30 Facts On How to Write a Resume to Land Your Dream Role

The concept of writing a resume has gained significant attention due to the increasing demand for jobs. Lots of questions are being asked regarding various aspects of crafting an effective resume.

In today's competitive job market, it's evident that thousands of candidates are vying for each job role. Understanding the strategies that can set you apart and make you stand out is crucial to avoid being sent the dreaded "We regret to inform you" rejection emails. After reading this blog post, I am confident your job search success will improve.

Let's delve straight into the essentials of resume writing

Table of Content

• Crucial Aspects To Consider When Writing a Resume
• Points to Consider Before Writing a Resume
• Points to Note When Writing a Resume
• Crafting Your Work Experience Section
• Points to Note Before Sharing Your Resume
• Final Tips To Boost Your Chances of a Successful Job Application.

Crucial Aspects To Consider When Writing a Resume

1. A resume is more than a mere document; it's a marketing tool. The foremost and pivotal point to remember about a resume is that it serves as a MARKETING document designed to highlight your skills and experiences for potential recruiters and hiring managers. To put it simply, a resume narrates "Who you are" and "What you can do."
2. Furthermore, it's important to note that a resume's role isn't to secure you a job outright but to land you an interview opportunity.
   In the realm of job applications, your resume represents the initial impression the recruiter or hiring manager forms of you. With just one opportunity to make an impact, it's imperative to seize it and make it count.
3. A well-crafted resume comprises two primary sections: the Header and the Body.

Header Section: This is where you introduce yourself. Include:

• Your Name: Clearly and boldly written, matching your social media and ID documents.
• Your Email: Ensure it's a professional address, preferably Gmail.
• Phone Number/Official Social Media Link: LinkedIn is preferable for social media links in job applications.
• Location: Typically, mentioning the city and state is sufficient; exact details are necessary only when requested, especially for on-site roles.

Body Section: This is your main content area, serving as your lead magnet. It must be compelling and convincing. It comprises:

• Objective or Executive Summary: A concise description of your skills and abilities.
• Work Experience/Volunteering: A detailed yet succinct presentation of previous job roles and volunteering activities(Volunteering activities cover fresh school graduates without work experience), including achievements and impacts.
• Education/Certification: This is a presentation of your academic qualifications and relevant certifications.
• Skills (Technical/Soft): This is detailed information about your technical and soft skills relevant to the job.
• Tools/Software: This is Important for roles involving digital tools and software in their operations
• Awards: With this, you can demonstrate your competency based on recommendations from past employers.
• Interests (not Hobbies): Relevant fields and topics that align with the job, showcasing your value to the employer.
• References: Individuals who can vouch for your personality, work experience, and achievements, such as former bosses or team leads.

Points to Consider Before Writing a Resume

1. Don’t forget that a resume is a compilation of your work experience and achievements, highlighting their impact on organizations. Write that way.
2. Understand the job market and the specific requirements of your target niche. Research and understand your target audience – potential employers and companies.
3. Take note of the essential qualities and traits sought by the target company or employer. Tick the ones you have and develop the ones you lack.
4. When you encounter a related Job ad, study the job description, understand what they want, and make sure your work experience matches the Job requirements.
5. To do that, You will need to see with the eyes of the hiring organization. They are the ones hiring, so you need to see through what they want. Think like this; “will I employ someone with my qualifications?”
6. Make sure you add your necessary contact information. Don’t add any social contact that doesn’t give you a positive digital footprint. You can use a LinkedIn profile(Learn how to set a profile if you don't have one) or just leave your email there.
7. For Location, check if the role is remote or not. If it’s onsite, make sure your address matches the job location. If it's remote, your city and state are fine.
8. If you are a recent graduate who lacks work experience, write out your educational, volunteering, and leadership experience and achievements that qualify you for the role.
9. Never disdain or commonize those small leadership or volunteering roles you have played in the past. They can be a lifesaver.
10. Your resume must not necessarily be one-paged; just make sure it is concise and easy to read. Don’t force it into one page except specified.

Points to Note When Writing a Resume

1. Then, tailor your resume to match the job description, highlighting relevant skills and experiences that make you a perfect fit for it. This gives recruiters the impression that you spent time tailoring the resume to the job. You just got them impressed.
2. Present yourself as a doer, an achiever, and someone who can positively impact the organization.
3. Utilize keywords from the job description to pass ATS screenings.
4. Avoid adding unnecessary personal details like pictures, ethnicity, or date of birth unless explicitly requested.
5. When deciding between objective and summary, the objective is preferable. Most summaries are redundant lines used by numerous people, making them generic. Lean towards an objective for a more tailored approach(try to make it 4 lines or less).
6. Write in a professional tone, avoiding personal pronouns such as me, I, my, them, etc. Make it as official as you can.
7. Ensure well-formatted dates and organized presentation.

