Building a Job-Winning Resume

Almost everyone feels insecure when they start working on their first resume. Suddenly there are lots of questions that need to be answered. What should I write? How should I write it? What should I include in my resume to make it more appealing?

If you’re looking for answers to CV-related questions, you’ve come to the right place. This article by Custom-Writing.org will show you how to write an outstanding resume that will help you get a job even without prior experience.

📝 What Is the Purpose of a Resume?

In a nutshell, a resume is a document that outlines your professional skills and qualifications. It includes your work history, education, and accomplishments related to the job you want to get. Sometimes, a cover letter is added to a resume to showcase your suitability for the role.

One common mistake people make is that they try and include everything about themselves when writing a resume. It’s okay and even necessary to share some information about your personality traits, hobbies, and experiences. However, it’s crucial to remember that a resume’s primary goal is to convince employers that you are worth interviewing and hiring. That’s why everything you include in it needs to be relevant to the job.

🛠️ Key Resume Elements: Hard & Soft Skills

There’s a widespread belief that the “experience” section is the most important in a resume. However, we suggest you focus on the hard and soft skills sections. In recent years, employers have started to pay particular attention to these two criteria while looking for candidates.

What is the difference between hard and soft skills? Well, it’s simple:

• Soft skills are abilities that are not unique to a particular job. For example, communication or management skills are valued in any organization. Individuals who possess these qualities automatically become more attractive to potential employers.
• In contrast, hard skills are technical abilities that fit the job. For instance, a prime example of hard skills for software developers would be computer skills. Apart from being professional and well-organized, they need to know how to work with computers and have a set of other technical abilities.

Even though it may seem as though soft skills in the workplace pose less value, this is far from the truth. According to a recent GlobeNewswire survey, 73% of employers pay special attention to candidates’ soft skills.

Top 10 Soft Skills for Any Job

As we’ve mentioned above, soft skills are universal and valued in every type of job, unlike hard skills. For that reason, having these qualities will make you a desirable professional and a great fit anywhere. Here’s a list of top 10 soft skills to consider for your resume:

✍️ Writing a Resume in 7 Steps

Being able to write a resume is a valuable skill that can help you get your dream job. This 7-step guide will help you to build a winning resume:

1. Study job postings that suit you. Before you start working on an actual resume, search for suitable job openings and see what skills they generally require. Write a professional summary.
2. A professional summary is a short section at the beginning of your resume highlighting your professional skills and expressing your career goals. You can write it as a paragraph or use bullet points.

3. List your skills. Enumerate your crucial abilities, both soft and hard; focus on the skills mentioned in the job ad.
4. Describe your work experience. When talking about employment history, don’t simply give a list of your responsibilities. Instead, it’s better to talk about your work’s impact on the company’s performance. Regardless of your role, try to find data or metrics that show the importance of your input.
5. Add extra information. To help the company learn more about you, include some information related to your interests, volunteering experiences, honors, or language skills. 
6. Write a heading. The header of your resume needs to include information such as:

   • Name,
   • Phone number,
   • A professional e-mail address,
   • Links to your personal website, portfolios, and LinkedIn profile.
7. Edit and proofread. Before submitting your resume, double-check all the essential information. Read the whole document once again and, if possible, send it to a trusted friend for some feedback.

👍 Tips for Building an Effective Resume

How can you make your resume appealing to HR and potential employers? Keep reading to find out!

Choosing a Suitable Format

Studies show that, on average, recruiters spend 6 seconds skimming over a resume. For that reason, the layout is something you want to pay special attention to. Start by choosing the most fitting format:

1. Chronological. This format focuses on work experience. A chronological resume is perfect if you’re looking for a job in a field in which you have lots of previous experience. It is seen as a traditional resume template.
2. Functional. The main focus of this format is your skills. A functional resume is suitable if you hope to find a creative job where skills are more important than your employment history.
3. Combination. It’s a format that focuses on both your experience and skills. A combination resume is best if you’re applying for a highly specialized position requiring skills and expertise.

Using Bullet Points

Since recruiters don’t spend much time studying each resume, it’s best if the document’s layout is as simple as possible. Using bullet points is one of the ways to make your CV more readable. Bullet points are mainly suitable for chronological and combination formats, as these types of resumes involve a lot of lists.

The best strategy would be the following:

• List the information in order.
• Be specific about the details of your work.
• Use various action verbs.

