Applying for a job? How to write a resume that improves your chances of getting hired
Advertizement
Living
Applying for a job? How to write a resume that improves your chances of getting hired
Experts tell CNA Lifestyle how to impress potential employers, score that interview and, hopefully, get hired. Tip: The right font helps.
(Photo: Unsplash/Glenn Carstens)
28 Aug 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 06:29PM)
The global pandemic has triggered a lot of changes. On top of dealing with disruptions in our life, some of us may accept lost our jobs or keep to have no luck getting attending from potential employers.
While many things are beyond our control at present, there are some things that are, especially when information technology comes to trying to await for a job. Namely, the state of your embrace letter, resume and/or CV.
If the last fourth dimension yous updated yours was months agone, it might non exist a skilful thought to only add together your previous task description, run spell check and hit "ship".
There's an fine art to crafting your job application documents that increases your chances of continuing out for that side by side step: An interview.
"Resumes should conspicuously limited your value suggestion and achievements, and not merely a copy-and-paste of your roles and duties," said Lim Kai Ning, the caput of social touch on at CareerSocius, a social enterprise that provides affordable personal branding services to job seekers in Singapore.
READ: How a physically taxing job is different from do and can be bad for our brains
To avoid a cookie-cutter resume, highlight your achievements, suggested Harry Suresh, the founder and CEO of ResumeWriter.SG, a recruiter licensed by the Ministry Of Manpower.
"In their work descriptions, candidates list only their day-to-twenty-four hour period responsibilities, which simply shows that they can do their task. Achievements, on the other hand, show they excel at it," he said.
Another way to stand out is to include metrics or "measurable quantifiers" to give a sense of the scale and impact of your work, suggested Suresh. "For achievements, a dandy mode to structure them is, "Accomplished (X) equally measured past (Y) while doing (Z)."
Having said that, do not recount your job experiences in full, said Lim. "Some people submit actually lengthy resumes with too many descriptors. The all-time resumes pack a dial and are succinct."
It likewise helps not to excessively utilize jargon. "It is better to spell out certain abbreviations in full and not assume that all employers widely recognise them," she said.
Another no-no is burial your skills at the end of your resume in a skills section, or focusing on soft skills instead of higher value, hard skills, said Suresh.
READ: Working from home is taking its price on our bodies: How to bargain with backaches and sprains
"Key skills should exist listed near the meridian of the resume; this is essential to communicate core skill sets to recruiters at a glance."
Still not quite sure if your encompass letter and resume (or CV) are ready to exist sent out? Here are more than tips from the experts.
WHAT TONE SHOULD MY Cover Letter TAKE?
Get-go, research on the company's culture and style to determine how casual or professional yous should sound, advised Lim.
"Comprehend letters are slightly more emotive and you can apply the opportunity to showcase your purpose, passions and strengths in a strategic manner."
Next, use activeness-oriented words similar "initiated" or "revamped" to bear witness you lot played an active role in making things happen, said Lim.
"Avoid using vague, passive words similar 'assisted' or 'supported' that exercise not bespeak much about your scope of contribution." But be mindful not to exaggerate excessively, she said, every bit it may come across as hard to believe or less authentic.
In your resume or CV, Suresh recommended using concise and direct sentences, and cutting out buzzwords – even manufactures ("a", "an", "and", "the") and pronouns ("I", "me", "who") – for maximum impact.
Likewise, use action words and substantiate your claims with metrics to come across as credible and confident, he added.
"For example, stating, 'Directed team of 12, managing annual sales pipeline of Due south$12m' appears much more than impressive (and professional) than, 'Sales ninja, responsible for growing the brand's synergy'".
I HAVE SO MUCH TO INCLUDE – WHAT Practice I PRIORITISE?
When determining what to include or prioritise, focus on your well-nigh contempo roles equally these are likely to be the near relevant to your current career goals, advised Suresh.
"For roles that are 5 positions or over 10 years dorsum, jobseekers tin can often limit it to the job title, company, and dates."
Resumes should clearly express your value suggestion and achievements, and not simply a copy-and-paste of your roles and duties.
Don't tell grandmother stories and describe the mean solar day-to-day operations, said Lim. Instead, say how you have fabricated an impact in your work and quantify it.
"Ask yourself these 2 questions: 'What value did I bring to my previous part?' and 'If someone had the exact same chore scope every bit me, how were my contributions different from his?'. The crux is to tease out what makes y'all unique, and hence, a notch above the other candidates."
Lim added: "For someone who has held multiple positions over a period of time, highlight different skills and expertise across the various positions instead of repeating them".
THERE ARE GAPS IN MY RESUME – DO I Address THESE OR NOT?
