(1) Add a Summary
Before you fill in your resume with facts and figures about yourself, put a summary at the top. Consider it an elevator pitch. Recruiters have a lot of resumes to sift through, and your summary could very well make or break your chances of getting the job. A good summary should include a quick overview of your professional work and what you’re passionate about, as well as recent accomplishments and the impact of your work. It’s a quick overview of not just your resume, but you. It should make a recruiter want to learn more about you.
(2) Fill your resume
After a summary, our top piece of job search advice is always the same, state your worth. We see so many candidates understating themselves on their resumes, thinking their work would speak for itself and companies would appreciate a humble applicant. Hear us out though- your resume is probably being screened by a computer at least once before it lands on a person's desk, and if it doesn’t have the required skills for a job, it just won’t make it through screening. It’s as simple as that. So what can you do? Claim every single skill, skill in development, accomplishment, award, technical skill, and soft skill you can. When filling your resume, focus on three things, numbers, results, and strong language.
(3) Use strong language. Words like “lead”, “executed”, “managed”, “drove”, “experienced”, “passionate”, “dedicated”, convey confidence and strength. Another common mistake that can take away from the impact of your resume is too much focus on others. Keep the information in your resume about yourself, you don’t need to mention that you were part of a team, it’s implied you didn’t do everything yourself.
(4) Reword it for each job you apply to
Remember, a computer is looking at your resume first. Chances are, it is matching a job description to resumes and picking out only the resumes that fully or mostly match. Most of these systems cannot infer semantics. This means that a resume that states “managed various projects” might not match a job description that says “project manager experience”. It is worth it for each job you apply for to create a version of your resume using the verbiage of the job description you're applying for. Changing your resume to match the job description vernacular will help you increase your chances of making it through automated screening.
(5) Use industry wide terminology
Companies often have their own way of saying things. No matter how big or well-known a company is, outsiders probably aren't familiar with it. It’s wasted real estate on your resume to include company specific language. If your company calls assistant managers “level 3 leaders”, write that you were assistant manager at your company. Even if it isn’t your exact job title, it will help interviewers and hiring managers understand your role better, and also help your resume make it through automated screening, which is more likely to understand industry-wide terminology.
(6) Engage on LinkedIn
The pandemic solidified LinkedIn’s role in the modern job search process. It’s not only a place to find jobs, but users can look up fellow alumni who work at companies they apply to, be found by recruiters, and engage in conversations. Here’s how to make the most of your LinkedIn and increase your chances of being found by a recruiter.
(7) Send a thank you note
The job search advice that never gets old- send a thoughtful note after an interview. Whether it was on zoom, in person, or over the phone, it is an absolute must. Thank the interviewer for their time, reiterate your interest in the position, and ask any follow up questions you might have. They probably talked to a lot of people, a nice note will help you stand out from the crowd, and make you seem more engaged. You would be shocked to find out how many people skip this step. We often see that a follow-up note is the difference between one candidate getting the job over another.