It’s especially beneficial to use bullet points in the section dedicated to your employment history. For instance, you can add several sub-items that outline your responsibilities and achievements in your previous workplaces.

Choosing a Font

When it comes to fonts, the safest option is to choose the simplest, cleanest, and most legible ones. The most common and suitable fonts for a resume are Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and Cambria.

Serif fonts, for instance, are more traditional and formal, while Sans-serif ones are more modern. You can use these kinds of fonts to showcase your individuality. However, always keep in mind that simplicity is your number one priority. The required font size usually ranges from 10 to 12.

How to Put Your Skills on Your Resume

Now, let’s turn our attention to soft skills. What is the most effective way to present them in your resume? When you write about your soft skills, it might not be enough to simply state “communication” or “critical thinking.” It’s best to use specific vocabulary and pay attention to the required skills for the job.

Here are some examples of specific skills that you can mention:

What to Include in the Interests Section

Including hobbies and interests on your resume may help you demonstrate your individuality and unique skills. This can be especially useful to those with limited work experience. Consider the following hobbies for your resume:

Using Resume Keywords

Another thing to keep in mind while building your resume is keywords. Many companies use the Applicant Tracking System or ATS to scan every application and check them for keywords. To better understand what keywords are and how to use them, take a look at these examples:

How do you determine which words recruiters and the ATS are looking for? Well, first, you need to scan the job ad for job-related words. After that, highlight all the keywords you’ve found. Choose those more relevant to your experience and the job you’re applying for, and add them to your resume.

Adding Action Words

When companies use the ATS to check resumes for keywords, they also scan them for action words. These words help attract attention to your achievements and make the document more readable. They serve as an excellent addition to keywords: they add some diversity and make your CV look even more appealing.

Suitable action words can be found in job descriptions similarly to keywords. Here are some examples that you may use in your resume:

✅ 9 Common Mistakes in Resumes & How to Avoid Them

Now that you know everything about writing a resume, it’s time to take a look at some of the common mistakes and how to avoid them:

🎓 Bonus Tips for Writing a Resume with No Job Experience

The first resume is the most difficult one to write. You don’t have work experience, and there’s not much relevant information you can include in the document. Is there a way to impress a hiring team without having any employment history?

Yes, there is! The main point is to demonstrate your skills and achievements related to the job you hope to get. Here are the strategies you can use to impress your employer:

1. Highlight your key skills relevant to the job. If you don’t have an employment history, it’s good to focus on your skills instead. Create a list of relevant soft and hard skills at the beginning of your resume. 
2. Write an objective that fits the job description. Since you don’t have work experience, you can instead focus on your goals. For example, you could write:

3. Mention your achievements in the “education” section. Don’t simply state that you’ve completed education in a particular field. Instead, it’s a good idea to mention your achievements. You could include your GPA and facts such as being an active member of your university’s Heritage Conservation organization.
4. Write about any relevant practice. Describe your volunteer experience or extracurricular activities that show your skills and achievements.
5. Mention any relevant certificates you have. If you completed an online course or have certificates pertinent to the job you’re applying for, include them in your resume. 
6. Add a cover letter. Even if it’s not required, sending a short cover letter along with your resume is a good idea. It allows you to explain why you are suitable for the job based on your skills and experiences. 

If you like this article, feel free to leave a comment or share it with your friends. Best of luck with your resume!

🔍 References

1. What Is the Purpose of a Resume?: Undercover Recruiter 
2. Top Soft Skills Employers Value With Examples: The Balance Careers 
3. How to Write a Resume in 2024: MyPerfectResume 
4. What Is the Purpose of a Résumé?: ESSEC 
5. Resume How-To Guide: The University of Maryland 
6. How to Write a Resume: Glassdoor Job Search 
7. What Is the Purpose of a Resume?: IEEE Computer Society 
8. 5 Biggest Resume Mistakes, According to Harvard Experts: International Business, World News & Global Stock Market Analysis 
9. 10 Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid: Forbes 
10. Resume Tips and Strategies: Free Online Learning at GCFGlobal 
11. 18 Résumé Writing Tips to Help You Stand Out: The Wall Street Journal 
12. Writing Your Resume: SEEK 
13. How to Write a Resumé That Will Actually Get a Recruiter’s Attention: LinkedIn