In an era where the market is flooded with qualified individuals, job applicants are forced to draft impressive resumes to stand out from their competitors. After all, this vital document is the best way of convincing your prospective employers. Regardless of the jobs opening, the following 6 elements are ever-present in resume templates that are designed for success.
Contact Information
This is perhaps the most obvious element of a resume. Still, some job applicants forget to include this crucial part. In addition to mere presence, contact information should be conspicuous. It normally includes phone numbers, physical address, email address and so on. Where applicable, users can provide likes to their social media accounts.
According to experts, the contact information should be at the top to enhance its accessibility.
Professional Summary
After the contact information, the next element should describe the nature of the job opening that the resume owner is seeking. Because it outlines the professional title, this part is also referred to as the professional summary. For instance, an applicant can write ‘sales & marketing assistant’ or ‘certified accountant’, just below their contact information.
Skills
The skill that an applicant possesses determines their suitability for various job openings. This makes the skills section an integral part of any resume. Here, experts recommend the use of a bulleted list to outline your best capabilities. The use of lists is particularly favored because employers have to go through several applications. As of such, lists are considered to be time-saving.
Additionally, skills sections can also be improved by incorporating keywords as outlined in the job posting. Resumes whose skills match the keywords in job postings tend to be considered in before those without such keywords.
Education and Professional Certifications
Besides skills, another factor that is considered by employers is the education level of the applicant. This underpins the importance of including a section outlining your academic achievements in the resume. A standard education description includes the institutions attended along with the grade or certification attained. In this section, also, an individual can optionally include the professional certification they have received.
It is worth noting that fresh graduates are encouraged to list the education sections before the experience section.
Working Experience
Experience is another factor that weighs in substantially when it comes to landing employment opportunities. In this regard, applicants are advised to list their achievements rather than their responsibilities. The best way of highlighting these accomplishments is using numbers and statistics. For instance, ‘increased ROI by 56%’ is more effective than ‘increased profits.’
Customized Cover Letter
Although it is not an element within the resume itself, a great cover letter is compulsory if you wish to land that dream job. A cover letter goes hand-in-hand with the resume. As expected, it must be curated to match the description as outlined in the job opening. This means unlike a resume that can be used for different job openings, cover letters are specific to particular vacancies.
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