How To Boost Your Resume

You may well be satisfied with your current professional resume, but do you think it stands out in a sea of thousands of resumes? Does it have that wow factor? If you are reading this article, the chances are good that it doesn’t. Your resume is not all it can be-and this could be costing you positions that you are well qualified for. This said, we offer helpful tips below on just how to boost your resume, so that it attracts more employers, and gets you, at the very least, the interview.

1. Use an Objective: Though many people are split on whether or not to use an objective in a professional resume, to get better results from employers; it is more often that an objective will help you get the interview-rather than hurt your chances of getting one. This said, you need to know how to correctly create an objective, as an inappropriate one or one that offers the wrong approach may be why you are passed by for a position.

When creating an objective for your resume that wows them, make sure to have a clear idea of your career goals-meaning in what position do you see yourself in the short and long term, and how do you foresee yourself getting there? You need to be able to sum this up in a sentence or two, and state your most valuable skills, experience, and achievements in a fairly general way as a helping device to your goal. You must also include the position that you are applying for. Using an objective shows a potential employer that you are career motivated, and that it is with their specific company that you are motivated to learn and excel.

2. Quantify Achievements: Next, though you may have bullet points of responsibilities and skills in their appropriate section in your resume, do they report or, conversely, show an example in which you have achieved results? More specifically, are you showing examples of when you have been a great team player, used an analytical mind, or initiated success with your project? Or, are you just saying what you were responsible for? It is much more powerful when you point to a specific example of your achievements, instead of refer to them in a very general fashion.

3. Customize Your Resume: Though you may think that your career qualifications should apply to every position that you apply for, without any alteration-you are incorrect, and could be losing jobs due to it. While employers in the same field may be looking for the same general skills, qualifications, and education; every employer has different values that they esteem above others, and also offer different environments for their employees. So, for example, you may apply to Company A which is a small family run business which values teamwork and cooperation over high profits and cut throat tactics. Your next resume could go out to a multi billion dollar mega company that values initiative and a go getter attitude-profits above all else. Your resume for each should be different-as to what skills and achievements you put focus on.

4. Use Action Words: While you may have heard it before, it is a must have for any professional resume that wants to get positive attention. Use demonstrative verb action words to show your proactive nature and participation in the achievements and responsibilities that you have held in your past employment positions. These words can be found with any simple search for action words, and include terms such as: demonstrated, achieved, mastered, managed, lead, monitored, motivated, etc.