Your resume is your first representation. If your resume fails to make a great impression, the chances of you receiving an interview call drastically go down. Your resume should contain everything about you, but it can’t be too long. Nobody has the time to read a 5-page resume. The perfect resume is one that’s precise and complete – all at the same time.
If you’ve been applying for jobs for a while but never received an interview call, the chances are that your resume might not be making the impression it takes to convince a prospective employer to give you a chance.
If you want to know how to build the perfect resume, this blog post is just what you need to read right now.
Put Relevant Information Only
As we said earlier, nobody has the time to read a long document. Your resume should be precise and to the point. You may have worked in different areas. However, all of it doesn’t have to go on your resume. It should only have the past experience that’s relevant to the position that you’re applying for. Consider it as a document that you’re using to market yourself as the right candidate for the job.
Put the Best Part on the Top
If you put information that the prospective employer isn’t interested to know at the beginning of your resume, they may stop reading it before they reach the part that you actually want them to know. To make an impressive first impression, add all the best bits on the top. The more impressive the top section of your resume is, the higher are the chances of you receiving the call.
Don’t Add an Objective Every Time
A common misconception is that every resume should have an objective. However, that’s not necessary. You only need to add an objective if you’re making a major career switch. If you’re switching jobs within the same domain, there’s no need to open your resume with an objective. A summary of you and your work would be better.
Keep it Short
We can’t stress enough on making a short and precise resume. The perfect resume is a page-long, or 2-pages long at maximum. If you can make all your experience and personal information fit on one page, you should. However, in an attempt to fit everything in, make sure your resume doesn’t look too cluttered.
Simple and Neat Formatting
Your resume speaks volumes about you. Always remember – you’re applying for a job, not a creative competition. You don’t have to go overboard with too many design elements. Keep the resume simple and neat. You’ll find numerous resume templates. Choose the one that you think is the most suitable. A colorful resume isn’t attractive but is plain unprofessional.
Prominent Contact Information
You certainly wouldn’t want the prospective employer to search for your contact information. Always make sure your contact details (email address, phone number, LinkedIn profile) are clearly mentioned somewhere near the top so that the employer can find them right away.
The perfect resume is the one that’s precise, professional, relevant, and neat. Anything that’s too fancy or too cluttered is a no-no!