How To Write Great Resume Content
Your resume is often the first impression a potential employer will have of you, so it's important to make it count. But what makes a great resume? Many job seekers focus too much on formatting and design and not enough on the content, which is most important. After all, the purpose of your resume is to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers.
Without the right kind of content, you won’t be able to create a complete profile in the mind of a hiring manager. In this blog, I’ll provide tips on creating compelling content to help you stand out in a competitive job market. Whether you're starting from scratch or revamping your existing resume, here are a few tips to create a winning resume that will get you noticed by employers.
Use Action Verbs
Start each bullet point with a strong action verb to describe your accomplishments and responsibilities. For example, instead of "Responsible for managing a team," write "Managed a team of 10 employees." Using action verbs on your resume is essential because it helps to make your accomplishments and responsibilities sound more active, dynamic, and impressive.
Action verbs are words that describe an action or activity, such as "managed," "created," or "implemented." Using these types of verbs highlights your steps and emphasizes your role in achieving results. Additionally, action verbs can make your resume more concise and focused since they typically require fewer words than passive or vague language.
Be Specific
Use specific examples and quantifiable results to demonstrate your skills and achievements. For instance, if the job requires experience managing budgets, emphasize your budgeting experience and include figures to show your success in this area.
This will demonstrate the impact of your work and make your bullet points more impressive. For example, instead of "Increased sales," write "Increased sales by 20% over 6 months."
You can also utilize the popular “STAR method.” STAR is an acronym that stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Use it to structure your bullet points. Start by describing the situation or problem, then explain the task you were given, describe the action you took, and finish with the result or outcome.
Tailor Bullet Points
Ensure your bullet points are relevant to the job you're applying for. Begin by reviewing the job description to match your qualifications with the position. For example, if the job description emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, highlight your experience working with others teams or departments. Use keywords and phrases from the job description to show that you understand the requirements and are a good fit for the role.
For example, if the company values innovation and creativity, mention your passion for generating new ideas and taking risks. In addition to keywords, use relevant industry-specific jargon. This shows you have a deep understanding of the field. For example, if you're applying for a marketing job, use marketing terms like "SEO," "lead generation," and "conversion rates" to demonstrate your expertise.
Keep It Concise
To keep your resume concise, avoid using long sentences or excessive detail. Bullet points should be 1-2 lines, highlight key takeaways, and use clear language that gets straight to the point. Use strong action verbs to describe your responsibilities.
Be selective about the information you include, focusing on your most impressive accomplishments and relevant experience. Rearrange and prioritize your bullet points to highlight the experience and achievements that are most relevant to the job. Finally, read over your bullet points carefully and edit out any unnecessary words or phrases to keep them as impactful as possible.
Proofread And Edit
Before submitting your resume, proofread and edit your bullet points for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Have someone else review your resume as well to get a fresh perspective. Use a consistent format for all your bullet points to create a professional resume.
For example, use the same verb tense, font size, and bullet style throughout your resume. Remember, your resume is a marketing tool to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers. Following these tips, you can create compelling bullet points to help you stand out in a competitive job market.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your resume content is the key to showcasing your skills, experience, and achievements to potential employers. It's not enough to simply list your job titles and responsibilities – you need to use your content to demonstrate your value and potential as an employee.
By using action verbs, being specific, tailoring your bullet points to the job description, and keeping it concise, you can create a compelling resume to help you stand out in a competitive job market. Remember, your resume is a marketing tool – use it to tell your story and make a great first impression. With these tips, you can create a winning resume to help you land your dream job.
If you need help creating resume content that clearly shows your experience and why you a qualified candidate, send me an email at akshay@mysixfiguresuccess.com. I would be love to offer you some free insight and advice!
About Akshay Ramanathan
With 10+ years of experience as a college counselor, career coach, resume writer, and corporate professional, I know firsthand the confusion and challenges both ambitious students and purpose-driven professionals face when building a career that is engaging and meaningful.
I have successfully overcome these problems myself and helped many others do the same.
Click here to book a call and learn how I’d like to help you take your career or college experience to the next level!
