5 Tips for an Engaging Resume

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


During your job search, your primary goal is to capture the attention of recruiters and hiring managers by selling your skills in an engaging manner. However, if your resume falls short, your opportunities are limited. Craft an engaging resume to increase your chances of acquiring an interview and landing the job you desire.

1. Seek Help From a Mentor

Avoid trying to create an engaging resume on your own. Enlist the help of a mentor or a member of your professional network to review your application materials. A keen eye reviewing your document for errors or a lack of keywords from the industry can significantly impact the effectiveness of your job search portfolio.

2. Inquire About Your Brand

Focus on how you are communicating your skills and experience as you review your career documents with a mentor. Discuss the impression you are making, and inquire about how you are displaying your brand and expertise. A professional and engaging resume is crucial to get your foot in the door and capture the attention of potential employers. Ensure you are listing your relevant experience and highlighting the skills each employer is seeking.

3. Pay Close Attention to the Format

Craft materials that are easy to read by formatting your resume in a font that is easy to read. Although a script font may look fancy, if employers struggle to read the text, you may be putting yourself at a disadvantage. Avoid long blocks of text, and use bullets to list your job duties to polish off an engaging resume that hiring managers are eager to read.

4. Be Selective When Listing Experience

Hiring managers typically scan application materials for keywords and the experience required for each position. Make your documents stand out by using phrases from the job description and matching your skill set to the skill set that the company is seeking for this position. Avoid over-explaining, and keep your wording concise to produce an engaging resume.

5. Add a Professional Photo

If you have a professional photo of yourself against a solid background, include it on your resume to further engage potential employers. Limit the use of a photo to a headshot in which you are dressed professionally. Hiring managers are seeking candidates who can represent themselves professionally at all times. A professional photo on your resume can help you to stand out from the other applicants.

Take the time to proofread your application materials carefully to eliminate spelling or grammar errors and identify the impression you are making. An engaging resume that communicates your experience and skills in a professional manner can put you at an advantage, especially when hiring managers are seeking applicants who are personable and interesting.


Photo Courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Bill thanks for your comment. Sorry that you feel that way. Personally I got my job through a job board and so have many people. Certainly you can follow up. You have the company name - look them up. Do some research. Check them on Linkedin - see if you know anyone in the company that you can reach out to. You can always find a number for the HR department and can call to check on your resume. Using recruiters or a temp agency is another viable way to search for a job. So, if you aren't using job boards or a recruiter, how are you applying for employment? I am sure our readers would welcome an answer to that question.

  • Bill Koerner
    Bill Koerner

    @Nancy, there is NO way to follow-up with the company. With some companies, you can track your application on-line, but generally no way to contact anyone. Frankly, I no longer apply on-line, and am even hesitant to apply through recruiters for the same reason. Generally, it is a waste of time.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Bill thanks for your comment. Sorry that you are not getting any responses. Have you tried to follow up with the company to find out the status of your application? As @Graham indicated, many people apply for just one position so it could be that the company is still attempting to weed through all of the applications. Or it could be that your application did not make it through the ATS. There is really no way to know except to attempt to follow up with the company. If it's been awhile, I would move on. Make sure that you have included "key" words into your resume and cover letter. Without those keywords, your resume could be discarded before it reaches human eyes. We wish you all the best.

  • Graham L.
    Graham L.

    Graham L. Its hard to get a response when there is 1500 before you

  • Bill Koerner
    Bill Koerner

    Nancy Anderson, I have applied to jobs on Beyond.com, and never get a response from the poster. I do believe I get an e-mail from Beyond indicating that my application was submitted, but have yet to hear anything back from the companies posting on the site.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    Thanks for your comments. @Margaret so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience on our site. Did you apply for jobs and not receive any response? Many people misunderstand sites like ours. They think that we are here to find jobs for them - like a temp agency or a recruiter. We are neither. We post jobs in one place for you to review and submit your application. In addition, it sounds like you were getting job leads that were not applicable to you. Did you check your account to see what career alerts you added and if you are receiving job leads based upon that? If you did not add an alert, the system will try to match you up based upon keywords in your resume. Please note, though, that the alerts are simply that - alerting you that new jobs were posted. Surely you were not basing your entire job search just on those leads? You need to be proactive if you hope to be hired. Check our site daily as new jobs are posted daily. We wish you all the best.

  • Conya McPherson
    Conya McPherson

    selling your skills in any talent that you have that the people doing the interview are focusing on.

  • Margaret K.
    Margaret K.

    Never got a job just calls for thing I did not sing up for no real job lead here

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