- Create your professional profile
The professional profile is a short sentence that highlights your past work experience and your compatibility with the vacancy. This should include your title or position, required skills, and proper aptitudes for the job.
The professional profile of an experienced accountant could be written as follows: “Accountant with more than 15 years of experience, specialized in taxes and with great capacity to work under pressure.”
In the case of a recent graduate, you should emphasize your knowledge and skills; for example: “Certified designer with high dominance of Adobe Suite, sense of responsibility, and ability to multi-task.”
- Include your contact information
Your contact information is one of the most important sections of your resume. Most employers recommend including your full name, your phone number, and your email address. Some people nowadays include their Linked-in profile also.
Make sure there are no errors in this section and that your contact information is up to date. You don’t want to miss out on any potential job opportunities!
- Adapt the information to the vacancy
Just as no job offer is identical to another, your resume shouldn’t be either. But do not get it wrong, this does not mean that you should lie or make up your information, but rather consider adapting your resume to the characteristics of each vacancy.
For example, if you send your resume to a Non-Government Organization, emphasize your social work. In case of applying for a teaching position, mention the participation you’ve had in managing teens and your experience in front of groups of people.
- Follow a chronological order
A big mistake that is often made is the lack of chronological order. When a recruiter is in front of a resume whose dates are not organized, this can be interpreted it as job instability or simply lack of interest. Avoid this confusion and order your professional experience and jobs from most recent to oldest. - Describe your preparation and education
Like professional experience, preparation and education should be arranged in chronological order. If you have post-graduate studies, you do not need to include information about your primary or secondary school. Be sure to mention all the courses or trainings that are related to the vacancy. - Add skills relevant to the job
In this step it is necessary that you do an analysis of your own personality to identify which skills make you more suitable for the position. For example, when applying for an operational position in a call center, your creativity may not be as relevant, while your sense of responsibility and order is. Try to be as objective as possible so that you can recognize your skills and competencies. - Optimize your Resume
Many companies use Tracking software (ATS) to scan a resume before it is read by a human recruiter. These automated systems can search for specific words that you have included in your resume. If you want your information to pass this first filter, be sure to follow these steps:
-Submit your Resume in .DOC format or .PDF format;
-Put important data in the header or footer;
-Organize the text into bullets;
-Use keywords throughout the document.
Tip: You can analyze the job description you are applying for and search LinkedIn for similar profiles so you can extract keywords and use them in resumes.
- Show your work
Some vacancies lend themselves more than others to the presentation of examples. If you work in the design industry, it’s a good idea to attach a portfolio with some samples of your talent to your resume or include the link if you have a digital portfolio. - Take care of the design and presentation of your resume
The basic thing for a resume to be considered is that it has a professional and clean presentation, this means sober fonts, justified paragraphs and a line spacing that makes it easier to read. Although Word and Google Docs are enough to make a good resume, you can even use Canva to create a more attractive resume (design-wise).
Just remember that tracking software sometimes does not read documents in these types of formats. Before submitting your resume, make sure it will be read directly by someone and not by an automated bot or system.
- Check the spelling
Finally, make sure your resume is free of spelling mistakes (most software includes spell-check features).
Good Luck! Your dream job may be closer than you think.
Just create an attractive resume by following these simple steps and persevere in your job search.