Crafting Your Work Experience Section

• Focus on achievements and impacts, not just roles or functions.
• Use active verbs and descriptive language.
• Describe methods and tools used.

Simply speaking, your work experience should contain:

• What you did - Use active verbs with strong descriptive power
• How did you do it?- Talk about methods and tools you used.
• Who benefited from it? -The brand, Company, Organization, clients, employees, and team.
• What were the end results?

This approach provides the hiring manager with a clear understanding of your capabilities and accomplishments. Utilize tools to showcase your competence when describing how you achieved results. For instance:

“Streamlined project workflows with Asana, resulting in a 30% reduction in project completion time and ensuring timely delivery of client projects.”

By incorporating these insights, your resume will be well-equipped to make a lasting impression and secure those coveted interview opportunities.

Example of Words Used to Describe “What You Did”

Learn about more of these kinds of verbs you can use for your writing a resume. You can also use AI prompt tools like chatGPT and Bard to get more ideas to use.

Lastly, it is very advisable to make use of verbs found in the JD. It helps you stand out.

Examples of Words Used to Describe “How You Did It”

• Strategically: Demonstrating a thoughtful and well-planned approach to achieving the goal.
• Innovatively: Employing creative and original ideas to solve challenges and achieve success.
• Efficiently: Utilizing resources wisely and completing tasks in a time-saving manner.
• Collaboratively: Working effectively with others and fostering teamwork to reach objectives.
• Proactively: Taking initiative and addressing potential issues before they become problems.
• Meticulously: Showing dedication, thoroughness, and attention to detail in executing tasks.
• Persistently: Overcoming obstacles and staying committed to achieving the desired outcome.
• Analytically: Using data and insights to inform decision-making and problem-solving.
• Effectively: Ensuring that actions lead to the intended results and objectives are met.

Examples of Words Used to Describe “Who It Benefited”

Points to Note Before Sharing Your Resume

1. Always proofread your resume before submitting it in case of errors. QUIT THE RUSH!
2. Check properly to make sure your resume is properly formatted. Some HR are very serious with resume formats and can fight you for it.
3. Get somebody to read it through for you. They must not be resumes or HR experts( I know your blood is hot, but calm down). Don’t always be in a rush to submit your resume.
4. Unless specified, always submit your resume in PDF format. It keeps your resume content in the correct format when it is shared, irrespective of the software reader used.
5. Do a 10-second read-through and see what you can get from it. Does it address the pain points of the job description?
6. Before sharing your resume, correctly name the file in the manner; “First name, Last name Resume.”

N.B: Everything in your resume must be relevant to the particular job you are applying for. If not, it will not stand out. You need to stand out of the crowd by being the best applicant ever recorded for that job.

Final Tips To Boost Your Chances of a Successful Job Application.

The journey of a job application doesn’t just end with submitting a resume to the company. Other tips boost your chances of a successful job application. Let’s talk about them briefly:

1. Follow up; follow up and track your application. that's a huge reason why most people don't get the interview. If you applied for a job online but didn't send it directly to a natural person, then make sure you follow it up.
2. You can do this by finding the name of someone in the organization (primarily people in or related to the hiring team) and pitching your application to them.
3. Look for a problem that you can help the company solve with your expertise, and talk a bit about how you can solve it in your cover letter. It could be an offer, rewritten or corrected content from their website, or a solution to a problem you noticed the company hasn’t solved. Remember, you are marketing yourself.
4. Lastly, fill in any gaps that can disqualify you for a job with learning and a process of improvement. Take online courses that can help you cover your gaps in experience.

In summary, Don’t lose motivation, keep trying, and stay committed to learning better ways to market yourself. Create an Excel sheet of jobs you have applied for, their roles, emails/phone numbers, their contact address, and the responses.

Reach out when you don’t hear anything from them after, say, a week or the stipulated job deadline. Set attainable goals and track them.

Above all, don’t enter into a job search alone. You need people around you to keep you accountable and motivated.

At the end of it all, Resume writing is more practical than theoretical. It’s for this reason we created a community where you can get your resume reviewed for free without any payment by experienced individuals in the employment industry.

Want to join a community of like-minded and passionate individuals who are focused on achieving their life goals?

Then, hurry now and join our Discord channel.

If you have any questions about this subject or digital skills related, leave them in the community, and you will get your answers ASAP.