Creating the Strongest Resume

The resume is the most important thing required by a jobseeker for getting an interview call up if not a job. The resume has to be a strong one so that it can attract the attention of the HR manager and make enough of an impact on him that he calls you up for an interview. When writing a resume keep in mind that the HR manager has a number of resumes to look at and wouldn’t even give a second glance to your CV if it does not have anything that can catch his eyes. The following are some tips that can help you in creating the strongest resume which is sure to make an impact on the HR manager.

Be Concise and To the Point

Keep your resume as concise as possible and state the facts as they are. There is no need to write a whole essay on your academic and professional achievements. The HR manager won’t read your whole resume. So, there is no need to be very eloquent or to make use of idioms and proverbs in your CV. Make sure that your resume is short and try to convey your message across to the reader in simple sentences. The more focused you are in your resume, the better are the chances that the recruiter is going to call you up for an interview. The following are some tips that you can use for making your resume short and concise.

• Make use of bullet points as often as you can.
• Keep your sentences short and avoid the use of any long, complex sentence.
• Make sure that you do not repeat anything.

Use Action Verbs and Active Voice

Always make use of active voice when writing your resume. Sentences written in active voice are short and deliver the message in a positive manner. They are also easily understood by the recruiters as well since they are less confusing then passive voice sentences. In addition to this, the sentences written in active voice tell about the action that has been performed by the subject which in this case is you. Combining the active voice with action verbs can help you in making your resume more powerful and give it direction as well. The action verbs you can use include, managed, proposed, designed and sold.

Give Value to Numbers

Numbers attract the attention of the recruiters therefore it is important that you use them as many times as possible in your resume. Whether it is your percentage or the amount of money that you saved through your project, any number that you find worth mentioning in your resume should be included. These numerical facts will quantify your accomplishments and will make it easier for the employer to judge your worth. Thus, it is vital that you give value to the numbers and use them when stating your academic or professional achievements.

Stay Away From Cluttering

In literary terms, cluttering refer to stuffing of a lot of data or information within a small space. If you fill up each and every inch of your resume with words and figures and leave no white space in between then it would be considered a cluttered resume, one which the recruiter is barely going to look at. Clutter is something that the HR managers truly hate. They are not going to bother to read your resume until it has white spaces present in between paragraphs. In order to refrain yourself from cluttering your resume, it is best to avoid stating the skills which are not required for the post you are applying for.

Use the Right Format

A resume can be written in any of three formats. The first one is chronological in which the history of your academics or work is highlighted. The second one is functional in which the emphasis is solely on your skills and the achievements you have made using these skills. The third one is hybrid which in essence is the combination of both the chronological and functional formats. Depending on which situation you are in, you should select the format which suits you the best. For instance, if you are recent pass out looking for your first job then using the functional format is the right choice for you.

Don’t Make Grammatical or Spelling Mistakes

While eloquence is not needed in a resume, being grammatically correct does matter. Making grammatical and spelling mistakes in your resume can project you in a negative way and the recruiter would most likely think that you are unfit for the job as you cannot even write a resume without making mistakes. Thus, it is important that you read and reread your resume several times and weed out any mistakes that you find. You can also ask someone to edit it for you as well.