in Career Planning & Advancement Job Search Resume

3 Resume Core Concepts to Get You More Interviews

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Wondering what it takes to get your resume noticed?

Here are 3 core concepts:

 

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Deliberate Formatting

I firmly believe formatting doesn’t get enough credit.

Your resume formatting is often your first impression. Before anyone reads your content, they see (and judge) your formatting.

It needs to be clean, easy to read, and purposefully guide the reader’s eye to your most important content.

There is a very definite ‘look’ to a well-crafted resume, and while that ‘look’ may vary in style, the basic formula is pretty consistent.

Your resume layout includes your sections, margins, text alignment, indentions – pretty much everything about the way the content on your resume is, well…laid out.

One preference for resumes is to use clean lines for your text, consistent alignment, and carefully positioned ‘whitespace’ to ensure optimum readability.

This means justified alignment throughout:

It also means aligning your employment dates consistently in the same place. The best alignment for your employment dates is along the right-hand margin, because that is where most Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are programmed to look for them, and it’s where most recruiters and hiring managers prefer to see them, as well.

Whitespace refers to any space on the page that doesn’t include text: margins, indentions, tabs, and line spacing.

While the content in your resume is what you want the reader to notice, the whitespace on the page can help them to comprehend that content more easily, and can even help guide them to the most important information you want them to see.

A resume that is too cluttered with text is going to lead the person on the other end to feel overwhelmed and not want to read it at all.

Use whitespace efficiently and consistently to be most effective.

The final piece of the puzzle when it comes to your resume layout is how the text itself is laid out on each line, especially when it comes to your job descriptions.

For your job descriptions, you should include (1) overall ‘big picture’ items of what you were hired to do, (2) major day-to-day responsibilities, and (3) achievements.

While item (1) can often be best formatted in a short, succinct paragraph, for (2) – and often for (3), as well – it’s most effective to use bullet points to separate each idea. This helps the content be easier to read and understand by a busy recruiter.

And finally, when drafting your bullet points, it may be helpful to keep in mind the F-pattern that has become common for on-screen reading.

The F-pattern is the basic pattern most readers’ eyes follow when reading on-screen content.

So, as you are crafting and editing the content for your bullet points, keep in mind the pattern they create on the page and see what you can do to create an F-pattern where possible.

Keyword Targeting

Keywords play a major role in resume success. Especially in online Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Without the right keywords, it’s not likely your resume will make it in front of an actual human.

And even though you are technically the subject of your job search documents, brand, and strategy – none of those are actually about you. At least, not entirely.

An effective job search is really all about how you fit the needs of your target audience and can provide a solution to their pain points.

To find the right resume keywords for your purposes, research the job descriptions for the jobs you want to target.

First, gather a selection of job descriptions that you (a) are interested in and (b) feel qualified for.

Collect at least 10 job descriptions that all represent your new target career area or job type.

As much as possible, use job descriptions from the target companies you’ve identified as ideal for you. 

Read through each job description at least twice:

Once to get a feel for the company values, what is emphasized as most important to the company.

And a second time to better understand the required skills, experience, and education for the role.

I find it helpful to highlight words or phrases that stick out to me during each read-through.

Next, analyze the data.

Use an online word counter (I like wordcounter.com, but there are others) to analyze each job description and uncover the most frequently used words in any given body of text.

You simply copy and paste each individual job description into the word counter, then let the word counter tell you which ones occur most often.

Quick disclaimer:

Most word counters don’t provide different ‘weighting’ for different words.

This means they can’t tell you which words are more important than others – just which ones are used most often.

So, you will need to apply your own critical thinking skills and the knowledge you’ve gained from your research to make sure you’re getting the utmost value from this exercise.

Go through this process for all 10 job descriptions, and for each one, create a list of important keywords.

Finally, create a database.

Compile all 10 lists together, and copy and paste that comprehensive list into the word counter.

This will give you a final view of the most frequent keywords across all 10 of your job descriptions.

Before moving on, record the skills from all 11 of your lists into a document. This will come in handy when you get to developing your brand, writing your resume, and prepping for job interviews.

Showcasing Results


Results prove your value.

Anybody can claim they have skills, but without proof it means nothing. So don’t just claim you can do something.

Prove it.

That’s how you elevate yourself above other candidates competing for the same roles. 

 

Let’s take a look at why results are important. 

Recruiters and other hiring decision-makers review dozens and sometimes hundreds of applicants. 

Because of this workload, it can often be difficult for you to stand-out amongst the sea of other applicants. 

By including and emphasizing your results, it helps to show proof that you actually have the skills you claim to have throughout your resume.

Results, especially when you’re able to show metrics or other measurable data, can be a very powerful way to add substance to your claims.

Even if your work history doesn’t match the positions you are pursuing – like in a career transition, for example – at least being able to show a history of consistent contribution and achievements is a great way to let them know you are a candidate worth exploring further.

Next, consider what counts as a result — anything you’re particularly proud of from your career history so far. 

Have you made improvements in your role, exceeded pre-established goals, or increased overall productivity or revenue?

Any and all of these would be considered achievements or results to potentially highlight on your resume. 

Once you’ve compiled a list of your achievements in each role, further filter your options by considering which ones are more impressive and/or which ones are most relevant to your target jobs. 

Whenever possible, attach numbers, dollar amounts, percentages or other measurements to further solidify the significance of each achievement. 

Finally, identify where and how to showcase results in your resume. 

Once you know which of your achievements are most relevant or important to emphasize, you can incorporate them into your resume content.

Starting at the top, reference an achievement in your Profile or Summary section that demonstrates the top scope of your abilities. 

If your top achievement is increasing sales 56%, highlight that in your profile as an example of the levels of success you’re capable of.  

You may also choose to include a short ‘Achievement Highlights’ section below your profile —  a very brief and concise description of 3-5 of your top achievements. 

To establish a consistent track record of achievements and results, you definitely want to include highlights incorporated into whichever job you held at the time of each achievement. 

And be sure to use consistent and deliberate formatting that helps your achievements stand out from the rest of the surrounding content.

Your achievements and results say a lot about the value you have to offer. Incorporate them into your resume to help get you the attention you know you deserve in your job search. 

Looking for more insights?

Job searching is tough stuff! Whether you’re completely stuck or just need some strategic guidance, I’ve got you covered.