

6. Less is More

In today’s tight talent market, HR professionals are short on time. A survey by Ladders says that most recruiters spend less than six seconds reviewing a resume. For that reason, keep your resume short. Limit it to one page if you have less than 10 years of professional work experience, and use succinct bullet points to make it easy to skim.

7. No Typos Allowed

Typos or grammatical errors on your resume can land it in the trash. A sloppy resume can potentially signal that you’re not serious about the role, or simply not buttoned-up and professional. When you’ve stared at your document a million times, however, it can be hard to spot errors. That’s why you should always have someone else proofread your work. Fresh eyes can zero in on mistakes more easily, so ask your most detail-oriented friend to be your editor.

8. Focus on Qualities and Skills

For many jobs, distinguishing qualities like teamwork, attention to detail, and ability to juggle multiple priorities are often considered more important than where you went to school or your GPA. Highlighting those competencies and how you learned and demonstrated them through summer jobs, community service, extracurricular activities , or even group projects at school matters. It doesn’t necessarily require years of professional experience to develop the skills required for certain roles.

Related: Tips for Transitioning from College to Your Career

Achieving Job Search Success

When you’re looking for work, keep in mind that there are many qualified candidates vying for the same job. Like a competitive sport, you need to bring you’re “A game” to your resume and make sure you’re primed for success.

Are you interested in advancing your career? Explore our catalog of online courses , and learn how you can gain the confidence and skills to succeed in business. And be sure to check out our other career development content , such as “ 6 Tips to Prepare for Your Next Salary Negotiation ” and “ How to Properly Follow Up After a Job Interview .”

About the Author

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out (with Examples)

In today’s competitive job market, first impressions are everything — and oftentimes, your resume is the first thing a potential employer sees. Find out how to stand out from the crowd here!

In today’s competitive job market, first impressions are everything, and your resume is usually the first thing a potential employer sees. If you want to secure an interview, it’s essential to make your resume stand out from the rest and ensure that it doesn’t get lost in the applicant tracking system (ATS). In this comprehensive guide, we’ve rounded up all the tips you need to make your resume stand out, complete with examples to help you refine your resume and set yourself apart as a desirable candidate.

How to Make a Stand-Out Resume in 2023

You only have about seven seconds to catch the attention of potential employers when they look at your resume. This means your resume needs to be spot-on if you hope to get an interview. Here are some quick tips for making a stand-out resume:

• Keep it concise and targeted to the job for which you’re applying
• Use action verbs to start each bullet point in your work experience section
• Highlight your accomplishments and use numbers to describe them
• Use bullet points instead of paragraphs for better readability
• Choose a clean and professional font, and use bold and italic formatting to draw attention to key information
• Include relevant keywords from the job description to help your resume pass through ATS software
• Add a personal touch that showcases your unique skills and experiences
• Use white space effectively to create a visually appealing and easy-to-read layout
• Proofread and edit your resume thoroughly to eliminate any typos or errors
• Use a resume template to save time and ensure a polished look

Read on for specific steps to create a resume that’s dressed to impress and gets your foot in the door for an interview.

Step 1 in Making Your Resume Stand-Out: Create a Perfect Resume Header

The resume header is the first section that appears at the top of your resume, and it provides the reader with key information about you as a job candidate. Here’s what to include:

• Any relevant academic and industry credentials, like CPA or RN
• Your professional title, such as "WordPress Developer"
• Your city and state (they don’t need your full address); if you are relocating to a new city, put the new city on your resume
• Your phone number, preferably a mobile number where you can receive texts
• Your email address, making sure that it’s professional and easy to read
• Links to your portfolio and LinkedIn profile

The resume header is important because it immediately tells the reader who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. By including your job or professional title, you let the reader know what kind of role you’re applying for, where you are located, and how to contact you for an interview.

In addition, formatting your resume correctly is vital to ensuring ATS systems can read it. You should not, for instance, put your resume header into an actual header of a document created in Microsoft Word. By using a VisualCV template, you’ll ensure your resume is not only formatted for ATS software, but also catches recruiters’ eyes with an easy-to-read, visually appealing design.

Example of Resume Header That Won’t Stand Out

John Smith Phone: 555-555-1234 Email: [email protected]

This header is basic and lacks any additional details or context.

Jane Doe Unemployed Email: [email protected]

This header includes irrelevant information about the job seeker’s employment status and uses an unprofessional email address.

Robert Brown Experienced Business Professional with a Proven Track Record of Success

This header is too long, too generic, and too difficult to read. It also lacks contact information.

Ashley Kim Developer San Francisco Bay Area

This header fails to state what type of developer and lacks contact information.

Example of a Resume Header that Stands Out

Jane Smith UX Designer | Creative Strategist New York City 555-555-1234 [email protected]

This header includes the job seeker’s professional title and a brief summary of their skills and experience, along with location and contact information.

John Doe Web Developer | JavaScript | React | Node Portland, OR [email protected]

This header includes the job seeker’s professional title and relevant technical skills.

Roberta Brown Copywriter | Branding | Social Media | SEO Chicago, IL 555-555-5678 [email protected] Portfolio | LinkedIn

This header includes the job seeker’s professional title and specific skills related to marketing, plus links to her portfolio and LinkedIn.

David Kim Senior Software Engineer | Java | Spring | AWS San Francisco Bay Area [email protected]

This header includes the job seeker’s seniority level and specific technical skills.

Mark Lee Accounting Manager | CPA | GAAP | Financial Analysis Los Angeles, CA 555-555-7890 [email protected]

This header includes the job seeker's professional title, relevant certifications, and technical skills.

Step 2 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Write a Perfect Resume Summary

A resume summary, aka career profile or career snapshot, highlights your experience and skills. It’s arguably the most important part of your resume, given its prominent placement at the top and the limited time you have to grab a recruiter’s attention.

The resume summary serves as a personal branding statement that highlights not only your qualifications and skills but also the unique value you bring to the table. Keep it short and intriguing, and follow it with bullet points of notable accomplishments that are relevant to the job you want. If it’s intriguing enough, potential employers will want to read on and learn more — and, hopefully, schedule an interview with you.

Example of a Resume Summary That Won’t Stand Out

• Hardworking individual seeking a challenging position in the field of marketing.
• A creative professional with expertise in marketing strategy development.
• Detail-oriented marketing professional with strong project management skills.
• Self-motivated marketing expert with a passion for delivering high-quality results.
• Experienced marketer with a proven track record of successful campaign management.

Example of a Resume Summary that Stands Out

The resume summary is the elevator pitch for your career. It’s a brief introduction of your skills, experiences, and what you can bring to the table. A perfect resume summary should be concise, clear, and showcase your unique value proposition, like these:

• Innovative and results-driven marketing manager with 8+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams, implementing effective branding strategies, and increasing revenue by 25%. Proficient in digital marketing, social media, and market research. Recognized for exceptional project management skills and a track record of delivering successful campaigns.
• Award-winning marketing manager with a proven track record of driving growth through successful campaigns. Results-oriented marketing professional with extensive experience in brand development, market research, digital marketing, social media, and content creation.
• Creative and strategic marketing leader with a passion for delivering high-quality results. Accomplished marketing executive with a track record of delivering innovative and impactful marketing strategies.

Step 3 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Quantifiable Achievements in Work Experience

Adding quantifiable achievements to your work experience section helps to showcase your impact on the organization. Think of it not as a list of tasks you completed or responsibilities you held, but rather as a summary of the results you delivered.

Example of Resume Work Experience That Won’t Stand Out

Marketing Manager XYZ Company May 2018 - Present

• Managed marketing campaigns
• Created social media content
• Conducted market research

Example of Resume Work Experience that Stands Out

Notice the difference it makes when you quantify your experience with real results and communicate you are a results-driven professional:

• Increased organic website traffic by 45% by implementing SEO strategies and optimizing content
• Generated $2.5M in revenue by launching new product lines and executing targeted email marketing campaigns
• Led market research projects that resulted in identifying new customer segments and increasing market share by 20%

Step 4 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Add Awards and Recognitions

Adding awards and recognitions is an effective way to demonstrate your excellence in your field and distinguish you from other candidates.

