Friday, January 27th, 2012

In a labor market that favors employers over job seekers, an attention grabbing resume is the most important weapon in a qualified job seeker's arsenal. Proper formatting is important, and applicants who need help with this aspect of a resume should check out the examples on a site like resumeindex.com. Beyond the basics, however, there are some subtle touches that really make a resume scream "Hire me!"

Tailor The Resume To The Position
Every job is different, and every hiring manager is looking for a slightly different employee. Sending multiple copies of a cookie-cutter resume to different prospective employers is a recipe for professional suicide. Job seekers who take the trouble to research the firm and the position and tailor their resumes to the specific requirements of the particular job will always have a better shot at an interview than someone who takes an all-purpose approach. Job hunters who have experience in multiple fields must be very careful not to overload a resume with experience that is not relevant to that particular job.

Use A Functional Resume
Another key to making a resume stand out is using functional format. Functional resumes focus on skills and competencies. While every resume should include at least a brief chronological job history, the best results are often gained by emphasizing what the job seeker can do rather than how the experience was required. Functional resumes use skills as headers and then provide information about the jobs in which the applicant acquired that experience and any accomplishments in that particular field.

Include All Pertinent Experience
While a hiring manager or human resources specialist will always be most interested in on-the-job experience, most know that this is not the only way to acquire a useful skill. Volunteer work and community leadership roles often provide job seekers with just the skills an employer needs, and internships are famous stepping-stones to full employment. Recent graduates should consider whether extracurricular activities or class projects may be applicable, particularly if they have a resonance with the position being sought. The beauty of a functional resume is that any experience may be used to demonstrate a skill whether the experience was for paid work or not.

Use Keywords
Large companies that have human resources departments are likely to be swamped with resumes and applications. To find the best applicants for a given position, resumes are scanned for keywords that identify functions or technology associated with the job in question. Often this is done by automation. This means that no matter how good a resume is, no human will consider it for a job for which the applicant may be perfect unless the keywords are incorporated. Finding the keywords is actually quite easy. Just look at the announcement or advertisement for the job. It will use words about what the successful applicant will be expected to do or the technology that will be used. These are the keywords, and featuring them in the resume helps to maximize its impact.

The right job is never easy to find, and the selection process can easily become a stumbling block. Job seekers who submit a high-impact resume that stands out from the pile go a long way toward insuring themselves an interview and giving themselves a great chance at a good job. A resume really is the proverbial first impression, and no one gets a second chance to submit their very best.

This post was sponsored by resumeindex.com.