Your resume is obviously a key component to the job application process and recruiters/HR staff have tons to thumb through once you make it pass the automated resume scanners. Therefore, it is important that your resume stands out. Over the past 9 years, ready to go resumes has seen the majority of applicants follow presentation tactics that suite themselves instead of the industry’s best practices. It is hard to actually annotate all work experiences and qualifications but capturing those that are related to the position of interest are important. Ready to go resumes offers a few tips for creating a resume that stands out:
Rather federal or civilian resume; you need the correct resume format. Federal resumes include: demographic information, objective (job announcement and job title/grade), job history, education, job training, awards, education, and an additional information section that captures those KSAs that do not quite fit into your job experience. When annotating the job history, the requirement is to add addresses, supervisor information, salary, and dates of employment. Civilian resume require less: demographic information, experience summary, job history, job training and awards, education, and additional information (optional). Resume formats should not have all the colors and borderlines. Make it simple, readable, and ATS friendly.
Keep your resume content direct: keeping your resume concise and direct increases the readability. Also, annotating those key experiences, abilities/skills, and accomplishments tells the reader you are about business; results driven professional that focuses on the job. Target the specific job by adding keywords and duties/responsibilities in the job announcement. Think about relevant experiences and consider going back 10 years maximum if you can help it. What you did 20 years ago most likely doesn’t matter; unless it adds value. Military retirees run into this issue, but here is how you can combat this. Create a separate section in your resume titled: Prior Experience or Added Value, and capture the other 10 years of experience in 1 concise paragraph; annotating job titles, key accomplishments, and relevant skills.
Other considerations: fix social media presence, utilize action verbs and stay away from the unhelpful statement “responsible for”; it doesn’t tell the reader you did it – it only shows you were responsible for it. Go further than simply annotating job duties; HR reps and recruiters like to see examples that prove you are qualified; reducing costs, identifying errors, developing department work processes, setting standards, and accomplishing results. Finally, follow application instructions (especially federal jobs). Read application submission instructions in full; sometimes requirements include submission of specific documents or applying on another website. Also, applications ask for repetitive information, references, Cover Letter, unofficial transcripts, certificates etc. Their goal is to reduce the number of resumes received. Good luck, Get Yours Today!
