How to make your resume noticeable
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
A resume that stands out can create long lasting opportunities. Net photo.

A resume is a summary of a whole person’s life, it gives a chance for the start of a career, opens doors to opportunities, and also creates connections.

A résumé, sometimes spelled resume, also called a CV in English outside North America, is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments.

Making a resume stand out from all other resumes when looking for a job can be pretty hard because recruiters have to go through millions of resumes to decide who is fit for the job and who is not fit but it is not impossible to have an outstanding resume that will give you "the” job but also that will create long-lasting opportunities.

Sifa Kamikazi, an entrepreneur says that a resume is what a company is most interested in because that is where all your life story is summed up, so to make it more noticeable you should also use the company language.

"Most companies have their own language from the job description to the qualifications that you should pay attention to because they intentionally use that language to highlight the skills and experiences they are seeking for, paying attention to the keywords they use to describe the job, the skills they want, and using them in your resume or CV, is outsmarting them, because the recruiter when scanning your resume that is what they will be looking for, and if they fall on everything they want your resume won’t be thrown in a dustbin surely,” she says.

Dan Abimana, a professional career coach, says that a common mistake made by job seekers is using the same resume over and over for every job.

"If anything doesn’t use the same resume over and over because recruiters notice that and it also doesn’t give you a way of adding on other qualities, and skills that the job description requires. Take your time to customize your resume, add new skills, new qualities, and new experiences and also organize it in a neat way that won’t have the recruiters buying eyeglasses, because a well-organized resume also catches attention, customising your resume gives you a chance to add more requirements that help you get noticed,” he says.

Alia Ineza, a business consultant, says that in a resume you should show off your skills and experience.

"Show off but don’t be arrogant, if you have worked in amazing companies, well-spoken organisations don’t fear being rejected because they will think you are not on their level, because that is all they want an employee that has reached to even bigger companies to come and share the knowledge and skills, so don’t hesitate to put on all those skills and experiences,” she says.

Brie Reynolds, an American career development manager, says that you should not restrict work experience to "work”.

"Recently out of college with little work experience? Consider including major projects and papers you worked on as a student. "Group projects and large research papers can involve the types of skills that many employers are after: communication, writing skills, time management, focus, project management, teamwork, and research — just to name a few,” Renolds says.

According to the Balance, an American website focused on simplifying personal finance topics and news, here are a few tips to make a resume noticeable:

Getting hired is a numbers game. Employers like to see quantifiable achievements on resumes. Include numbers wherever possible and use numbers, not words, when you’re listing them. For example, write "30%,” not "thirty percent.”

Add information. If your resume is light on paid full-time work experience that qualifies you for the job, it’s fine to add internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer experience.

Keep it simple. Boring work when it comes to most resumes. A simple format is easier for the ATS to screen and easier for recruiters to read. Save the fancy formatting for your portfolio if you’re in a design field. Review these resume formatting guidelines to get started.

Be concise. Less is more when it comes to words on a resume. Use brief, action-oriented sentences that describe your role at each employer. Here’s a list of the top words to include (and leave off) in your resume.

Get rid of old jobs. You don’t need to include all your work experience on your resume. If you have a lengthy work history, the last 10—15 years are plenty. You may be required to list them all on job applications, but your resume is a synopsis of your employment history, not your life story.