Example of Awards and Recognitions That Won’t Stand Out

• Employee of the month
• Completed an online course on marketing
• Perfect attendance award
• Completion of routine company training
• Participation in a team-building exercise
• Member of a company committee or club
• Attendance at a professional development seminar
• Completion of a mandatory training module
• Membership in a professional organization without active participation
• Participation in a company-sponsored event or charity fundraiser

Example of Awards and Recognitions that Stand Out

• Recipient of the “Best Marketing Campaign” Award at the 2021 American Advertising Awards
• Winner of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Award in Technology
• Received the President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and Innovation
• Winner of the “Innovator of the Year” award at the Annual Industry Conference
• Named “Salesperson of the Year” for exceeding sales targets by 40%
• Recognized with the “Customer Service Excellence” award for consistently high customer satisfaction ratings
• Received the “Rising Star” award for outstanding performance and potential
• Winner of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for successful business ventures
• Recipient of the “Excellence in Research” award for outstanding contributions to the field
• Winner of the “Best New Product” award at the International Product Expo

Step 5 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Select the Right Template

The right resume template can make your resume visually appealing. A professional and clean template can make a positive impression on the recruiter. On the flip side, a cluttered and unprofessional template with different fonts and colors will not pass through ATS systems properly, nor will it get the attention of anyone manually reviewing it.

Example of Resume Template that Won’t Stand Out

• Overly simplistic or plain designs with minimal formatting
• Outdated or old-fashioned templates
• Templates with overly decorative elements that distract from the content
• Generic templates that lack personality or creativity
• Templates with poor color choices or mismatched fonts and sizes
• Templates with poor spacing or alignment that make the content difficult to read

Example of Resume Template that Stands Out

A clean and professional template with a modern design and the correct fonts, font sizes, and styles will help to set your resume apart. VisualCV offers a wide range of templates that can help you highlight your achievements and experiences with a unique aesthetic, including:

• Clean and modern templates with sleek designs
• Customizable templates that allow for personal branding
• Templates with unique formatting or layouts that showcase creativity
• Templates with bold or eye-catching color choices that are still professional
• Templates with clear and consistent typography and spacing for easy readability
• Templates with graphics or icons that complement the content and enhance the visual appeal

For a wide range of visually appealing resume templates, check out VisualCV’s template library . Some of our favorites include:

• Arya : A modern template that’s colorful yet elegant
• Baker : A clearly organized, two-column template that gives your resume personality
• Gallant : An eye-catching template with bold coloring and sleek lines

Step 6 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Tailor Your Resume

Tailoring your resume to the job you’re applying for is a critical step in making it stand out from the pile and letting employers know you’re a great fit for the role.

Example of Generic Resume that Won’t Stand Out

Objective : Seeking a job in marketing

Experience : Marketing Intern, ABC Company Sales Associate, XYZ Corporation

Skills : Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite Excellent written and verbal communication skills Detail-oriented

Example of Tailored Resume that Stands Out

This tailored resume for a marketing manager role speaks directly to the role with quantifiable results from past efforts:

Experienced marketing professional with a track record of driving successful campaigns and increasing revenue seeking a challenging marketing manager role in the fashion industry.

Experience : Marketing Manager, Fashion Company A Digital Marketing Specialist, Fashion Company B

• Achieved a 30% increase in sales by developing and executing successful marketing campaigns
• Increased ROI by extracting key data from Google Analytics that led to actionable insights
• Led successful project management and team leadership initiatives, resulting in timely project completion and increased team productivity

Step 7 in Making Your Resume Stand Out: Format Your Resume

Formatting your resume is crucial in catching the hiring manager’s attention. A poorly formatted resume can make it difficult for the reader to navigate and quickly assess your qualifications. On the other hand, a well-formatted resume can make a great first impression and increase your chances of landing an interview.

Example of Poorly Formatted resume that Won’t Stand Out

• Cluttered with too much text and information
• Lacks clear headings and sections
• Uses inconsistent fonts, sizes, and styles
• No white space, making it difficult to read

Example of Well-Formatted Resume that Stands Out

• Utilizes a clean and modern design
• Includes clear headings and sections
• Uses consistent fonts, sizes, and styles throughout
• Incorporates white space for easy readability
• Showcases important information such as skills and accomplishments with bullet points and bolding

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out with No Work Experience?

If you lack work experience, highlight any relevant coursework or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your skills and interests. Include any volunteer work, internships, or part-time jobs that you have held, and explain how they have prepared you for the role you are applying for. You can also showcase any relevant skills, such as proficiency in a particular software or language.

How to Make Your Senior Resume Stand Out

Making a senior resume stand out involves highlighting leadership skills, extensive experience, and achievements. Showcase unique qualities that set you apart from other candidates, such as successful team management, innovative problem-solving, and a track record of driving revenue growth. Using a clear and concise format and focusing on measurable results can also make your senior resume stand out.

How to Make a Standout Resume with No Achievements

If you don’t have any achievements to showcase, focus on highlighting your skills and experiences. Consider highlighting any relevant volunteer work, coursework, or internships. Use action-oriented language to describe your duties and responsibilities in a way that shows your potential value to a potential employer.

Creating a standout resume requires careful attention to detail and a focus on highlighting your unique skills and experiences. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a resume that showcases your skills and accomplishments in a compelling way. Remember to tailor your resume to the job description, use strong action verbs and metrics to demonstrate results, and choose a professional and well-formatted template.

With VisualCV’s range of templates, you can create a job-ready resume that will impress employers and help you get an interview. Start creating your standout resume today with our easy-to-use resume templates, and take the first step toward landing your dream job.

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20 Top Resume Tips for Making Your Resume Stand Out in 2024

In today’s competitive job market, a well-crafted resume can make all the difference. Your resume is your first impression to potential employers, and it’s crucial to make it stand out from the rest. With technology evolving and resume screening systems becoming increasingly popular, it’s more important than ever to have a resume that catches the attention of both human recruiters and automated systems.

This article presents 20 top resume tips to help you create an outstanding resume that will set you apart from the competition. The tips provided in this article are based on years of experience from subject matter experts in the field of recruiting and hiring.

The tips are organized into several categories:

• Formatting your resume
• Crafting your content
• Showcasing your achievements
• Leveraging LinkedIn to support your resume
• Avoiding common resume mistakes

Each section provides practical and actionable advice to help you achieve your goal of capturing hiring managers’ attention and landing your dream job.

The following sections will provide more detail on each of the 20 tips and provide real-world examples of how to put these best practices into action. By the end of this article, you will have the tools and knowledge necessary to create an impressive resume that showcases your skills, successes, and potential.

Customize Your Resume for Each Job

When it comes to job applications, one size does not fit all. It’s essential to tailor your resume to the specific job posting you’re applying for. Not only does it show potential employers that you took the time to research their company and requirements, but it can also help your resume stand out.

To customize your resume effectively, start by studying the job posting carefully. Look for keywords and phrases that the employer emphasizes, such as specific skills, qualifications, and experiences. Incorporate these keywords into your resume, so that it matches the posting as closely as possible.

Don’t make the mistake of blindly copying and pasting the job description into your resume. Instead, use it as a guide to highlight your relevant skills and experiences. If you don’t have a particular skill or experience mentioned in the job posting, don’t add it to your resume just to match the posting. This can look dishonest, and you may end up in a job that doesn’t suit your actual qualifications.

When highlighting your skills and experiences, ensure that they align with the job description. For example, if the job posting emphasizes teamwork skills, use concrete examples from your past experiences to demonstrate how you have successfully worked in a team.

Customizing your resume for each job posting can make a significant difference in catching the attention of potential employers. By tailoring your resume to match the requirements and utilizing relevant keywords, you demonstrate that you are an ideal fit for the job. Remember to focus on showcasing the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position, and always be truthful about your qualifications.

Use a Professional and Clean Design

When it comes to designing your resume, the overall look of your document can actually play a big role in catching the attention of potential employers. To ensure your resume looks professional and clean, follow these tips:

• Choose an appropriate font and font size: It’s best to stick with a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri, and keep the size between 10 and 12 points. Avoid using overly stylized or decorative fonts, as this can be distracting and difficult to read.
• Use consistent formatting: Consistency is key when it comes to formatting your resume. Be sure to use the same font, font size, and formatting style throughout your entire document. This will help your resume look polished and professional.
• Use bullet points to present information: Bullet points are a great way to present information clearly and concisely. They allow you to highlight your skills, accomplishments, and experience in an easy-to-read format. Just be sure to use bullet points sparingly, and avoid using too many symbols or fancy formatting.

By following these design tips, you can create a professional and clean-looking resume that will help you stand out from the crowd. Remember, a well-designed resume can be just as important as the content itself, so take the time to make sure your document looks its best.

