How to Impress the Hiring Manager with Your Resume
When you think about it, hiring managers probably go through heaps of resumes, with yours being just another one. What’s more, not all of them pore over resumes pedantically- they usually just skim through it. It is therefore of utmost importance that your resume is attractive enough to catch the hiring manager’s eye. But how?
One of the factors that decide this is the layout of the resume. The “what goes where” depends on the job requirements. So, you should zero in on prioritising and highlighting certain sections.
Usually, hiring managers study your resume in this order: related work experience; qualifications; skills; education; and other information available. It is also judged based on the organisation of the different sections, ease of reading and grammar.
Keeping these in mind, here are some useful tips that have been curated to present an efficiently structured resume that is bound to impress your hiring manager:
1. Position the resume and the job posting alongside each other.
The objective of the resume is to show the hiring manager that you qualify for all the job requirements. So if you arrange your qualifications next to the qualification requirements, it will obviously improve your chances of being hired. For example, if the job demands a prior work experience of 5 years in a particular field, then make sure your resume is worded accordingly. Highlight this in your Profile Summary, where you synopsize your qualifications.
2. Describe achievements in areas where the employer is looking for expertise.
Be specific when it comes to your successes in fields that the job posting has outlined. Let’s say that the posting has asked for prior experience in social media marketing. Then not only should you highlight your experience, but do so incorporating facts or figures, like putting down the 80% increase in sales of a product/service due to your work and efforts.
3. Give examples of how and when you put your skills to use
Don’t just catalogue your skills monotonously. If the job you’re applying to calls for a thorough knowledge of Photoshop, then instead of just enumerating it with the rest of your skills, mention how you used Photoshop to restore old pictures, design ad posters and rectify photography mistakes related to lighting, red-eye, etc. This way, you’re able to convince the hiring manager of your abilities and how they fulfil the requirements of the job.
The point of it all is demonstrating how you’re tailor-made for the job. Points are given for validating your skills and qualifications, but bonus points are up for grabs if all of the above is done through lucid illustration and eye-catching organization. At the end of the day, presentation matters.
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This is a handwritten article by Team InterviewBuddy.
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