Job Recruiters in Lancaster, PA Provide Five Ways to Create an All-star Resume

You have seconds to impress a hiring manager. We know what you’re probably thinking–no pressure at all, right? That’s why having a well-constructed resume is essential when you’re searching for your dream job. Unfortunately, there are no courses offered in high school or college about what you should and should not include, so when it comes time to search for a job,  you may feel a little lost.

Sure, a little research helps. But there’s almost too much information out there that it can feel overwhelming. You could spend hours scrolling through Google trying to find out what to include and what to leave out. To make things easier, we’re rounding up five ways to create an all-star resume that is sure to get you the job you’ve been eyeing for months.

What is the Importance of a Good Resume?

A good resume can make or break whether or not a company decides to move forward with you as a candidate. You have a small window to make a good impression, and if they’re not immediately drawn to your resume, chances are you won’t be hearing back from them. Fortunately, if creating the perfect resume isn’t your strong suit, you’re not out of luck. An employment agency’s recruiters know exactly what a company is looking for, which allows them to tailor your resume to land the job of your dreams.

Let’s Explore Five Important Elements of a Professional Resume Outlined by Job Recruiters in Lancaster, PA

When you think of recruiting agencies, you likely think of a business that helps other businesses find employees. But another large part of their job is helping people like yourself get placed into a new role–starting with your resume. If you’re looking to give yours a facelift, consider these five elements absolutely worth having.

The Resume Must Be Clear and Easy to Understand

Your resume is very much a visual representation of you as a person. And if you’re aiming to come off as professional, your resume needs to as well. From the get-go, you want to ensure it is clear and easy to understand. There are multiple ways to do this, including:

• Use professional fonts – While it may be tempting to spice things up with an uncommon font, you’re better off using fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Helvetica. These are clean, easy on the eye, and help convey an air of professionalism. It’s also important to note that you should stick to size 10 or 12 font and stick to black rather than fun colors.
• Organize by importance to the job – Everyone’s experience is going to vary, as is the position you’re applying for. That’s why it’s important to keep this in mind when organizing your information. You’ll be going up against hundreds of other candidates, so you want to catch an employer’s eye. For most, a typical layout looks like a short summary statement, your experience, any professional organizations, education, skills, and certifications.
• Keep it short – If you’ve got years of experience under your belt, it may be harder to keep it short but aim to fit it on one page. If this is not possible, we recommend not going any longer than three pages. An employer is typically skimming your information, so the easier it is to digest, the higher the chance that you’ll get a callback
• Proofread – Of course, this one is obvious, but we still feel the need to mention it. After spending hours creating the perfect resume, it may be tempting to send it off without edits. However, before you do so, be sure to proofread it and fix any grammatical errors or typos.

Avoid Adding Unnecessary Text and Include Bullet Points

There’s nothing harder to follow than a giant wall of text. This is your resume, not a research paper. You want to get your point across in as few words as possible, which is why bullet points are your friend. They help draw the eye to the important aspects (such as your experience, skills, accomplishments, etc.). If you repeat a point multiple times throughout the resume, take a step back and see where it fits best. If you mention it once, you don’t need to mention it again.

It’s also wise to organize your bullet points in groups. For example, if you’re discussing your skills and many of them involve the same industry or field (i.e., marketing, social media management, paid social ads, etc.), group them together.

Job Seekers Should Include Specific Skills and Metrics

It’s easy to be too vague on your resume–especially regarding your skills. You probably are punctual and detail-oriented, but those don’t give the employer an insight into your actual skills. Anyone they hire should already have those skills. They’re going to be looking for more specific answers.

If you’re unsure of what to include, take a look at the job posting and see what they have listed as their job requirements. This can be everything from using specific software to how you showcased strong communication skills in your previous position. Don’t be afraid to include metrics, either. If you increased traffic to your site by over 150% in the past year, showcase this information. If you’re in marketing, include the number of followers you grew on a social media account over a certain time span. In charge of a team? List how many people you oversee. Even if the job posting is vague, being specific with these metrics and skills will help you stand out.

The Resume Should Align with the Job

Of course, it doesn’t get much easier than creating one singular resume and sending it to multiple different companies. But, just like with a cover letter, an employer can tell if it’s a resume that you created specifically for them or one that you send out to everyone.

Once you have the foundation of the resume, making minor changes to align with the job shouldn’t take you much time at all. You’ll primarily change the skills and qualifications. However, because you’re writing a resume based on your own experience, coming up with these answers to match a posting should be a piece of cake.

Avoid Grammatical Mistakes and Proofread

There’s nothing that makes you look more unprofessional than not checking the work that you do. You would be shocked to know how many people turn in resumes with countless typos or grammatical errors. It looks especially silly if one of your skills is attention to detail. And because so many jobs involve some kind of writing (whether it’s sending out important emails or typing up reports), this is a critical step.

If possible, have someone look at your resume before you send it over to see if they have any notes or spot any errors. There are also internet extensions such as Grammarly that scan a document and offer suggestions for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and wording. And the best part is that it’s free.

Connect with an Employment Agency in Lancaster to Help Make Your Job Search Process Easy

Now that you know the five ways to create an all-star resume, it’s time to start job hunting. We understand that this can be an overwhelming process. It’s only gotten harder over the past couple of years, which is why TriStarr is here to help place you in the job of your dreams in Lancaster, PA, and the surrounding areas. Whether you’re looking for an accounting, human resources, or finance position, we can find you the perfect job.

Ready to get started? Head to our job board to find exactly what you’re looking for!