Landing a good job that we love with great salary and benefits can be incredibly difficult. With thousands and even millions of unemployed people seeking for jobs, the competition is really tough.
With dozens of people applying for a position that only hires one or two people which they see fit, we need to think smart and be creative on how to outsmart our competitors. And one way of doing that is by innovating the front-line of our job application: the resume.
Your resume serves as a portal to access your skills, abilities, work experience, as well as your strength and weaknesses. Your future employers will have to look at your resume to see whether you possess the skills and qualifications they need for the position.
If you have, then you’re in luck, for they might consider to hire you. But your struggle doesn’t end there yet. You need to add more credentials in order for your resume to shine over your competitors.
How do we do that? Here are our top 5 tips to shine your resume and get an advantage over your competitors.
1. Highlight your Skills and Work Experience First
The structure of your resume is critical to qualify in a selection process. Take into consideration that your future employer simply doesn’t have any time to scan through a pile of papers on his desk, so the quicker he can see your skills and work experience, the better.
To do this, you need to highlight your skills and work experience on the first page, and if possible, on the top. So that the moment your future employers see your resume they can automatically see your skills. That’s the first thing they want to see in your resume, the other information can come later.
2. Include Projects In Your Portfolio
If your past employers allow you to retain some credits over the works or projects you did, use it to your advantage. Display those projects, works, blueprints to build your portfolio so that your employers will have a glimpse of your performance. But before you do this, make sure to ask permission from your past employers first.
Since there may be sensitive files or information they are not comfortable of disclosing to your future employers. Only display those projects where you’ve gained approval to gain access for public.
3. Attach Your Recognition Credentials
If you’ve ever received some awards such as an employee of the month, ambassador of the year, best in Thesis, etc, attach them to your resume. These recognitions and credentials will boost your good moral and performance to your future employers.
They will see how great of an employee you are, since you are able to exhibit outstanding and remarkable performance from your past works. They will be able to see how you deliver outstanding output in a timely manner and how productive and committed you are when you work on the projects assigned to you.
4. Create a Video Presentation
If your future employers require you to send your resume electronically, then it’s time for you to take advantage of online internet resources. Create a video with a brief introduction of yourself for your future employers to see. In this way, they can have a glimpse of how you act professionally.
It’s also your chance to build rapport and good impression to your employers. Employers often prefer employees with a brief video because they are able to assess the applicant’s communication skills, interpersonal skills, as well as how they act in a professional manner.
5. Include Important Projects or Organization Of Your Affiliation
If some of your works have been featured on elite websites or projects like New York Times, Lifehack, etc, then include them in your resume as well, even if some of them are not in line with the position you’re applying for.
This will give your employer some insights about what you do outside of work. The more your affiliations to well-known brands and companies, the more chances for you to get hired. It’s because these affiliations show that you care about your surroundings and that your active participation shows you have some humanitarian goals in life to change the world for the better, in your own little ways.