Building a Resume

It does not matter the decade, time, or area; resumes stand elite in showcasing your most esteemed assets. They are more important than ever to stay on top of when finding a top-quality job in 2022. Taking the time to “highlight” your valuable “assets” will get you far in the job hunt. So, what will push your resume past LinkedIn’s algorithm or straight to the top of the funnel for your next dream job? In this article, we will walk you through the traditional and newly unique ways of strategizing your resume in 2022.

A classic step-by-step guide to building your best resume 

Class resume formats still matter! Even in the new digital world, most hiring managers still appreciate a simple approach to your resume. Here are ___ steps to help guide you to your smoothest outline.

Format your resume

• Open the platform of choice you are using to create your resume (Microsoft Word, Pages, Google docs, etc.)

• Set your professional font to either Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica

• Spruce up your resume with a suitable template; throwing in a bit of color or some eye-popping graphics doesn’t hurt and will give your resume the attention it deserves.

Add contact details

It is essential for future employers to be able to get in contact with you; add it somewhere to the top portion of your resume.

• Full name

• Phone number

• Email

• LinkedIn

• Personal website or portfolio of works (if applicable)

To grasp the attention of hiring managers, add 2-3 bullet points or no more than 3-5 sentences of your skills tailored to the role you are applying for. This gives the employer a quick snapshot of your capabilities before reading forward and allows your resume to stand out from competitors.

It should look something like this:

Resume Highlights

• Determined sales development representative with 4+ years in the field, locating cold leads, walking them through the sales process, and converting them into clients.

• Brought in over 2.2 million through sales pipeline in 2 years, having closed 43%

• Drove positive communication through internal teams, as well as created long-lasting relationships with customers

Focus On Your Outcomes and Use Measurable Metrics

This one is extremely important to nail down. Hone in on what the organization is asking for in the job descriptions and target your previous work experience to the exact words they have published.

For example, when applying for a sales job, focus on what the job description explicitly asks for. Most sales jobs will want you to have experience capturing leads and successfully guiding them through the sales process. They will probably have keywords such as driving leads, prospecting potential clients, converting cold leads to hot leads, researching niche companies, exceeding a monthly quota, etc.

So, one of your bullet points might look something like this:

• Executed an outbound calling strategy from cold leads to warm leads, driving a close rate of 18%, exceeding target goals by 42%

This could have said, “exceeded quota all year.” The difference in adding measurable outcomes is a great way to stand out and show exactly what you have accomplished.

Highlight your Education and Certifications

Your past education history comes at the end of the resume, just below your work experience. Be sure to put your high-ranking degree or diploma; most companies are just interested in your highest level of achievement.
Include the following in your education section:

• The college you graduated from

• The degree obtained

• Graduation date

• Any achievements acquired (honors, cum laude, etc.)

• Technical or Related Certifications along with expiration dates (if applicable)

Proofread & Save as a PDF

Be sure to review, proofread and make necessary edits before submitting to potential jobs. Also, remember to save and download it as a PDF. When submitting resumes to the hiring manager, they want to see a solid format, don’t send in Microsoft layouts.

New & Unique Ways To Highlight Your Resume

Welcome to 2022! Although the classic resume’s design continues its reign, people are starting to get creative with standing out from the go-to standards. Here are a few fun options to consider when applying for new jobs!

Project-Based Resumes 

What is that, you ask? A project resume showcases the strongest and most successful projects you have worked on in the past. The information is not geared towards the role but towards what you successfully presented to your clients. This concept is more prevalent in the freelance and contracted world and does amazing things for these positions.

When submitting proposals or resumes to potential projects, management wants to know you have delivered and followed through on your projects from start to finish. So, let’s dive into an example of what employers are looking for!

When describing your projects on your resume, the format might look something like this:

Project Portfolio 

Project 1: Web Development, Bug Fixes, ABC.com, Front End Developer

Duration: 60 days

Technologies Used: Java, Redmine, HTML5, Git

• Redesigned ABC’s website to accompany branding relaunch and optimization for a smooth customer experience, raising customer experience metrics by 10%.

• Converted Flash-based navigation into HTML5 standard

• Development of their mobile version of the website

Video Resumes

Yes, you read that correctly. Do you really really want to stand out? Then this is your route! Video resumes are essentially everything you would put on paper but gives you the expression to break up the monotony of the resume expectations. It allows you to display your personal pizazz and what you bring to the table over other candidates.

Here are a few tips on how to begin to “record” a killer video resume:

• Make sure your video does not exceed 90 seconds.

• Write your script

• Include an introduction of yourself

• Verbalize company name; they want to know you’re paying attention.

• What type of professional you are

• Why are you passionate about this role?

• Specific accomplishments are tied into the job description.

• Social proof (if you have it)

• Closing- company name and talk soon

Here are a few websites that will help you create Hollywood-worthy content

• Invideo.io

• Biteable.com

• Veed.io

Conclusion

If you have followed our advice, you will be an expert in resume building. Now, let’s wrap up what we have learned!

• Focus on format

• Highlight your specific skill set

• Concentrate on the most prized experience

• Make sure to show outcomes and impacts with measurable numbers.

• Get creative with submissions.

• Pre-plan video resumes w/ a script.

• Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!

One last thing. It is always good to keep your resume updated even when you are not actively looking for a job. Your accomplishments will be fresh in your mind, and you can continuously formulate a great story during your interview process. See You Around!

 

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