7 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume

As you begin your job search, you’ll have a long list of tasks to complete, from updating your LinkedIn profile and making a list of jobs you’re interested in to researching open positions and companies you’d like to work for. With so many things on your to-do list, you may consider pulling up an old resume and thinking it’s good enough—one it’s last thing you’ll have to do, right?

To put it politely, reconsider. Because your resume is the first impression that most recruiters and hiring managers will have of you, you should know how to write a good resume. Your resume should clearly showcase your abilities with a compelling edge that boasts about who you are succinctly. We’re not saying you should rewrite your entire resume from scratch, but you should update it to ensure it’s current and doesn’t end up in the trash when you apply for your dream job.

How to Write an Effective Resume

Here are seven tried-and-true resume writing tips.

1. Begin with a Strong Summary.

The summary now replaces what was once an objective statement that simply shared the goal of your resume. Recruiters and hiring managers have come to expect a summary, which provides them with a summary of your skills and experience. This is where you will tell a brief “story” about yourself in order to pique the company’s interest. Consider it a written version of your elevator pitch. Include the highlights of your skills, experience, education, and training that are relevant to the role you are seeking or applying for.

2. Highlight Your Measurable Impact.

Your work experience should be included on your resume, and in most cases, your jobs should be listed in chronological order. A list of bullet points highlighting your responsibilities will be included with your previous jobs. However, if all you do is list your job duties vs. what you accomplished while working there, you’re passing up a golden opportunity.

In other words, rather than simply telling the reader what you did, your resume should demonstrate how you made a difference and helped you shine and stand out. You want the recruiter and hiring manager to be able to see how your previous accomplishments can help you succeed at their company.

Use as many numbers and quantifiable data to demonstrate your impact as possible. Report on project outcomes and solutions delivered by you and your team.

3. Emphasize Your Technical and Other Hard Skills.

Tech skills are important in today’s high-tech world. Highlight your technical skills and knowledge, including software and applications that you are familiar with, if they will be useful in your future job. Refer to job descriptions and include any technical skills or certifications that are required or preferred for the position.

In addition to tech skills, which are a type of hard skill, make sure to highlight other hard skills required for job success. Hard skills that can be measured include the following:

• Communication through speech
• Communication in writing
• Problem-solving
• Entering data
• Data examination
• Languages other than English
• Design
• Programming
• Marketing on social media

4. Include Your Soft Abilities.

Soft skills, while more difficult to quantify than hard skills, are critical for success in many positions. Highlight your soft skills whenever possible. Find ways to highlight your soft skills throughout your resume rather than simply listing them. The following statement, for example, speaks to one’s ability to inspire, communicate, and be inclusive:

“Led a team of ten to collaborate and outperform quarterly targets by 15%.”

Soft skills examples include:

• Delegation
• Courtesy
• Diversity consciousness
• Inclusiveness
• Motivating others
• Verve
• Perseverance
• Fortitude
• Self-awareness
• Self-confidence
• Emotional intelligence is a skill.
• Empathy
• Adaptability

5. Display Your Individuality.

Make a point of highlighting anything unique that will help you stand out from the crowd. Mention any relevant published articles or blogs you’ve written. For example, if the organization you’re applying with has international operations or a diverse client base, and you’re fluent in more than one language, you should emphasize that. Include it at the very least in your summary and, if applicable, in your list of skills on your resume.

It’s also acceptable to include some personal interests outside of work, such as volunteering, because managers like to get a sense of who people are outside of work. However, don’t overdo it and limit your outside interests to those that also speak to your ability to do your job. Volunteering, for example, demonstrates that you are a caring individual, which is beneficial to teams.

6. Include Keywords.

Keywords can give your resume an advantage by attracting the attention of bots, or applicant tracking system (ATS) software, which is used by most organizations to support their applicant tracking system. Keywords are also noted by human readers as they scan your resume at first glance. Refer to the job posting for relevant keywords to include in your resume, as needed.

This is so important today that Ladders’ Premium service matches the keywords on member resumes with the keywords on live job descriptions, allowing them to see what they have and what they don’t have in real time.

7. Proofread and Edit

A grammatical error on your resume is one of the most common reasons your resume ends up at the bottom of the trash can. Resume mistakes are not as uncommon as you might think. Before sending your resume, proofread it several times and have it reviewed by someone else. Another option is to download free proofreading and editing software such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid.

Finally, some words on how to write an effective resume.

Though writing a resume is time-consuming, the payoff is well worth it: a good resume will increase your chances of landing an interview once you hit the submit button. If you’re still unsure where to start or what to update, or simply don’t have the time to do it yourself, there are several resume-writing services to help you, including free resume rewrites and downloadable, editable templates optimized for hiring teams.