How to Draw Attention to the Best Parts of Your Resume

In today’s tough job market, an outstanding resume is an absolute must for job seekers young and old. Whether you are a new college graduate looking for your first job or a seasoned professional in search of greener pastures, if your resume is weak, it’s certain to be overlooked. A hiring manager spends 30 seconds or less on each resume that crosses her desk. Make sure yours is the one that catches her eye.

Creating an outstanding resume is part art and more than a little science, according to recent data reported by Forbes. The online jobs board ZipRecruiter analyzed employer responses to over 3 million resumes and cover letters to determine what constitutes the kind of resume that gets noticed time and again. What they found is that how you present yourself and the words you use to do so are as important to getting a potential employer’s attention as what you have to say. For instance, words and phrases that hint at inexperience, such as “first,” “develop,” “hard” and “learning” correlate very strongly with a negative response, while those that convey confidence and self-assurance are a big plus. The five words at the top of the get-noticed list were: “experience,” “management,” “project,” “development” and “business.” Interestingly, “develop” was on the list of words that were 79 percent less likely to get the highest rating, while “development” was on the list of words that were 70 percent most likely to get high marks.

Another important highlight from ZipRecruiter’s data was how to structure an outstanding resume: what to leave in and what to leave out. The top-rated resumes in the company’s analysis contained the following headings: “Objective,” “Summary,” “Work History,” “Training” and “References.” They did not include a list of accomplishments, personal interests, hobbies or languages spoken, all of which correlated with a 24 percent greater likelihood that the resume would get low marks. Brevity was important, too. The most outstanding resumes in ZipRecruiter’s data were between 600 and 700 words.

Relevance is extremely important to creating an outstanding resume, says professional resume writer Abby Locke in a feature on Nexxt. List only the work history, training and professional accomplishments that relate directly to the job you are applying for, even if that means you must create five different resumes for your job search. Further, limit your career

accomplishments to clearly quantifiable aspects of your former positions, such as revenues you achieved, the number of employees you supervised and specific ways you improved the company’s bottom line. Remember to use strong verbs like “increased,” “streamlined” and “improved,” and add bullet points to call attention to your crowning achievements. Also, keep in mind that a hiring manager may use a tablet or even a smartphone to view your resume electronically, so format the document so that your most important professional accomplishments are at the top of the page.

Creating an outstanding resume is not terribly complicated: Simply keep it relevant; keep it brief and present yourself in a positive light. Lastly, heed the advice of ZipRecruiter’s Allan Jones and, “Present yourself as someone who is ready to step right in and help a company’s bottom line.”

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