Start with a Strong Objective Statement or Summary

A strong objective statement or summary is a crucial part of crafting a standout resume. It’s a brief paragraph that appears at the top of your document and serves as an introduction to who you are as a professional.

Explain your goals and objectives

Your objective statement or summary should clearly outline what you want to achieve in your career. This could relate to the position you’re applying for, or your long-term career aspirations. By doing so, you demonstrate to potential employers that you are serious about your goals and committed to your profession.

Demonstrate your value proposition

Your objective statement or summary is also an excellent opportunity to showcase your value proposition to potential employers. This is where you can highlight your unique skills and experiences that make you the ideal candidate for the job. Use this section to explain what you can bring to the table and how you stand out from the crowd.

Summarize your experience and achievements

Lastly, your objective statement or summary should summarize your experience and achievements. Use this section to highlight why you are the best candidate for the job, and how you have achieved success in your previous roles. Be sure to include any relevant achievements or accomplishments that demonstrate your expertise in your field.

A strong objective statement or summary is critical to making your resume stand out. It should explain your goals and objectives, demonstrate your value proposition, and summarize your experience and achievements. With these elements in place, you can create a powerful introduction to your professional abilities and set the tone for the rest of your resume.

Highlight Your Achievements and Results

When it comes to crafting a winning resume, simply listing your job responsibilities or tasks is not enough. What truly sets you apart from other candidates is your ability to deliver results and achieve success in your role. Here are some key tips for highlighting your achievements and results in your resume:

Use Quantifiable Metrics

Employers want to see concrete evidence of your success, and the best way to provide that is with specific numbers and metrics. For example, instead of saying “increased sales,” you could say “increased sales by 25% in Q4 2020.” Other examples of quantifiable metrics include:

• Reduced costs by X%
• Improving customer satisfaction ratings by X points
• Generated X number of leads or conversions

By using quantifiable metrics, you demonstrate that you understand the importance of tracking results and are able to deliver measurable outcomes.

Use Action Verbs

To make your achievements stand out, use action verbs that show you took initiative in achieving those results. Some examples include:

• Implemented
• Spearheaded

Using strong action verbs shows that you are a proactive and results-oriented employee who takes ownership of your work.

Use Specific Examples

When highlighting your achievements and results, be specific and provide detailed examples. Avoid generic statements or buzzwords that could apply to anyone. A strong example might be:

“Developed and implemented a new marketing campaign that resulted in a 50% increase in website traffic and a 20% increase in lead generation within the first month.”

This statement is specific, quantifiable, and demonstrates both initiative and measurable results. Another example might be:

“Led a team of 10 professionals in developing and launching a new product line, resulting in over $1 million in revenue in the first quarter.”

Again, this statement shows specific results, strong leadership skills, and quantifiable metrics.

Make sure to showcase your accomplishments and measurable results using quantifiable metrics, strong action verbs, and specific examples. By emphasizing your success, you will stand out as a candidate who can deliver real value to potential employers.

Include Relevant Education and Certifications

A successful resume highlights both academic qualifications and relevant certifications. Hiring managers often use these indicators to determine whether a candidate has the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the role. Below are tips on how to showcase your educational background and certifications in your resume:

List your academic qualifications

Start by creating a section on your resume to list your academic qualifications. This may include your degree(s), major(s), minor(s), honors, and any relevant coursework. If you are a recent graduate or have limited work experience, your education section may appear higher up on your resume.

For example, your education section may look like this:

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, XYZ University, May 2020
• Relevant coursework: Research Methods, Statistics, Social Psychology

Highlight relevant certifications

In addition to your academic qualifications, highlighting relevant certifications can demonstrate to the hiring manager that you have sought out additional training and have specific skills related to the job. Certifications can be listed either within your Education section or in a separate section devoted to Certifications and Professional Development.

For example, a marketing manager may include the following certifications:

Certifications

• Google Ads Certified
• HubSpot Inbound Certified
• Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certified

Provide details about any relevant training

It’s also important to provide details about any relevant training you have received, even if it didn’t result in a formal certification. Details about training can be included in bullet points within your work experience section or in a separate section devoted to Professional Development.

For example, a software engineer may include the following training details:

Professional Development

• Developed expertise in Java programming language
• Worked on various projects with a team of developers, using Agile methodology
• Learned advanced SQL querying techniques
• Gained familiarity with database administration tasks

Including relevant education and certifications in your resume is crucial for demonstrating your qualifications and setting yourself apart from other candidates. By highlighting your academic background, certifications, and professional development, you can provide valuable information to hiring managers and increase your chances of landing an interview.

Emphasize Your Skills

When it comes to crafting a standout resume, highlighting your skills is crucial. This section should include both hard and soft skills and provide specific examples of each. To make your skills section relevant to the job, carefully review the job description and tailor your skills to fit their requirements.

Hard Skills

Hard skills refer to specific technical abilities that you have acquired through education, training, or experience. These skills are often job-specific and can be measured or quantified. Some examples of hard skills that you might include are:

Proficient in InDesign and Photoshop : As a graphic designer, I have extensive experience creating high-quality designs using InDesign and Photoshop. I am comfortable using these tools to create brochures, logos, and various other marketing materials.

Data Analysis : As a business analyst, I have a proven track record of using data analysis to understand business performance and inform strategic decision-making. I have experience with tools like Excel, Power BI, and Tableau.

Fluent in Spanish : As a customer service representative, I have experience working with Spanish-speaking clients. My fluency in Spanish has allowed me to communicate effectively and build strong relationships with these clients.

Soft Skills

Soft skills refer to personal qualities or attributes that relate to how you interact with others. These skills are often transferable and can be applied to a variety of jobs or industries. Some examples of soft skills that you might include are:

Problem-Solving : As a project manager, I have a demonstrated ability to identify issues and develop creative solutions to complex problems. For example, when our team encountered a major obstacle during a software project, I worked collaboratively with team members to identify a workaround that kept the project on track.

Communication : As a sales representative, I have developed excellent communication skills that allow me to effectively connect with prospects and clients. I can adapt my communication style to fit the needs of different audiences and have been recognized for my ability to generate high-quality leads through targeted messaging.

Teamwork : As an event coordinator, I have a proven track record of leading successful events by leveraging the strengths of each team member. For example, during a recent fundraising event, I assigned each team member a specific role that played to their strengths, resulting in a successful event that exceeded our fundraising goals.

By highlighting both your hard and soft skills and providing specific examples of each, you can demonstrate to potential employers that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in the job. Remember to tailor your skills section to the job description to make it as relevant as possible.

Show Your Personality

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make in their resumes is trying to sound robotic and impersonal. Your resume should showcase not only your professional experience, but also your unique personality. Here are some tips to inject your personality and interests into your resume:

Include interests and hobbies

Including your interests and hobbies on your resume gives hiring managers a glimpse into your personality and tells them what you enjoy doing outside of work. This can make you stand out from other applicants who only include their work experience. Don’t be afraid to show your quirky side – if you love bungee jumping or collecting vintage vinyl albums, include it!

Write in a conversational tone

Too often, resumes sound like they were written by a robot, with repetitive and dry language. Instead, try writing your resume as if you were having a conversation with the hiring manager. Use contractions, be less formal, and add a touch of humor if it fits your personality.

Use language that reflects your personality

If you’re a bubbly and outgoing person, use language that reflects that. If you’re more reserved and analytical, use language that showcases those traits. The idea is to let your personality shine through, so don’t be afraid to inject some of your authenticity into your resume.

Here’s an example of how you could include your personality and interests on your resume:

“Interests: In my free time, I can usually be found baking up a storm in my kitchen or hiking the local trails with my dog, Max. I’m also an avid reader, with a special interest in non-fiction books. My book club meets once a month to discuss the latest reads and exchange recommendations.”

By adding this section, you’ve given the hiring manager a better idea of who you are outside of work. Remember, your resume is not just a laundry list of your work experience – it’s an opportunity to showcase your unique qualities and make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Address Career Gaps or Problems

To make your resume stand out, it is essential to address any career gaps or problems effectively. Consider the following tips to explain these gaps in a positive light.

Provide an explanation for any gaps in your employment:  Do not leave any career gaps unexplained, as it can raise red flags for recruiters. Instead, provide a valid reason for each gap, such as higher education, raising a family, or a personal sabbatical. It shows that you were not just sitting idle during this period.

