If you think that simply writing a resume is everything that you need to get shortlisted for your dream job, you are highly mistaken. In today’s world, an average resume won’t do. It needs to be highly impactful and meaningful. Your resume should be able to objectively articulate your professional expertise in the best presentable manner.

So, in this blog, we will be broadly covering the top 3 tips to help you write an impactful resume.

1. Do not write a generic resume for all your target jobs. Customize each resume according to each job listing:

Almost 90% professionals who apply for different positions make the common mistake of sending the same resume for every job. Doing this automatically decreases the chances of getting shortlisted as you fail to address the needs of each job listing that you are targeting.

Thus, if you are applying for multiple profiles, make sure that you reframe your resume as per the ‘Job Description’ of that organization and customize each resume according to your target job listing.

For Example, if you are simultaneously applying for the post of a ‘Content Writer’ and an ‘Editor’, check the job description first, and then fashion your resume accordingly.

2. Include all relevant sections in your resume:

Most recruiters look for relevance in your resume. If it fails the test of relevance, it will fail to be an impactful resume.

To help you write a relevant resume as per a recruiter-friendly resume outline, we have compiled a list of all the relevant must-have sections that you should include in your resume:

• Header
• Professional Summary/Objective
• Skills (Key and Technical)
• Education
• Projects (if any)
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (If any)

3. Perfect each section of your resume to create an impactful resume:

Now that you know what the quintessential sections of your resume are, all you have to do now is perfect each section. Doing this will ensure that each section meets the best industry standards.

Once you perfect each section, you’ll be able to write an impactful resume as all sections together go into the making of an impactful resume.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you perfect each section:

• Header: As a rule of thumb, your real full name is the de-facto resume header of your resume. It should always feature at the top-most part of your resume. This gives your resume an individual identity of its very own and it tells the recruiter whose resume it is that they’re evaluating. Avoid writing ‘Resume’ or ‘CV’ at the top of your resume as it is implicit and you do not need to explicitly specify it in your resume.

• Personal Information: This section is important as it carries important contact details regarding you. In this section, you should mention your updated mobile number, your professional email address and your location of residence in city/state format. The personal information section is important as a recruiter gets in touch with you using the contact information that you have provided in this section. This is why this section needs to be accurately written.

• Profile Title: Your profile title is important as it communicates important career-related details such as your most recent professional designation and level of seniority in your functional industry. Your goal here it compose a profile title accurately without grossly exaggerating it as any kind of tampering will be considered an act of dishonesty and a deliberate move on your part to cheat the recruiter. 

• Summary: Your resume summary is a brief outline of your professional life. The trick here is to not blatantly list out your skills in this section, but describe how you can use your skills to deliver a quantifiable impact. This will resonate with the recruiter as your focus will be more on how your skills can benefit their organization. This is something that a recruiter finds irresistibly tempting and thus helps you write a meaningful and highly impactful resume! 

• Key Skills: The best way to endorse your skills & capabilities is by making a separate resume skills section that is entirely devoted to your skills. This makes your skills more visible to a recruiter. Moreover, if you have separate technical skills, you should make two sections – one for your core skills, and the other for your technical skills. A meaningful bifurcation of your skills is a hallmark of a great resume. Distinguishing your core skills from your technical skills will help the recruiter easily identify your area of proficiency and help it stand out like fireworks in a cloudy sky. 

• Education: While your educational background is not a deal breaker, just endorsing your educational qualifications (for instance holding a master’s degree) can make all the difference to your job application especially when you’re competing head-to-head with someone who has the same professional experience as you. So, make it a point to list down your educational information in the education section of your resume. This will make your resume more meaningful and relevant. 

• Professional Experience: The professional experience section is where the gold lies. It is in this section that you get the chance to objectively articulate your professional expertise by getting into the explicit details of your roles & responsibilities in each organization that you have worked in. To make the most of this section;

• Use one-liner points to talk about your roles & responsibilities: this enhances the readability of your resume. Good readability makes it easy for any recruiter to comprehend your resume which ensures that at the very least, it will do the bare minimum of encouraging a recruiter to read your resume in its entirety.
• Group similar points under unique subheadings and highlight your main achievements in each point using bolding: By merely looking at the subheadings, the recruiter will know your key roles, and by merely looking at the words you have highlighted using bolding, you will be enhancing the impact of your resume as you would be directing the recruiter’s attention to your key achievements.

• Certifications: Just briefly mentioning your certifications in your resume can make all the difference in your job application as it adds value. A professional who has taken the initiative to get certified will always stand out vis-à-vis someone who has not gotten certified in anything.

Conclusion

When it comes to writing an impactful resume, the tiny details matter. It logically follows that you need to perfect each section of your resume to write an impactful one. All you have to do now is follow this article and you’re good to go!