What's the best way to make your resume stand out on top of your peers?

Hi,

Resume Writing Guide gives you an overview of each section of your resume, followed by some quick tips and actual resume examples that you can use as model for your own resume:

Step 1: Your Summary Statement

Your summary statement is the first thing that recruiters will see. So think of it as your big chance to catch someone’s attention. You also want to show hiring leaders that you’re a great fit for the job. You can do this by using the skills and keywords that are in the job description in your summary statement – just make sure you only use those that reflect your experience (no exaggerating or lying on your resume!).

Your statement can be written in either sentence form or bullet-point form and should be short, but effective – no more than 3 sentences or bullet points; it should also contain the following information:

Your professional title
Top 2-3 skills
Specific expertise, professional traits, accomplishments

Step 2: Your Skills Section

Write Your Summary Statement image
The skills section – often called the "Qualifications" or "Areas of Expertise" section - of your resume is a list of your top skills. This section of your resume is your chance to showcase your abilities to employers in a quick and easy-to-read way.

Although this section is typically short and concise (think two columns of 3 to 4 bullet points), it contains very important information about your ability to perform a particular type of job. Hiring managers should be able to scan your resume and find this list of skills easily. Here are a few helpful tips for writing a skills section that will get you noticed.

Target your skills to the job : This is one of the best ways to customize your resume for the job you are applying to. Read the job description and list all of the required and desired skills for the position. Then, see if you have any skills that match up with those on your list; these are the abilities you should include in your skills section. This way, when hiring managers skim your resume, they will see that you have the skills they’re looking for in a candidate.

Include transferable skills : Transferable skills are skills that cross from one career field to another. These skills can be applied to a variety of positions. Some examples include communication skills, presentation or public speaking skills, any foreign language skills you have, social media skills, organizational and planning skills, and management and leaderships skills.

Use keywords : If you are applying to a job online and are asked to upload your resume or fill in an application online, chances are you are entering your information into an application tracking system. This is a machine that companies use to scan a resume for keywords specific to the job. Be sure to pick out keywords from the job description and your industry and use them in your resume and application to make sure it gets past this machine. Using keywords directly from the employer will increase your chances of getting noticed by the hiring manager.

Step 3: Your Work History

Write Your Summary Statement image
While all parts of your resume are equally important, your work history section is where you will be discussing your direct experience and your accomplishments, and it’s critical to get this one right.Let’s start with the basics. Your work history section should include the following:

Positions and/or titles you held
Names of organizations where you were employed
City and state of each organization
Employment periods for each job, written as Month/Date – Month/Date
Brief descriptions of your experience in bullet format
This section will be a combination of your job responsibilities and duties along with your work achievements. Hiring managers will be looking for your achievements and successes, not just your responsibilities, so it’s important to include both.

Step 4: Your Education Section

Write Your Summary Statement image
Your educational background can be an important part of your resume and should communicate your background quickly and simply to potential employers. Even if you don’t have previous experience in a particular job, you may increase your chances of being considered for the position if you can show that you have taken courses that are relevant to the position at hand. Here are some tips to help make your education section work for you:

List the highest level of education first. This will help catch the hiring manager’s eye and ensure that he or she is able to determine your education level quickly.
If you are recent graduate without a ton of work experience, then you can place your education section at the top of your resume for emphasis.
Include your educational information in this order:

Degree or diploma name is listed first.
Major(s) follow the degree. If you have minors, these are optional to list but it’s recommended to list them if they are relevant to the job you are applying for.
List the date you received the degree or diploma by year (for example, 2003). If you are soon-to-be grad, you can list your expected graduation date.
Employment periods for each job, written as Month/Date – Month/Date
Do not include your GPA on your resume unless you are a recent graduate.

Read the full article that presents a tutorial on how you can write a great resume:

https://www.livecareer.com/how-to-write-a-resume

Good luck!

Hi RJ,
Great question. By thinking about your resume in high school, you’re already ahead of the game! Daniela provided the information for you to build a strong foundation for your resume, because once you get the content down then you can move forward with making it stand out amongst the rest. I review resumes from applicants constantly, so I know what stands out. Here are my tips:

• 
  

  Full page
  When I receive a resume that is solid and filled with information, I’m impressed. If someone has listed plenty of experience so that it fills the entire page without looking like it’s trying too hard to take up room, I immediately get the sense they’re a stron candidate. And this is even without reading what the resume actually says! So make sure you have a plenty of experience volunteering, doing extracurriculars, working on projects, and just going above and beyond to show your involvement.

  
  


• 
  

  Subtle visual/color elements
  Canva.com is a website I recommend to every single person working on their resume. Canva has amazing, pre-made resume templates that you can fill in with your own information. They range from totally funky/unique to visually outstanding in a subtle way. Whenever I’ve received a resume that goes beyond the basic font, single spacing, black text uniform, it has grabbed my attention resulting in my inviting them in for an interview.

  
  


• 
  

  Clear, consistent formatting
  While you want your resume to stand out visually, make sure that the font/spacing/indentation is all consistent, and make sure that your resume is easy to read and follow. If a resume is formatted in a way that allows the reader’s eye to easily glide down the page, they’re going to more easily read the entire thing with ease.

  
  


• 
  

  Relevant experience
  Lastly, the biggest component of your resume that will help you stand out is the experience outlined in it. If your experiences are relevant to the job or position you’re applying to, that’s the most reliable way to have your resume stand out among the others.

  
  

Best of luck to you and feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

Study the website of any organization where you wish to apply and customize your resume to reflect their mission statement and values.  Show them you are aligned with whatever they want to accomplish.  Emphasize your flexibility and experience in working with all types of people (if you don't have that experience, volunteer now in a variety of roles such as serving meals to the homeless, become a pen pal to a prisoner, etc. )

And be sure your resume is less than a page and very easy to read.  Chances are most people will focus on your first two sentences.

With every good wish! 

make sure to use Action words and concrete numbers in your resume. for example if you were a babysitter dont say " watched children" instead say " provided quality care for 2 children 4 hours each week". This is more measurable and shows maturity.