Explain any past problems or challenges:  Do not try to hide any past problems or challenges that you have faced in your career. Whether it was a difficult job or a health issue, it is best to divulge such information upfront rather than leaving it for the recruiters to discover later. It will earn you the recruiter’s trust and provide a glimpse of your character and values.

Show how you overcame these challenges:  Do not just explain your problems or challenges; showcase how you tackled them effectively. For instance, if you overcame a language barrier, explain how you took classes and practiced conversing with native speakers. If you had a long job hunt, mention any networking events and volunteering activities you participated in during that time. This demonstrates your resilience, adaptability, and the ability to learn from failures.

Addressing career gaps or problems shows that you take an honest and transparent approach towards your resume. It demonstrates your accountability, shows that you don’t shy away from challenges and motivates you to seek new opportunities to grow. With these tips, you can make your resume stand out from the rest and land your dream job.

Put Your Most Relevant Experience First

When it comes to putting together an effective resume, it’s crucial to include your most relevant experiences first. This will capture the recruiter’s attention and give them a quick glimpse of what you bring to the table. Follow these tips to make sure your most relevant experience stands out:

Include your most relevant and recent experience

Make sure to feature your most applicable experience, which will vary depending on the job you’re applying for. It’s okay to omit less relevant experience, especially if it’s not recent. Focus on the skills, knowledge, and accomplishments that align with the job opening.

Highlight your achievements in each previous role

When describing your prior roles, make sure to focus on your accomplishments, not just your responsibilities. Use specific examples to demonstrate how you contributed to a previous employer’s success. This will help recruiters see how you could potentially benefit their organization.

Emphasize your experiences that relate to the job

Make sure to emphasize experiences that are most relevant to the job you’re pursuing. If you’re applying for a data analysis position, for example, you’ll want to highlight any experiences you’ve had working with data sets, building models, or analyzing trends. By showcasing experiences that align with the job opening, you’ll increase your chances of landing an interview and ultimately, the job.

Putting your most relevant experience first can make a significant difference in how recruiters view your resume. Be sure to highlight your achievements, include recent experience, and emphasize experiences that relate to the job. By doing this, you’ll increase your chances of getting noticed and landing the job you’ve been dreaming of.

Proofread and Edit Your Resume Carefully

Your resume is the first impression you make on a potential employer, and it’s critical that it’s perfect. Even a minor spelling or grammatical error can be enough to make you lose out on the job you want. That’s why it’s important to proofread and edit your resume carefully before you submit it.

Here are some tips to help you ensure that your resume is perfect:

Check for any spelling or grammatical errors

One of the most important things you can do when proofreading your resume is to check for any spelling or grammatical errors. This includes checking for proper punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. To do this effectively, you should read your resume several times, starting from the beginning and working your way to the end.

Use a tool to help find errors

To make the proofreading process easier, you can use a grammar checking tool like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor. These tools help you identify errors in your writing, including grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and sentence structure issues.

Get a second opinion

Another way to ensure that your resume is perfect is to get a second opinion. This can be from a friend, family member, or even a professional. They can help you identify any areas where you may have missed something, and provide suggestions for improvement.

Proofreading and editing your resume is essential to making it stand out. By checking for spelling and grammatical errors, using tools to help find errors, and getting a second opinion, you can ensure that your resume is perfect and ready to impress potential employers.

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More from ResumeHead

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Preparing to apply for jobs within a particular industry requires you to review your qualifications and place them in an appealing resume format. By taking the time to revise your resume and implement tactics that can enhance its quality, your resume can stand out against industry competitors. In this article, you can learn why it is important to make your resume stand out, and eight methods you can apply to your resume’s format and content to give you the best chance at getting noticed by employers.

Why is it important to make your resume stand out?

It is important to make your resume stand out because you can potentially increase your chances of getting noticed by employers. With an increase of companies accepting online applications, hundreds of qualified individuals can discover a job opportunity and apply for a position. By using methods to enhance the quality of your resume, you can increase your chances of your resume being selected for review among hundreds of other applicants.

How to enhance your resume

Here are some ways to enhance the quality and appearance of your resume:

1. First, include a header

In order to help your resume stand out visually, consider centering your personal information at the top of the page. By centering your name and placing your contact information directly underneath it, your identity and contact details can be easily recovered by employers. Centering your header can also help your resume appear more aesthetically pleasing.

                                                                      Robert Smith

                                  555-555-5555  |     [email protected] |     Orlando, FL       

2. Second, limit the usage of fancy fonts and color schemes

You can enhance your resume by limiting the use of fonts and colors that could distract away from the content of your resume. Choose a font that is easy to read as employers reviewing your resume will most likely skim over its contents. If the font you use is hard to read, they might not give your resume and qualifications the attention it deserves.

Example:  Choose a font such as Times New Roman, Avenir, Calibri, Georgia, Helvetica or Corbel.

3. Third, include a customized objective statement

An objective statement is an optional component that can be included in your resume, but if used correctly, it can allow you to provide your reader with a brief statement about your professional qualifications. You should avoid ‘I’ language and choose the best adjectives and qualifying attributes to describe yourself in one to three sentences.

Example:  ‘Determined and hard-working individual with over five years of experience as a marketing professional seeking to join the new business team as an account manager .’

4. Fourth, tailor your objective statement to the company and position you are interested in

Another way you can use your objective statement is by tailoring it specifically to how you and your qualifications can help improve the company to which you are applying. By directly addressing the company, you can make a positive impression on employers and help increase your chances of gaining an interview opportunity.

Example:  ‘Determined and hard-working individual with over five years of experience as a marketing professional. Looking to apply knowledge of marketing principles and design programs to the brand efforts of Wilmington PR. ‘

5. Fifth, add power verbs

You can use power verbs to start each job duty or accomplishment that you list in your professional experience section. 

Examples of power verbs:

• Established
• Coordinated 
• Administered

Examples of professional experience: 

• ‘Organized onboarding procedures for new hires’
• ‘Coordinated between upper-management and accounting professionals to implement effective work habits’
• ‘Established project criteria for team of marketing professionals’
• ‘Generated new clientele through external sales methods’

6. Sixth, use numbers and data to quantify your achievements

Quantify your accomplishments to help employers visualize the results that you have produced during your past professional experiences. This can help employers measure your work ethic and the success rate of your past achievements.

• ‘Increased sales to existing clients by 45% ‘ 
• ‘Improved department productivity by 30%’ 
• ‘Identified an additional $3,000 in available revenue’ 
• ‘Hired 16 IT professionals’

7. Seventh, put accomplishments before responsibilities

Although it might be important to highlight the daily tasks you were responsible for completing in your past jobs, you should make sure to put an emphasis on the things you accomplished through the performance of your work responsibilities. Think about the outcomes of your projects, assignments and productivity to see if there are any resulting factors that you could include.

• ‘Increased sales to existing clients by 45% through the use of new marketing methods’
• ‘Improved department productivity by 30% after implementing an incentivized work system’
• ‘Identified an additional $3,000 in available revenue by completing analysis of company balance sheet data’
• ‘Hired 16 IT professionals while employed as the manager of the IT department. Instructed new hires on Javascript programming during 90-day trial period’

8. Eighth, use language from the job description

Review the original job description. Highlight keywords and phrases that were used to describe the personal traits and qualifications of an ideal candidate. It is important that you only use the words and phrases that accurately describe you. You can implement these keywords and phrases into your objective statement, skills section and professional experience descriptions.

Example of a job posting:

‘Looking for a financial planner with five years of experience working in accounting or a related area. An ideal candidate must be a motivated individual with a passion for continued learning opportunities. Candidates should have advanced knowledge of MS Excel, superb communication and excellent data analysis skills that could positively contribute to the corporate efforts of Louden Publishers Inc.’

Example of highlighted keywords and phrases from the job posting:

• Superb communication
• Advanced in MS Excel
• Data analysis
• 5+ years of experience
• Accounting and Finance industry
• Passionate about continued learning

How to Write a Resume That Stands Out

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing. How do you stand out?

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds or even thousands of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing about exactly the same job. So how do you create a one-page document that will make you and your accomplishments stand out from the crowd?

Your resume is a key part of the job application process: it is the first document that an employer reviews to determine whether they will interview and eventually employ you. Remember that employers often have very limited time to perform this duty. Crafting a strong resume really matters!

