There is a wealth of great talent and tons of great employers in BC, and this is contributing to more competition for jobs. You may come across a posting for a job you know you would rock – the question is, how can you make your resume stand out and show that you’re the right fit for the job?
Here are some things you can do to help you get your resume noticed by the right people.
Highlight your skills
It’s been said that recruiters can spend as little as 6 seconds looking at your resume before making a judgement. How can you make an impact in that short amount of time? Make sure your skills stand out and are easy to find. Try including a skills section at the top of your resume. This way, your skills will be one of the first things a recruiter sees. At a single glance, they’ll be able to tell if you have the qualifications they’re looking for.
Tip: If you are highlighting your experience and skills in something technical (with a programming language or computer program, for example), try to include your level of proficiency.
Tailor your resume to the job
If you are serious about wanting to work with a specific company, put the effort in to make sure that your resumes shows you are the right fit for the job. Read through the job description, identify the keywords, and use these terms when describing your own skills and experience. Make sure the skills you include are relevant to the position you’re applying for. If you want to include extra-curricular activities, make sure they reflect other qualities employers may be looking for. For example, being on a championship basketball team can show that you work well with a team, and volunteering can show that you have the same values as the company.
Tip: Using keywords can be helpful if you are applying for a job online, as a company’s ATS (applicant tracking system) can screen your resume for these terms. Don’t try to load your resume up with as many keywords as you can – these systems are smart enough to catch you.
Include transferable skills
Just because you’ve never worked in a certain field or position before doesn’t mean you don’t have relevant experience! If you are making a shift in your career path or if you are a student looking for a job, transferable skills are especially useful. While your past positions may not be directly related to the job you’re applying for now, you probably developed skills and knowledge that you could bring to this new role. For example, in a customer service role, you have to communicate effectively, work well in a team, and use your problem solving skills.
Tip: You can also develop transferable skills from doing assignments at school, side projects, and even volunteering! Don’t overlook these experiences.
Add context
Scholarships, awards, and other recognition can be great indicators of the work you have put into your education and career. One way to make these achievements stand out more is to add context to them. In other words, what did you do to earn them? Receiving a scholarship may be a big deal, but it’s much more impressive to know that you earned a scholarship because you were at the top of your class or because of your exceptional leadership skills. Similarly, being named Employee of the Month can look great on a resume, but this award will make more of an impact if you can say that you earned it because you found a way to cut costs by 20%, or because you were able to close the most sales that month.
Tip: Add context to your skills too! Think about how your specific skillset can help you succeed in situations you would come across in this potential new job.
Don’t forget about design
Making your resume fit the role can also mean thinking about the design and layout of your resume. If you are applying for a role that involves creativity, such as marketing or design, your resume should reflect the creativity that you would bring to the company. Alternatively, if you are applying for a role in a traditional or formal industry, such as accounting, you should stick to a more traditional layout. Have a look at different templates online and even in Microsoft Word.
Tip: Having a hard time trying to find ways to stand out creatively? There are plenty of online resources to help – try checking out Canva and Creative Market for fun resume templates.
These tips are sure to help you get one step closer to your next dream job. Where do you go from now? Upload your resume to BCjobs.ca and start connecting with employers today!
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