Writing A Job Resume That Stands Out

The first part of you that a prospective employer will ever see is your job resume. With the economy and unemployment being what they are these days, you will find yourself competing against plenty of applicants when searching for a job. Because of this, it is important that you understand how to make your job resume stand out. It might seem like there is nothing you can do on a job resume but list your previous jobs and hope for the best. But you will be limiting yourself if you take this approach these days. Instead, you should write a resume that causes a prospective employer to feel like they have to call you; you can do this by learning to make your resume stand out.

One of the most important elements of your resume is its design. This might seem like an odd place to begin - after all, you are applying for a job, not applying to be a document designer - but you have to consider the prospective employer's perspective. The person reading your resume has likely been at their desk for hours, poring over a huge pile of resumes. According to studies, each resume gets about 15-20 seconds of attention the first time through the pile. If your resume has small font or very little white space, it will not make tired eyes feel very happy. Instead, you should make sure you leave lots of white space on the paper, designing it with clear headings. You might even encourage the tired eyes to spend more than 15-20 seconds on their first glance at your resume if you make it inviting and relaxing for them!

The next step for setting you apart from other applicants is the section where you list your accomplishments and qualifications. Dig deep, and uncover things that you might not have thought of immediately; never fabricate this section, but certainly take your time to remember as much as you can. Include anything that might help the prospective employer make a decision!

Finally, the section of your resume where you list your qualifications will be a big selling point. This is where you set yourself head and shoulders above your competition. You should think of this section as an advertisement, which you are using to display all the reasons why they should "buy" you.

Although searching for a job can be frightening in these uncertain times, knowing the steps to a winning resume can make it a whole lot easier.