Resumes communicate who you are and what you have accomplished. They may be the only document an employer sees to evaluate your record before making a decision to move forward with your application, or they may be used in conjunction with resources like LinkedIn or professional networking profiles and/or a cover letter. A resume that “stands out” in a positive way is one that has been written thoughtfully, clearly and concisely, effectively communicating your abilities and strengths in a very brief space.

Six basic tips will help you build an outstanding professional resume. Note that resumes may vary by professional field (e.g. engineering vs. non-engineering), by location or by other factors such as professional degree. These tips are designed around some of the most common sections and most useful points for resumes across different types.

Tip 1: How to Write an Education Section that Stands Out

The education section demonstrates that you have the academic qualifications for the position. The key questions you should ask yourself while writing this section is, “Have I clearly communicated the strongest and most relevant aspects of my educational experience?” The next question is, “Is this section organized in a way that is easily readable by the employer?”

The education section is important for all applicants but may be weighted differently depending on how long it has been since you graduated from a degree program. For instance, an employer may have a different level of interest in the educational history of a college senior, compared to someone who has been professionally working for several years after college. Understanding this fact may influence where you choose to place this section on your resume.

In general, you should include all of the higher education that you may have had, including undergraduate, graduate, or professional schooling.  You may also consider including online courses, certificates, and completed programs through companies like Coursera. Most people list their experiences in an order called reverse chronological, meaning that they list the most recent experience first, and work backwards down the page.

For each listed school, provide the full name of the school or online program, the years of your attendance, your major or majors, if applicable, as well as a minor if applicable. Include the type of degree received (e.g. a Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science) and the year of graduation. If you are graduating soon, include the month and year of graduation so employers know when you will be available to work. If you have studied abroad, include the institution, program of study, and any relevant coursework.

You may want to include which semesters you qualified for special academic recognition, if any.  Other special awards, scholarships, or competitive grants can also be listed in this section. If you have non-academic awards, such as for sports or community service, you may choose to create a separate section of your resume for honors and awards.

Tip 2: How to Make the Experience Section Stand Out

Along with education, your experience is one of the most important ways to show that you are qualified for a position. Use this section to clearly convey your strongest professional experiences, whether paid or unpaid. Be sure to give detailed aspects of your roles and responsibilities for each listed position. Emphasize any relationships or similarities between your past experiences and the job you want. You should also include the start and end dates of your involvement with each organization, and any key accomplishments from the role. Don’t forget to include where the company is located, including city and state/province, or even country if different from your home country.

Ask yourself: while involved with the company, did I win any awards, get any special recognition, make new discoveries, start a new program? If so, what happened and what were the results? Quantify your experiences when you can! As the expression goes, “Show don’t tell.” In other words, you can more effectively convey a point by giving concrete examples, rather than through vague descriptions. Consider the following examples.

Instead of:

Improved worker productivity significantly, leading to recognition from upper management.

(A resume reader may ask: What does ‘improved’ mean? What does recognition mean? How much have you improved it by?)

Improved quarter returns by 25%, exceeding projections and leading to the Top Manager Award, given to only one manager in the company per year.

When it comes to language, be honest about your job functions while thinking of professional ways to present your experiences.

Sometimes people fall into a trap of thinking that their job or internship experience won’t sound impressive enough to list. The job may have felt like “sitting at a desk, answering the phone.” True, but you may have been performing other responsibilities or developing useful job-related skills without realizing that you were!

When you were at a desk, were you at the FRONT desk? Were you the only person or the main person in this position? Were you overseeing anything while you were sitting there? Were you the sole person responsible for any tasks? Did you have to learn how to deal calmly and confidently with any customer issues? Did people occasionally ask you to take on additional responsibilities, even for a short time?

It is fair to say that a person sitting at a front desk, may have been MANAGING the front desk, or even managing the desk when the person’s boss was away. Time during which an individual is placed in charge of a business or an office, even if for a limited time, can convey responsibility to a prospective employer.

Look at your accomplishment bullet and ask yourself:

• What did I do in the job?
• Using what?
• To what extent or impact?

Sometimes you may need to pare down your list in order to avoid making your resume too lengthy. Try to select the accomplishments based partly on how impressive they are and partly on how well they relate to the position you want. To describe your experience, always use more than one sentence or bullet. That said, word economy in your bulleted descriptions is also important. Try to keep each bulleted description or sentence to one or two lines at most. You can often rephrase a description, eliminating words while keeping the meaning. The more information you can present clearly and concisely within the short resume format, the more the employer will understand what you can do for them.

Remember that by providing relevant details in each statement of your experience, you will give the employer enough information to evaluate you and also provide them with ideas of what they might want to discuss with you in an interview.

Tip 3: How to Create a Leadership and Activities Section that Stands Out

For many people, especially students and recent graduates, a Leadership & Activities section can be a fantastic differentiator for your resume. If you have not been in the workforce for long, or if you have only worked summers and part-time, then you may not have much relevant content to add to your Experience section. A strong Leadership & Activities section can help you fill that gap while also telling an employer something about you as a person.

When creating the section, you should first consider what student organizations and activities you would want to include. Then, you should consider what you would want to write about each one. In general, this section is much like the Experience section, except that it is about what you have done in a personal, rather than professional, setting.

Of course, because student organizations and activities are personal, you should be careful about which ones you choose to list; they should be appropriate to a professional setting. For example, you should probably not choose to share that you were chosen “Top Drinker” of your college’s “Beer Keg of the Day” club. On the other hand, if you volunteered at a food bank, wrote for a school publication, or had a membership in an honor society, those accomplishments would be worth sharing.

Most importantly, you should include student organizations and activities where you have made significant contributions or held leadership positions. Just as you did in the Experience section, you should think about what you did in the organization, any responsibilities you had, any skills you used, and any knowledge you gained. If you made improvements to the student organization or activity, definitely include concrete examples. Make sure to consider if any of your experiences with student organizations and activities could be related to the position you are applying for. Could any of the skills you have learned be useful in the job?

Because student organizations and activities can offer students leadership opportunities and experiences that are often limited to experienced professionals in companies, this section is your chance to show not only that you are qualified for the position but that you have even greater potential. Make the most of this opportunity to show the employer what you can do!

Tip 4: How to Highlight Your Skills

Another important component of what defines an attractive candidate in the modern economy is their skill set. Because employers want people who can quickly start being productive, they care about what skills a job prospect has, particularly in certain technical fields. In most cases, skills are incorporated into the Experience section, if you acquired skills as part of your internship or job, and in the Education section, if you obtained the skills through coursework, research, or projects. Sometimes people with additional skills, such as technical skills, foreign language, or certifications obtained outside of university, will place them into a separate section at the end of the resume. Whichever format you choose, you still need to emphasize the skills you have, so that an employer can easily see how you can help them.

You should ask yourself a few important questions. What skills do I have? What skills are my target employers looking for? Are my skills hard skills (i.e. technical, like computer programming) or soft skills, such as the ability to listen?

Make a list! Separate the skills into hard skills and soft skills. What skills are most in demand (on both lists) for the position you are interested in (One good way to decide this is to look at job listings for many similar positions and note how often a particular skill is listed.)? How can you highlight your proficiency in these skills?

Lead with your strongest skills and/or the ones that seem the most marketable. Let’s say you know the programming language Python. How well do you know it? How many years have you used it? Do you have any specialized knowledge and ability that may set you apart from a competing applicant? Do you have demonstrations of your work anywhere for a prospective employer to see?

Here’s an example of a skills entry that might be included into the Experience section:

Programming: 8 years of experience with Python and similar scripting languages, wrote MyFirstPythonProject software available on GitHub

Useful tip: Artists may have portfolios for their artistic work. Examples of appropriate work, such as for coding, may not be a bad idea to have available in addition to a resume!

Even if your field is not technical, you may still have important hard skills. Do you have experience with popular office software, such as Excel, PowerPoint, or Access? Do you know any foreign languages, even at a basic level? Think about not only what might be required in the day-to-day performance of the job, but what other skills could potentially be useful to the employer.

You will want to include all the relevant skills to demonstrate your qualifications, without including too much less-relevant information which could distract from your message. Think carefully about which skills you want to include, and which could be left out. Remember to choose your words economically to maximize content in a minimum of space. With a little effort, your skills details can transform your resume from a simple list of accomplishments to a document that gets an employer thinking about all the great ways you could contribute!

