It is no secret that hiring managers receive hundreds of application per vacancy but you’d be surprised how quickly some of them get thrown in the trash. One small indiscretion, one neglectful typo and boom your chances are blow. Your resume is the chance to shine, highlight your best qualities and stand out from the crowd. Here are 5 simple tips to climb the ‘yes’ pile and keep your resume out of the trash.
1. Zero Errors 
Look at it from the employers perspective, would you hire someone who sent a resume full of typos and formatting mistakes? Hell no! As an employee you are an extension of the company, their representative in the field. Careless and slap-dashed work littered with errors reflects badly on the company and no employer will look twice at your resume. Hiring managers look for an easy way to reduce the pile of applicants and resume errors warrants an immediate elimination. More often than not you have looked at your resume so many times that your brain can no longer see the mistakes. Get someone objective to look at it with fresh eyes to sift out the punctuation errors and spelling mistakes.
2. Resume is Relevant to the Job Description
This may sound like a no brainer but “one size does not fit all” when it comes to job hunting. Every application needs to be customised to the specific job description as no two jobs are identical, no matter how similar. Match up the exact same keywords used in the job description into your resume. Make sure your experiences and accomplishments directly satisfy the job requirements.
3. Sleek and Chic
The worst thing you can do for your resume is to cram in as much information into one page as you can using minuscule text size and adjusting the margins. The result is that it is absolute hell to read for the hiring manager and will get thrown straight into the trash. Less is more! It should be sleek and easy to read, formatted in a contemporary look and feel.
4. Describe accomplishments, not responsibilities.
Steer clear of using the word “responsible” as it sounds like you are trying to steak a claim in something you didn’t achieve. Instead, focus on assertive and quantifiable words that verifiable specific accomplishments. Take a look at these two examples below and judge which sounds most impressive:
- Responsible for managing social media and blog content and growing site traffic.
- Marketing Manager – Managed an international team to grow social followers by 30% in 6 months across 5 platforms along with a 30% increase in ROI.
5. Use Assertive Action Words.
Following on from the previous point, use assertive and power keywords to prove you are a person of action. These type of words demonstrate that you are results orientated and can successfully perform your role. Strong action words such as “achieved, performed, led, managed” substantiates your potential.
Don’t be careless with your resume and avoid getting your resume thrown into the trash by following these simple steps. Make your resume shine and bag the job of your dreams.