Resume Writing Tips That Really Stand Out

In order to maximize your resume's effectiveness, you need to sharpen your focus and write with a purpose. You have a small amount of space to make yourself stand out, so it's important to effectively and efficiently highlight the skills and experiences that best reflect the position you're seeking.

You need to start by pinpointing your goal. If you don't know what type of job you're seeking, your search is going to be scattered and inefficient. Once you've identified potential positions, you need to match your qualifications with each one's required skills. You may not have exact matches, but the more closely your skills reflect those that are required, the better chance you have of being interviewed for the position.

When creating and tweaking your professional resume for different positions, it's important to do the following:

1. Include industry keywords and jargon where possible. Some companies use keyword scanners to see if your resume includes important phrases, but even if they don't, those words are a good indication of your industry knowledge.
2. Format your resume effectively. Use appropriate template and font choice for the position, prioritize your information and use white space effectively. Utilize bullets and lists where possible.
3. Make sure your resume is easy to follow and easy to read. Present important data in a clear manner so that a quick glance will tell hiring managers what they need to know about you.
4. Write a strong qualifications summary that showcases your most effective skills and experience. Most hiring managers aren't going to read your whole resume, so they want to know what you bring to the table right off the bat.
5. Quantify your accomplishments. Use dollar figures, time periods, percentages and other figures as often as you can to specifically highlight your career achievements.
6. Include special skills that highlight your abilities and differentiate you from other candidates. Use strong action verbs and stay away from general statements such as "has strong communications skills."
7. Make your professional experience as succinct and straightforward as possible. Provide accurate years of employment, use bullets to list responsibilities and begin each sentence with an action verb.
8. Use your education as your most marketable asset. If you're an entry-level candidate with minimal professional experience, your education is your ticket. Provide information on it immediately after your qualifications summary or skill set. Include any notable awards, scholarships and coursework, but only mention your GPA if it was 3.5 or above.



There are a variety of ways to present your skills and experiences to future employers. By following the tips above you'll be well on your way to creating a stand-out resume that's sure to get you noticed.


Darlene Zambruski is the Managing Editor of ResumeEdge, a leading online provider of professional resume writing services. The company's hand-picked team of resume writers specializes in 40 different industries and works to provide professional resume and cover letter writing services for people seeking employment in a wide variety of fields.