Tip 5: Formatting and Making the Resume Look Professional

Believe it or not, the appearance and organization of a resume can greatly affect the response. The first hurdle for any resume is to get the employer to read it. An attractively presented, concise resume is easy for a recruiter to pick up. On the other hand, if a resume is 5 pages, written in 6-point font, a prospective employer may not think that it is worth the time to find a magnifying glass and read it. In most cases, a resume should not exceed one page (sometimes two pages, mostly for more experienced candidates, or in scientific and technical fields where publication lists can be lengthy), which has a few key sections that are separated from one another or clearly delineated.

Here are some suggestions to make the format stand out positively:

• Use 10-12-point font or larger. (10 point may even sometimes be too small, and the choice can depend on the chosen font.) Your audience should easily be able to read the size of the writing. Often prospective employers may not have perfect vision, so readability may create problems if the text is too small.
• Use a clean, professional-looking font. Don’t use fonts that are overly artistic and hinder the ability for the reader to understand them. Some find fonts like Times New Roman most clearly readable; others find competing fonts better. The font is just an aspect of the writing; don’t let it overpower the words themselves.
• Use respectable margins. Don’t try to deviate too much from 0.5 margins at either side. Also, don’t make the margins too large, beyond 0.75 or 1 unit on either side. Around 1 unit on the top and bottom should be acceptable.
• Use adequate spacing.
• Abbreviate months of employment.
• Include proper contact information. Most people include full name, address, email address and at least one phone number at the top of the document.

Tip 6: Revision and Review 

One of the most important steps to writing a good resume is having others you trust look it over. A small spelling or grammar error on a resume could cause problems by making it seem like you lack attention to detail.

You can start with standard spelling and grammar checking programs. However, while these programs are very helpful, they are not enough by themselves. For example, the programs may not flag errors with homophones (e.g. hair and hare). They also have difficulty with uncommon, technical, or foreign words that may not be in their dictionaries. In addition, they are not looking for formatting inconsistencies or at the overall appearance of the resume. While computer programs can help with many issues, there is still no substitute for the human eye.

Start by printing a copy of your resume and looking for errors and inconsistencies yourself. Then, present copies to others along with a description of the job or educational opportunity that you are applying for. When presenting your resume to others, consider at least two kinds of people: a peer, and an experienced professional or teacher. Each may identify different issues with the resume.

Ask the reviewers to provide two types of notes: technical revisions and feedback on the writing, organization and effectiveness of the resume.

Once you get feedback, discuss it with them for a few minutes. Remember, don’t take constructive criticism personally! They are trying to help you, and their points of view may be similar to that of the employer. Your goal is to create a resume that most people will appreciate.

Once you obtain proper feedback, you can work on improving your resume. Try to incorporate your reviewers’ suggestions. Their ideas may even make you think of other ways to improve your resume! Most importantly, always remember that once you have made your revisions, review your resume again before you send it out!

The stronger your resume, the better your chance of getting an interview and landing a meaningful job. Just by following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to resume success, creating a clear, detailed, and concise document designed to impress employers. So, get writing and get yourself noticed!

A good resume can help you land an interview, but even minor errors can take you out of the running.  Schedule an appointment with a counselor  to ensure it will be effective.

Quick Resume Tips:

• Use the position description to decide what to include.
• Pick a standard and consistent format.
• Describe your experiences with specificity and strong action verbs.
• Record accomplishments and contributions, not just responsibilities.
• Revise carefully!
• Don’t include personal information about your age, religion, health or marital status.
• Photos are generally not preferred for U.S. resumes.
• Typically, you will not be expected to share past salary information on a resume.
• Employers assume that “references will be available upon request,” so you don’t need to include them on your resume unless asked.
• Employers may use keyword scanning on resumes, so know what words are relevant to the industry and position and ensure they appear in your resume.

10 essential resume skills to showcase your value to employers

by YouScience | Apr 16, 2024 | Blog

Writing a compelling resume involves more than just listing your work history and education. You also need to highlight your skills effectively to stand out to employers. It can be difficult to know what skills to put on a resume, especially if you don’t have much work experience. Below, we discuss 10 essential resume skills and advice for proving your value to potential employers.

What are good skills to put on a resume?

The best skills to put on a resume include a mix of hard and soft skills. Focus on skills that are most relevant to the position you want. Here are some resume skill examples you could include:

Communication skills

Effective communication is a fundamental skill required for almost every type of job. Communication skills include being able to articulate your ideas clearly and listening to others while understanding their perspective.

Active listening skills

Active listening requires paying close attention, asking clarifying questions, and showing empathy to ensure you thoroughly understand what someone is trying to say.

• Interpersonal skills

These skills refer to how well you work with other people. They include collaboration, conflict resolution, and the ability to build connections with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

Leadership skills

Even if you’re not in a leadership role, showcasing your leadership qualities on your resume can set you apart from other candidates. Examples can include taking initiative, motivating others, and showing accountability.

Problem-solving skills

Employers value candidates who can think quickly to solve problems. Include times when you’ve identified issues, developed solutions, and implemented effective strategies to overcome challenges.

Computer skills

Nearly every job will require the use of a computer, so experience with computers and software is essential. Make sure to include any specific programs or tools you’re proficient in, especially ones directly related to the job you’re applying for.

Customer service skills

Even if you’re not applying for a customer-facing role, including customer service skills on your resume can still be valuable . These skills demonstrate your positivity, adaptability, communication skills, and attention to detail.

Transferable skills

These are skills that can be used in several different positions and industries. Transferable skills may include teamwork, adaptability, organization, or any other qualities all employers are looking for.

Management skills

Highlighting your management skills is crucial if you’re applying for any management role overseeing projects or teams. Management skills can include examples of delegation, decision-making, and conflict resolution.

Time management skills

Efficient time management shows your ability to prioritize assignments, meet deadlines, and maximize productivity. Employers want to hire disciplined employees who can tune out distractions during work hours.

Hard resume skills vs. soft resume skills

Skills for resumes are either hard or soft skills. Employers typically look for both types of skills on candidates’ resumes.

• Hard skills are specific skills needed to perform the job. These can include technological skills, field-specific education, or credentials related to the job.
• Soft skills include your personality attributes and interpersonal skills. These may include communication skills, leadership qualities, stress management, and problem-solving abilities.

How to list skills on a resume per job type

Tailor your skills to the job you’re applying for to show employers you’re suitable for the job. Here are some hard and soft resume skills examples for different positions:

Digital marketing specialist

Hard skills

• Google Analytics
• Project management systems

Soft skills

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Analytics thinking

Financial analyst

• Financial modeling
• Data analysis
• Attention to detail
• Creative thinking
• Collaboration

Data analyst

• Python and other statistical programming languages
• Data visualization
• Statistical analysis
• Machine learning
• Time management
• Adaptability

How YouScience helps with building a resume

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Getting hired: Five resume tips for students

Home Career Advice Blog

How to Include Extracurriculars on Your Resume

If you’re a student and lack work experience, one way to impress recruiters is by including extracurriculars on your resume. Highlighting activities like student government, sports clubs, professional societies, creative hobbies, and volunteer work can go a long way to making you stand out. It can also be a valuable way to showcase the skills, achievements, and qualities that make you a strong job candidate. But you can’t just drop these activities into your resume randomly; you need to be strategic about how you choose to include them. With that in mind, here are some tips for making the most of your extracurricular activities on your student resume .

1. Choose relevant extracurricular activities

It’s important that you only outline extracurricular activities that are relevant to the job, company, or industry you're applying for. This gives you a better opportunity to showcase the relevant skills and achievements that come off the back of these activities. So, while you might love your after-school hip-hop class, potential employers might not see the relevance. On the other hand, including drama club can be valuable if you’re writing an acting resume, or taking part in Model UN can be beneficial if you're hoping to get into politics. Always customize your list of extracurricular activities based on the job requirements and company. That way, you can emphasize activities that align with the skills the employer is looking for

2. Highlight your achievements

Instead of simply listing activities and what you do there, you should also focus on your achievements and accomplishments within those clubs or communities. This could be sharing that you were captain of your school's soccer team or that you won awards for your musical capabilities. And whenever possible, quantify your achievements. This can provide hiring managers with concrete evidence of your impact on the team, club, or people involved. For example, you could mention how many members you recruited to the school chess club, how much money you raised for charity, or how many awards you won in sporting competitions. Again, make these achievements as relevant as possible to your target role, company, and industry you're applying for.

