A resume is a summary of the experience, skills, and achievements that you use to apply for different jobs. Your resume should interpret how many years of experience you have and highlight your relevant skills and interests. This information can be shortly written in the ‘professional profile’ in the resume, located at the top of the document.
What does your resume say about you? – it’s up to you. You should always use a resume to indicate items that show you are a dedicated worker, qualified for the position, and bring the required skills to the company.
How Your Resume Reflects Your Professional Skills and Personality
Tailoring Your Resume for the Job You’re Applying For
What to say about yourself on a resume is really important when looking for a job. Your resume indicates who you are as a professional, and you can tailor it in a way to show your employer that you are suitable for the position.
On average, recruiters spend 6-10 seconds reviewing your resume. That means you have little time to impress and interest your potential employer. Here we’ll give you some tips on how to make an impressive resume:
- Carefully read the job description you want to apply for and determine its phrases and keywords
- Search for items that are mentioned a couple of times in the job description
- Emphasize those items when discussing your skills and experience in the resume
- Be thoughtful about what to include in the skills and experience
- Don’t make the resume more than one page if you don’t have 5-10 years of experience in the field.
Highlighting Key Achievements and Skills
If you want to effectively highlight your main achievements in the resume, in every accomplishment, you should always include the challenge, the actions you took, and the results of your work. When answering these questions, indicate them in time and numbers. Quantify your achievements by adding percentages or specific outcomes. For example, if you managed a team, say: Managed a team of 15, and increased productivity by 25% in 6 months.
Near the top of the resume, above your professional experience, there’s a space to list your soft and technical skills that speak directly to the job posting’s required qualifications. This is also a relevant place to add keywords you identified in the job description.
Common Resume Mistakes That May Misrepresent You
Overloading Your Resume with Buzzwords
What does a resume have that interests your employer? – you already know the answer to this question. Now let’s discuss what to avoid to create a professional and effective resume.
Overloading your resume with buzzwords can misinterpret your skills and decrease your credibility. Words like: result-driven or team player, may sound impressive, but overuse can make your resume blend into many other generic applications.
Recruiters value specific examples and measurable achievements over generic descriptions. On your resume, focus on showing how you demonstrated the mentioned qualities through your work. Indicate examples, numbers, and results that highlight your skills.
Lack of Quantifiable Results or Metrics
Another common mistake about what to say in a resume is when you don’t include measurable results, which just makes your resume generic like other applications. It’s important to add responsibilities in a resume but without indicating specific numbers, it becomes difficult for recruiters to see your effectiveness in previous positions.
Your proof of accomplishments can be shown in cost-effectiveness, revenue growth, productivity, etc. Measurable achievements highlight relevant facts about your skills and experience, which makes it easier for recruiters to see your capabilities before an interview.
Inconsistent Formatting and Poor Design
What does your resume say about you doesn’t only refer to information written in the document. Inconsistent formatting and poor design on a resume show your lack of attention to detail and professionalism. When you use different fonts or uneven spacing, it makes your resume look messy, which may distract recruiters from your qualifications.
A well-organized resume shows your organizational skills and improves readability. Try to use simple and professional fonts, and align text properly. When you design your resume well, it’s easier for recruiters to find key accomplishments and get a positive impression.
Resume That Reflects Your Strengths
Show Leadership and Problem-Solving Skills
Things to say about yourself on a resume should include items that show your strengths and abilities. For this, you should focus on leadership and problem-solving skills, and specific examples that show the results you achieved for the company.
Indicate your leadership roles, including if you have led a team or any kind of project you have managed. Use language that reflects action, like led, supervised, and coordinated because they clearly describe the responsibilities you had in the company.
When it comes to problem-solving, share some examples of challenges you overcame and the way you managed them. Make sure to include outcomes that show specific results for the growth.
Include Relevant Certifications and Educational Background
If you want to make your resume perfect, include relevant certifications that you accomplished. It shows your dedication to the industry and career you chose and makes recruiters your achievements too. It indicates that you have some specialized skills and knowledge from the course you took.
Educational background is important as well. Include your degrees and where you studied to support your expertise. List some training or coursework related to your field if you have one to reinforce your qualifications. You can also add main academic achievements, like GPA or awards you were given.
What Employers Look for When Reading Your Resume
Clean, Professional Layout
What does your resume say about you is the most important part of getting a new job. That’s why you should always consider not only the information you include in the resume but the format of how you design the whole document too. When recruiters open your resume, the first thing they see is the design and format of it.
When you start building your resume, try to make it clean by using simple fonts, a professional layout, and a clean design. This shows your organizational skills and attention to detail, which creates the first impression on your potential employers.
Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence
Soft skills and emotional intelligence are traits that are highly valued by recruiters when they look for a new candidate. While technical skills and experience are very important, soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability show how you interact with others and handle challenges. As for emotional intelligence, which includes empathy and self-awareness, it is also increasingly relevant in today’s work environments.
If you want to include these qualities in your resume, apply them to real-life situations to make it look more effective. For example, you can mention how your communication skills resolved a problem or conflict in your team that improved customer satisfaction.
With all this information you read through, you can create a very impressive resume and use it to find the perfect job for you at AI Talent Flow.
FAQs.
- What key qualities should your resume highlight?
If you want to highlight key qualities in your resume, include relevant skills, experience, measurable achievements, and a strong work ethic. Add information to show your problem-solving and leadership abilities with real-life examples or situations. If you have any certifications that are related to the job you’re applying for, add them to your resume to indicate the skills needed for the position.
- How do you make your resume stand out to recruiters?
If you want your resume to be unique for recruiters, always create it specifically for the job you’re going to apply for. For this, you should indicate your relevant skills and achievements that are connected to the job requirements. Always use simple language and verbs that express action to showcase your contributions in previous positions. Always avoid including buzzwords and make sure the design and format of the document are aligned accordingly.
- What are the most common mistakes in resumes?
Common mistakes in a resume are overloading it with buzzwords, not including specific achievements, and inconsistent formatting. If you don’t add some accomplishments to your resume, you’ll make it harder for recruiters to see your real abilities. Any grammatical errors or typos are also very big red flags, as they show your lack of attention to detail. Consider all these things and your resume will always stand out.
- What information should be avoided in a resume?
On your resume, always avoid including personal information like age, social security number, or marital status. Skip outdated or irrelevant work experience that doesn’t relate to the job description you’re applying for. Don’t include negative words or the reasons why you left previous jobs. Also, never include salary expectations in your resume or any kind of unprofessional email address.
- What does a resume say about a person?
A resume shows an individual’s professional background and indicates their skills, experience, and achievements. It indicates their career interest, work ethic, and attention to detail through design and format. A well-organized resume shows if the person applying for a job is suitable for a potential employer’s needs and requirements.
- How do you explain about me on a resume?
In the ‘about me’ section of your resume, provide a brief and engaging summary of your experience and professional background, and add some key skills and career goals as well. Include what makes you unique for the job, and focus on your strengths and relevant experiences. Keep it around 2-3 sentences and use a confident tone.
