Engage the Hiring Manager With These Tips

Good writing skills are always important, but they really come in handy during a job search. A hiring manager is likely to see your resume before speaking to you on the phone or meeting you in person, so you need to make a strong impression via the written word. If you have been struggling to write an engaging resume, follow these tips for capturing the attention of the hiring manager.

Using an engaging writing style is one of the best ways to capture and maintain the reader's attention. Instead of relying on boring lists of job duties to tell the hiring manager about your experience, provide concrete examples of your achievements. Action verbs and short, punchy sentences make your job history more interesting. Keep sentences short and to the point or you risk losing the hiring manager's interest.

A compelling resume communicates information in a way that is easy for other people to understand. One of the cardinal sins of resume writing is making the hiring manager wade through big chunks of texts. If possible, use bullet points to break up long paragraphs and make it easy for hiring managers to scan your resume. Special formatting, such as bold headings, also makes your resume easier to read.

You have a limited amount of space to list your achievements and tell hiring managers about your employment history. Don't waste any of that precious space on skills, job duties, or previous employers that have no relevance to the open position. If you're applying for a job in the marketing department, the hiring manager doesn't need to know that you scooped ice cream or worked at a fast-food restaurant during high school. If your resume has any references to your family or your hobbies, remove them. You want the hiring manager to assess you based on your qualifications for the job rather than your interest in archery or the number of kids you have.

Unless you are applying for a job in the art field, keep your resume format simple. Complicated formatting is confusing, and it can be a real turn-off for hiring managers. Present information in a way that makes sense for your industry. For most people, starting off with a professional summary is the best way to capture attention. Then you can have headings for your employment history, professional skills, education and certifications. Use a font that is easy to read on paper as well as on the screen.

Most resumes contain similar information, so you need to pique the hiring manager's interest by using an engaging writing style and an attractive resume format. Make your resume more appealing to a hiring manager by using an easy-to-read font and eliminating large blocks of text. Done right, your resume can shorten your job search and help you land a job faster than you thought possible.

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