3. Demonstrate your skills

Your extracurricular activities give you a great chance to demonstrate transferable skills that are desirable in the workplace. So, when outlining the clubs or activities you take part in, make sure to highlight the soft skills that you’ve shown as a result. For example, participation in a debate club can showcase communication and critical thinking skills, volunteering at a local charity event shows teamwork and empathy, and attending a club for several years shows consistency, commitment, and passion—and employers highly value candidates who are dedicated.

4. Understand how to format your extracurricular activities

It’s all well and good knowing why you should include your extracurricular activities on your resume, but how should you do this? In most cases, you’ll want to add a dedicate “Hobbies and Interests” or “Additional Information” section at the bottom of your resume. When doing so, use a concise bullet-point format to list each activity, along with relevant details and achievements. However, if there is an activity that is particularly relevant to the role or company you’re applying for and you have limited experience behind you, you might want to include a sentence about it in your resume summary. Lastly, if you've completed some volunteer work, you could include this under your work experience section—but only if you have limited other experience to talk about.

Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of StandOut CV , a leading CV builder and careers advice website. He is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to publications like Business Insider, The Guardian, and The Independent.

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5 Tips To Make Your Resume Stand Out To Your Employer Under 7 Seconds

Just 33 milliseconds is sufficient enough to form a first impression.

According to studies , it takes an employer approximately six to seven seconds to scan a job applicant's resume. Given how difficult the job search has been as of late and how hundreds of people are applying for the same job (more than usual following the pandemic), you must do everything you can to stand out from the crowd - especially if you want to get the job fast.

The 2023 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Recruiting Benchmarks report notes that, after receiving a resume, employers hiring new graduates move relatively fast.

The study showed that recruiters would extend a job offer after an interview in less than a month - measured at an average of 24 days.

While it is inevitable that the most successful resumes are those that stand out during the recruitment skimming process, the resumes that attract the most attention do not boast bold colours and detailed work experience descriptions as expected. Instead, here are some things you can do to grab a potential employer's attention while looking sleek and professional.

1. Profile Image

Although colourful pages are not favoured amongst employees, resumes with an image of the candidate have a better chance of success.

Research shows employers can take less than one second to form a judgment.

A study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal found that a single glance of a person's face, lasting just 33 milliseconds, was sufficient to form a first impression.

Researcher Jennifer South Palomares said: "We found that people can evaluate faces on trustworthiness, status, and attractiveness following even just a glance at a face (e.g., 33 ms) and extra time (100 or 500 ms) only led to a small improvement in the correspondence of these time-constrained evaluations with an independent set of time-unconstrained judgments."

"The increasing prevalence of online images and internet-based relationships make these findings timely and important."

2. Simple layouts

According to Fast Company, simple layouts with clearly marked sections and title headers were favoured amongst employers. Organised resumes should also be written out in a clear font and with bold titles.

In a LinkedIn post addressing the mistakes most applicants make on their resume, E-commerce Email Marketing Agent Chase Dimond advised applicants to use a CV template.

"Use a simple, easy-to-read template without fancy graphics or images to ensure your resume parses in an applicant tracking system (ATS)," he wrote.

Format should be a top priority amongst job candidates. Arranging details regarding past accomplishments should be displayed in a bullet point list.

When describing previous work experience, applicants should focus on their impact on the job role.

Dimond said: "Go through each of your resume bullet points and ask yourself, 'How did this affect the business? How is this relevant to the role I'm applying to?' If it's not, cut it."

4. Personalisation

As well as a profile image, at the top of the page, applicants should also include a detailed overview of their work experience or a mission statement – declaring their intentions while working in their specific sector.

The E-commerce Email Marketer went on to explain that, while applicants should tailor their resume to meet the criteria of the job role that they are applying for, they should also create a "base resume for every job."

"Create a base version of your resume that you can tweak slightly for various types of jobs," he wrote.

5. Evidence

Instead of telling the employer about their recent efforts while working in volunteer roles, during past employment, or in education, applicants should provide the recruiter with an achievement that was sourced from such efforts.

"Show, don't tell," Dimond said, going on to note: "Every word counts."

© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.

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30 action words for resumés

To stand out in your job hunt, you need a resumé that highlights all your most impressive achievements. Action words for resumés can help you do this, by conveying your skills and experience in a concise and compelling way.

Action words are verbs that convey movement, power and impact. They can help portray you as someone who’s motivated and gets things done; a person who achieves results and takes on challenges. Here’s how different action verbs on your resumé can help you get a hiring manager’s attention.

What are action verbs?

How to use action words in your resumé, examples of action verbs you can use to make your resumé stand out.

Generally speaking, action words are verbs – words for things you do. In the context of your resumé, action words are ‘power’ verbs that convey energy and impact. They can help you frame your skills and achievements in a strong and convincing way.

For example, the action verb ‘strategised’ expresses an ability to proactively turn observations into clever solutions. In contrast, passive phrasing like ‘was responsible for’ makes it seem like you weren’t really actively engaged in your duties. 

Using resumé action verbs can help you engage and impress hiring managers . Strong verbs can accurately sum up why you’re a good fit for the role. They can also make your resumé more concise and dynamic.

For example, you could use the action verb ‘implemented’ to show your ability to put plans into action. This demonstrates your proactive approach to problem solving. Action verbs transform general resumés into interesting stories, which are more likely to compell hiring managers to shortlist your application.

To use action words to their greatest potential, you have to know how to use them. These two steps will help you add resumé ‘power’ words effectively. 

1. Consider where to incorporate action verbs in your resumé

To create a compelling resumé, use action verbs throughout different sections where you’re highlighting your achievements and competencies. When discussing your work experience, you can use action verbs at the start of bullet points that outline your duties and accomplishments in more descriptive and accurate detail. 

For example, a bullet point might read, Streamlined production processes to increase daily output by 10%. The action verb is ‘streamlined’. It highlights your ability to identify inefficiencies and make improvements that benefit your employer. 

Another area of your resumé where you can integrate action verbs is the skills section . Using action verbs rather than just listing the skills can make you seem more competent. For example, instead of listing ‘management’ as a skill, you might describe your management capabilities  by writing Managed a team of six  or Led company-wide collaboration . These resumé action verbs convey specific qualities and experiences. They can make your resumé more engaging to read, compared to a list of skills.

2. Choose the right action words for your resumé

Use action words that match the specific industry or job role relevant to your application, to make your resumé more impactful. This not only shows that you know the field, but also makes a stronger impression on hiring managers.

For example, say you’re applying for a technical job. Words such as ‘programmed’, ‘debugged’, and ‘optimised’ show off your technical skills. And if you’re applying for a sales job, words such as ‘negotiated’, ‘sold’, and ‘increased’ highlight your ability to make revenue for your employer. By carefully picking the right action words for your resumé, you can highlight your skills and get employers’ attention.

It can be challenging to choose the right action words. You may not know which ones are best for the industry and job you’re applying for. One way to check for relevance is to carefully review the job description and job duties of the vacant role. You can identify the key action verbs the employer uses and include those words in your resumé. You can also research common action words within your chosen industry for an idea on which to use.

There are countless verbs you can use in a resumé to make your achievements and experience more concise and dynamic. Here’s a list of resumé action verbs to consider, along with examples of how to use them.

5 action words to demonstrate work ethic

These action words can help you showcase your reliability, efficiency, and dedication in your job responsibilities.

• Enacted Definition: implemented or executed a plan, idea, or strategy with diligence and precision. Example: Enacted strategies to increase follower engagement.
• Established  Definition: Founded or set up a system, practice, or standard with consistency and thoroughness. Example: Established procedures that streamlined production.
• Exceeded  Definition: Surpassed or went beyond expectations, standards, or goals consistently. Example: Exceeded OKRs consistently for three years.  
• Achieved  Definition: Successfully brought about Example: Achieved ‘Employee of the Month’ five times in three years.
• Motivated  Definition: gave someone a reason for doing something. Example: Motivated teammates daily to reach floor sales targets. 

5 action words to demonstrate impact

Use these words to emphasise your ability to drive results and make a difference in the workplace.

• Accelerated Definition: Sped up the progress or development of a process or task. Example: Accelerated the rollout of new marketing strategies.
• Amplified Definition: Increased the intensity, strength, or effectiveness of something. Example:  Amplified brand awareness through targeted social media campaigns.
• Increased Definition: Made greater in size or amount Example:  Increased employee morale through Friday lunch program.
• Transformed Definition: Made a considerable change in the form, appearance, or character of something. Example:  Transformed outdated workflows into streamlined processes.
• Revitalised Definition: Restored energy, vitality, or enthusiasm to something that had become tired or inactive. Example: Revitalised underperforming campaigns by updating content.

