How to Make a Resume Stick Out

Your resume is the first step to getting an interview and eventually the job.

The first contact any company has with you is through your resume. Therefore, it's essential to make your resume stand out. It acts as a sales letter to inform the employer of your skills and why they should hire you for the position. When companies receive many resumes, yours has to work harder to stand out enough to warrant an interview.

Things You'll Need

• Resume

Instructions

1. Include a summary of your career or your qualifications at the top of your resume. This gives the reader a quick overview of your skills and saves him the trouble of searching the resume to find pertinent information.

2. Sell yourself. Instead of just listing your qualifications, demonstrate how each will benefit the company. Back up your statements with numbers or percentages when possible.

3. Proofread your resume multiple times. Have friends and family membeers read it, too. Spelling errors and grammar issues leave a bad impression on the reader.

4. Track down the hiring manager and send the resume directly to her attention. Most people submit the resume to the address requested, so yours will stand out if you send it directly to the hiring manager.

5. Describe your qualifications by using the keywords in the job's description. Many companies use software filters to search resumes for keywords. Using keywords helps ensure that someone will read your resume.

6. Use a format that's easy to read. Incorporate bullets and short paragraphs to provide attractive white space on your resume.

References

• CNN; Five ways to make your resume stand out; Jason Ferrara
• "Readers Digest"; How to Make Your Resume Stand Out; Joyce Lain Kennedy