Hiring trends correlate with business cycles, while September & October months are considered to be apt months for job search. Corporations are looking to meet their year end targets & leverage maximum benefits of remaining annual budget. HR folks also prefer to have new recruits join & settle before the holiday mood starts taking shape by mid November/December.
If you’re on look out for a new role or organisation, or willing to relocate to a place you’ve always wanted to, then the following tips for updating your resume are worth considering:
1.) Keywords research
In today’s technology paced world, no organisation resort to manual means of shortlisting resumes. Most of the organisations use Automated Tracking System(ATS) software to extract relevant information from your resume. These organisations &/or headhunters firm run algorithm that require job seekers to use industry & job function specific titles, keywords & phrases. These softwares extract personal details, experience, skill set, education qualifications, employers, job titles, length of employment & achievements. Your best step forward should be populate your resume with relevant keywords & phrases.
2.) Resume is not a summary of job responsibilities
Evaluate your core strengths & skill set/expertise & determine how they relate to a particular role you wish to apply. Resume can never be a list of job responsibilities/deliverables. Rather focus on identifying your achievements & how you can include them in your resume to make compelling business case for yourself.
3.) Articulate your soft skills
Merely boasting about your communications skills, leadership traits & team work would not give you a level playing field. Instead demonstrate your soft skills explaining your achievements.
4.) Compelling Executive Summary
Your first 3 lines or executive summary is the most important part of your resume & is considered to be the maker or breaker of situation. This section is also referred to as elimination section, since headhunters/potential employers reject resume after going through summary section. So you have to make sure that the summary should be compelling to make a strong case for your candidature. Try to figure out your best achievement till date, or what differentiates you from other candidates, what kind of roles you are exploring & in which Geographies, what is your unique selling point.
5.) Sell your story
Focus on including your professional experience along with value added/created. Use strong verbs to showcase OAR- What was Objective? What action you took (deliverables/tasks) ? & what was end result( measurable benefits- reduced cost, improved sales, improve productivity, operating efficiency, optimized operations, raised funds at attractive cost etc)? Your resume should depict how you solve the pain points of your employer.
6.) Include voluntary activities
Your resume becomes a value addition if you include some activities you’ve been involved into such as assisting NGO, taking part in fitness competitions etc. This portrays your well rounded personality.
7.) Resume tailor made to specific roles
You should study the job description/specification carefully & customize your resume to suit that particular role by populating it with industry & role specific keywords. This shall include covering essential criteria for that particular role.
8.) Avoid including generalized words/phrases
You should not include generalized phrases such as “ result-oriented professional”, “ excellent communicator, “ negotiator” or “ credible relationship management”. All such phrases do not add value to your resume unless backed by measurable benefits generated out of these actions. Instead of including such phrases, focus on action points & results that substantiate your claim.
9.) Check for typos
You should revisit your resume at least 3 to 4 times to figure out any typos & grammatical errors. Most of the resumes are rejected because of typos/grammatical errors. Consider using grammarly to eliminate such errors. Make your resume a marketing document depicting a compelling business case that showcases why you are the deserving candidate to be called for an interview.
In case you’re scouting for another role and looking to get your resume enhanced, get in touch with our resume coach.