5 action words to show creativity

Show hiring managers you can be innovative and creative with these power verbs.

• Created Definition: Brought something into existence. Example: Created a new system for reporting machine malfunctions. 
• Conceptualised Definition: Formed an idea or plan for an object or process that doesn’t exist yet. Example:  Conceptualised new product designs.
• Innovated Definition: Introduced new methods, ideas, or products to bring about unique change. Example:  Innovated a cost-effective solution to disposing of paper waste. 
• Devised Definition: planned or invented through careful thought Example: Devised ways to repurpose unused templates.
• Designed Definition: Planned and created the structure or form of something, often with a specific purpose or intention. Example: Designed an accessible mental health program for onsite workers.

5 action words for technical positions

You can use the following action verbs to demonstrate your technical expertise and proficiency.

• Programmed Definition: Wrote code or instructions for a computer program to perform specific tasks or functions. Example: Programmed original software applications using Python and Java.
• Developed Definition: Created, designed, or improved something, such as software, systems, or products. Example: Developed a mobile app from concept to deployment.
• Automated Definition: Implemented processes or systems that operate automatically or without human interaction. Example: Automated tasks across the company using scripts.
• Engineered Definition: Designed, built, or optimised complex systems or structures. Example:  Engineered scalable solutions to support growing infrastructure needs.
• Debugged Definition: Identified and fixed errors, glitches, or bugs in software systems. Example: Debugged new apps during the pre-launch phase

5 action words for sales positions

These action words can help sell your skills to hiring managers by persuading them that you know how to close a sale. 

• Persuaded Definition: Convinced or influenced someone to do or believe something through reasoning or debate. Example: Persuaded key stakeholders to switch to a new POS system.
• Negotiated Definition: Discussed terms or conditions to reach an agreement or settlement. Example: Negotiated contracts with vendors to reduce overheads.
• Closed Definition: Brought a transaction or deal to a successful end. Example: Closed multiple high-value sales with international buyers.
• Engaged Definition: Occupy or attracts someone’s attention. Example: Engaged ultra high net worth individuals in private auctions.
• Influenced Definition: Affected the decisions, actions, or opinions of others. Example: Influenced the CEO to introduce a new incentives program.

5 action words for finance positions

Consider some of the following action words when highlighting your finance skills and your ability to analyse and strategise.

• Audited Definition: Examined, verified, and evaluated financial records or processes to ensure accuracy and compliance with regulations. Example: Audited departmental budgets to identify areas for cuts.
• Investigated Definition: Conducted a thorough check of statistical discrepancies or potential fraud. Example: Investigated discrepancies in daily accounts.
• Reconciled Definition: Make one account consistent with another.  Example:  Reconciled company accounts to bank statements.
• Lowered Definition: Reduced costs, expenses, or liabilities to improve financial performance or efficiency. Example:  Lowered expenses by renegotiating vendor contracts.
• Minimised Definition: Decreased or mitigated risks, losses, or costs, typically to protect financial assets. Example: Minimised credit risk by introducing stricter company policies.

Action words play an important part in turning your resumé into an appealing and accurate picture of your abilities and potential. As you refine your resumé , remember to incorporate action words thoughtfully and creatively. Make sure they frame your skills and experiences in the strongest and most relevant way. 

What are good action words for a resumé?

Any action verbs that convey a more concise and dynamic description of your physical or mental actions and achievements can be beneficial to include on your resumé. It’s important to ensure the words you use relate to the industry and job you’re applying for. 

What are power words in a resumé?

‘Power’ words are essentially action verbs that convey confidence, competence, and achievements. Power words usually demonstrate your skills and achievements in a more favourable light than weak or passive language.

How do you use action verbs in a CV?

One of the most effective ways to apply resumé action words is to include them in the job description of your experience section, as outlined above. Another is to use them when describing your skills. 

How many action words should I use in a resumé?

There’s no specific limit to action verbs on your resumé, you should avoid using the same action word too many times. For example, when discussing your work experience, try to use unique action verbs for every bullet point. 

Can overusing action words have a negative impact?

Yes. Overusing powerful resume words can lessen their impact on the hiring manager. They can also have a negative impact if you use them incorrectly or if they sound awkward. 

How do action words differ for entry-level vs executive resumés?

Action words for entry-level resumes may focus more on demonstrating potential and willingness to learn. In contrast, action words for executive resumes often emphasise leadership, strategic thinking, and results-driven achievements.

How often should I update the action words in my resumé?

Consider reviewing and potentially changing action verbs on your resumé every six to 12 months. It’s not strictly necessary, but keeping your resumé fresh and updated is always good practice.

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Companies are starting to care more about skills than degrees — here’s how to still make your resume stand out

S kills-based hiring is becoming increasingly popular among companies, while formal qualifications like degrees are becoming less important — especially as labor markets remain tight.

Many firms are still struggling to fill roles, and the way they currently approach hiring might be making this even more challenging, Sue Duke, vice president and head of global public policy at LinkedIn, told CNBC Make It.

"The difficulties we face as we struggle to fill roles, weather economic shifts, and create a diverse and resilient workforce will only grow unless we change our approach to finding and nurturing talent," Duke said.

One way companies are changing their approach is by focusing more on skills, rather than qualifications like college degrees or previous work experience. According to LinkedIn data shared with CNBC Make It, 45% of companies are now explicitly using skills-related metrics to find candidates, 12% more than a year ago.

Daniel Pell, vice president and country manager for the U.K. and Ireland at HR tool Workday, has also noticed a shift.

"HR has shifted to a skills-based economy," Pell told CNBC Make It.

How skills-based hiring works

Hiring based on skills can have a wide range of benefits both for workers and employers, Duke said.

"Our research showed a skills-first approach could increase the global talent pool by nearly ten-fold. And a larger talent pool means less competition with other companies over the same candidates," she said.

But the benefits are thought to go beyond expanding the number of available candidates.

According to Workday's Pell, skills-based organizations are "far more likely to outperform their traditional counterparts" when it comes to innovation, efficiency, and adaptability.

The trend has been boosted by new artificial intelligence and machine learning products, Pell said, as those can help companies identify the right candidates.

Another major benefit for both workers and employers is that skills-based hiring can be vital for building a more diverse workforce.

"It levels the playing field for workers who may have been overlooked," Duke said. This includes people who have not attended or completed university, women, and younger generations.

"For example, in jobs where women are underrepresented, the proportion of women in the talent pool could increase 24% more than it would for men, which leads to more women being hired," she said.

This also increases opportunities for job-seekers, as well as making the job application process more transparent, according to Duke.

Companies that focus on skills also often provide development opportunities to their employees, Pell said. That means workers have more opportunities to grow and add to their existing skillset, helping them be successful long term, he said.

Tailoring your resume

As skills come into focus, the way job applications are assessed may change — a shift that can be difficult for job-seekers to navigate. However, they can also use it to their advantage, recruitment specialists said.

"Applicants can optimize skills-based hiring by making sure their CVs are tailored to this type of hiring," Gaelle Blake, director of permanent appointment at recruitment company Hays, Told CNBC Make It.

This does not, Blake said, mean turning your application into a long list of skills.

"Candidates should make sure their CV showcases their individual skills and abilities; rather than listing the generic, in-demand skills," Blake said. Tangible examples or data points that demonstrate these skills are also crucial, she added.

Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TopResume and certified career coach and resume writer, agreed.

"When crafting a skills-based resume, it's important to follow one simple rule: 'show, don't tell,'" Augustine told CNBC Make It.

Evidence of candidates having suitable skills can then be woven into the application, for example by adding it to bullet points outlining previous job experience, Augustine said.

Job-seekers might also want to change the structure of their resumes by adding slightly unconventional sections like "Core Skills" or "Areas of Expertise" to them, Augustine said. This could mean listing a skill, followed by proof of it through a brief anecdote or data.

Candidates can show their personality and why they would be a good fit for the company through their skills, Blake said.

"Candidates who connect the relevant skills to who they are as a person are likely to catch the attention of the employer," she said.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Blake and Augustine both said there is one thing candidates should never overlook before tailoring a resume: the job description.

"Checking the job description for key words is a useful way of identifying the most relevant skills an employer is looking for," Blake said. And that information is crucial for candidates trying to make sure their resume fits the bill — and gets them an interview.