Include the gaps briefly in your resume or CV, and substantiate how you lot have spent the time meaningfully, such every bit learning skills and gaining new experiences, said Lim.
You can also mention the gaps briefly in the cover alphabetic character and if they're brought upwards during the interview, speak positively nearly your break, advised Suresh.
"For example, new mothers can convey to employers how energised they are to return to the workforce, and demonstrate their enthusiasm, delivery and transferable skills," he said.
"As well, jobseekers who were recently retrenched tin can share how they have been productively upgrading their skills while searching for a new role."
READ: How to motivate yourself if you don't experience like going to piece of work tomorrow
The virtually important thing is honesty, highlighted both Suresh and Lim. "Employers appreciate honesty, and are also increasingly compassionate and understanding of job seekers' life circumstances," said Lim. Another proficient reason non to fudge employment dates? "Hour tin can hands contact past employers to verify these details," said Suresh.
Then WHAT Can I Exit OUT IN MY RESUME?
For jobseekers with over iii years' feel, they can omit CCAs, schoolhouse projects and other school activities, said Suresh. But if you oasis't had much work experience, such activities "may assist demonstrate transferable and essential skill sets, such every bit leadership and interpersonal skills, which can't otherwise be conveyed", he said.
If y'all exercise include CCAs, ensure that y'all "emphasise on your contributions and how information technology has impacted the guild or organisation", said Lim.
Your expected and last-fatigued salaries should as well be omitted, advised Lim, equally you don't want to lay out your cards upfront. "It might exist better to negotiate information technology directly when the job offer is being extended to the private or to disclose an expectation during the interview stage."
Another thing not to include is your photo if the ad doesn't ask for it. It's to prevent whatsoever unconscious biases during the selection procedure every bit recruiters are human, too, said Lim. "They are typically required simply for frontline jobs (for case, sales), or when specifically required by the employer during the awarding stage."
I DON'T Have A LOT OF Piece of work Feel – SHOULD I INCLUDE ALL?
Only if the experiences are relevant to your desired job or career goals, said Suresh. Yous can also include internship experiences and customs service as these can oft present opportunities to showcase transferable skills, industry knowledge, and ability, he said.
Jobseekers, who were recently retrenched, tin share how they have been productively upgrading their skills while searching for a new role.
Relevant courses that you've taken are also worth mentioning equally they show your interest and theoretical foundation in your desired field, said Suresh. "Some fields – such equally programming and artistic design – place more focus on capabilities than paper qualifications."
HOW LONG SHOULD MY RESUME Exist?
A maximum resume length of two to three pages is mostly acceptable for a mid- to senior-level jobseeker, said Suresh. "As a rule of thumb, the more concise a resume, the better." For fresh graduates or those with fewer than 5 years' feel, keep your resume within two pages, he recommended.
WHAT FONT AND FONT SIZE SHOULD I USE?
Serif fonts such equally Garamond, Cambria or Georgia are recommended for longer documents or paragraphs of text equally they look formal, clean, serious, professional and easy on the eyes, recommended Suresh. Opt for a font size between 11 and 12 points for the body text.
Alternatively, san serif fonts such as Lato or Helvetica are also suitable. "These are less common than Arial or Calibri, and more likely to catch recruiters' attention," he said.
If you prefer a fail-safe san serif font, Lim suggested sticking to Arial, Calibri or Helvetica, between 10 and 12 points – and vary the font size according to the amount of content you have on each page. "You tin as well accept titles or headers with bigger font sizes than your main content to guide the reader in differentiating between each section of your resume."
I'G APPLYING FOR A Artistic JOB – CAN I USE COLOURS AND DESIGNS?
Lim said that some level of aesthetics helps to take hold of the recruiter's centre, but don't overdo it as the focus should notwithstanding be on the experiences and skills. "We strongly propose to keep it at a minimum of 1 or two colours."
Even so, Suresh recommended sticking to a blackness-and-white format, and avert using fancy, complex or graphic-heavy designs and formats. "Many companies apply ATS (Applicant Tracking Organisation) scanners equally their start line of candidate screening, something not many jobseekers are aware of," he explained.
"Unfortunately, near fancy resume templates are not ATS-friendly, meaning not all the details of the resume volition be read by the scanner, and as a consequence, these candidates may be immediately rejected."
If y'all strongly feel about letting your creativity prove, let it testify in your cover alphabetic character or portfolio instead, he suggested.
Recent Searches
Trending Topics
pryorthenficed1940.blogspot.com
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/tips-how-to-right-resume-cv-job-application-236661
Post a Comment for "Applying for a job? How to write a resume that improves your chances of getting hired"