How to Stand Out on a Professional Resume

When you apply for a job, you want a recruiter or hiring manager to look at your resume again and invite you to an interview. If you want to be considered, you should have a polished, professional resume that is tailored to the job you’re applying for.

If time is of the essence, have your resume optimized by professionals.

A resume riddled with typos screams unprofessionalism. Furthermore, if it is not up to industry standards and is difficult to read, your resume will not even be considered. Instead, it will be thrown away.

Your resume is usually the first thing an organization sees, and if you come across as unpolished and unprofessional, why would they want to hire you? So, if you want to get your foot in the door, you must create a resume that stands out and portrays you as the professional that you are.

Tips for Making a Professional Resume Stand Out

Here are some tried-and-true tips for improving your current resume (or creating a new one from scratch):

Select the most appropriate format.

There are several resume formats to choose from, including functional, chronological, and a combination of chronological and functional. A chronological resume lists your work experience in chronological order, with key job responsibilities listed for each.

A functional resume, on the other hand, focuses on your skills and experience, with some mention of previous jobs, though not necessarily in chronological order.

A combination resume will highlight your skills and experience while also listing your previous jobs chronologically. Your personal circumstances will determine the format you use.

Choose the appropriate font.

When it comes to the appearance of your resume, font is one of the most important factors to consider. It is critical to select a font that is both easy to read and visually appealing. Times New Roman, Calibri, and Arial are examples of common resume fonts. The font size should also be between 10 and 12.

Along the same lines as font size, avoid using dense blocks of text that are difficult to read.

Maintain consistency.

Your resume’s formatting should be consistent so that it appears uniform and easy to follow. Each section’s headings should be the same font size and type. Also, format all positions and their associated job duties consistently.

Maintain your concentration.

A resume should only include information that will help you achieve your primary goal—getting an interview. Include no information that is irrelevant to the job or will not help you get it. Keep your resume to one to two pages maximum.

Refresh the page every now and then.

Review your resume on a regular basis to ensure it is up to date with your skills and responsibilities. You should also ensure that it appears modern and up to date. Before finalizing your resume, proofread it twice and make any necessary changes.

Be (appropriately) inventive.

When applying for a job, the general rule is to provide a clean, easy-to-follow, simple, traditional resume. However, if you work in a creative field such as marketing, graphic design, or public relations, it may be worthwhile to obtain a resume template for creative jobs. All of the elements of a traditional resume will be present, as well as infographics, images, and links to your portfolio.

Examine resume examples and templates.

There are numerous free resume templates available. Why not use them to help you create the best resume possible? You can also conduct research and access resumes for specific industries.

Proofread and edit

It should go without saying that you should proofread and edit your resume before submitting it. Nonetheless, recruiters and hiring managers frequently report that they receive resumes with grammatical and punctuation errors. Not only should they not appear, but your success highlights should be eye-catching by using powerful verbs. So it’s a good idea to have someone else look it over and make any necessary changes.

Look for assistance.

There’s a reason why many people frown at the prospect of creating or updating their resume—difficult it’s work. Fortunately, professional resume writing services are available to assist you. Some charge a fee, while others provide basic resume writing services for free.

Before sending, make any necessary changes.

Before applying for a job, read the job description and update your resume to reflect the job and organization. If you send the same resume to every job application, you will miss out on an opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition by emphasizing your skills and experience that are relevant to the job. Including relevant keywords also helps applicant tracking systems find your resume.

A professional resume will help you stand out.

Use these suggestions to help you create a professional resume that will get you noticed and land your next job. There’s also no need to go it alone. Hire a resume writing service or enlist the assistance of a friend to ensure you have a final version you’re proud of.