Have you ever wondered why your resume never passed the initial screening? Learn how to write a resume that passes both the initial screen and land you interviews!
Job searching and hunting can be difficult if you are new to resume writing, skill building, or connecting.
If you want to get past the first round of resume screening, then you have to know what to include and how to include the needed information on your resume.
Don’t include unnecessary information that clutters your needed information and be smart with what you put on your resume.
In this guide, we will cover as much information as we can about creating the best resume possible for you!
How to Write a Resume to Get Interviews
First of all, I’m going to be 100% honest with you.
If you haven’t been able to land any interviews at all, then consider revising your resume!
Did you know that you should have a different version for each job that you are applying to?
Yes, each of your resumes should be targeted for that specific role and tailored to get the best results.
If you are repeatedly using the same resume over and over again for different roles or companies, then you are kicking yourself in the foot.
You want to stand out and not spit out generic forms for companies.
And if you want to land that job quicker, then you should use your resume to the best of your advantage.
How to Write a Resume with No Experience
It will be extremely difficult for you to land a job without experience or connections.
Also, a lot of experiences that you may not think are useful can be considered an experience!
For example, have you volunteered at your local hospital, school, or company before?
Have you fundraised for a club, led your team on a project, or worked as a teaching assistant?
First, look back to your past and try to pull out as many instances where you have volunteered, acted as a leader, participated largely in a club, contributed to a project, or gained experience.
Have you been in an organization for a long time? Like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, tutoring gigs, or volunteering at the hospital. These are all great experiences that you can add!
Then, list out the strongest or most important skills that match the job role you are applying for.
However, if you have entirely zero experience of anything, then you should try to accumulate some experience through other means.
This can range from anywhere like:
- joining a club or creating one
- volunteering
- becoming a tutor assistant
- working on small projects for non-profits or small businesses
- connecting with others – LinkedIn, career fairs
How to Land the Job You Want
If you have entirely zero idea of what skills you need or what degree you need to get for a specific job, then job descriptions are your best friends!
And even if you are just in middle or high school, start searching!
You might not know exactly what you want to be, but you can get an idea with job descriptions.
Firstly, search for job postings and read the tasks or job descriptions to see if it is something that you are interested in doing.
Then, pick out important information like what degree is preferred, how many years of experience they are looking for, and what types of skills they want.
Finally, compile a list or spreadsheet of all this information and break it into goals.
For example, if you want to become a software engineer, you will need a bachelor’s degree, skilled in some programming languages, and some years of experience.
Once you have a rough idea of what you need, then create a plan.
1. Get a college degree in computer science, engineering, etc.
- take coding classes
- pick up soft skills classes like communications to stand out from other candidates
2. Learn coding languages
- focus on the languages that you need to land the job
3. Gain experience with internships, volunteer, and clubs
- join clubs related to your major
- volunteer or work part-time tutoring coding
Within the time you have, you want to gain as much experience and skills as you can to become a strong candidate once you graduate.
Also, take advantage of online resources and courses to gain certifications and skills to help advance your chances of landing a position!
How to Write a Resume That Stands Out
1. Include Detailed Examples
Do you know that you should indicate what responsibilities you held or what important tasks you did greatly contributed to landing an interview?
A key point to write a great resume is to include great details.
In addition to detailed examples, try to organize your examples with bullet points.
Instead of condensed paragraphs, use bullet points to convey what tasks or responsibilities you held.
For instance, instead of writing
- greeted visitors
try to include more to your example like:
- greeted visitors and made them feel welcome
Either include a result or actions taken to make your resume more impactful.
2. Using the Right Keywords
Similar to Google where certain words get more attention than others, it is likewise to your resume.
A surefire way to do so is to read the job descriptions!
Then, highlight any tasks that match your experiences and incorporate them into your skills.
If you don’t have a certain skill, now is the time to learn or read more about it.
In most cases, if a role has a specific skill that you need, then chances are you will also need that for similar roles.
For example, if a design role requires expertise in Adobe programs, then you should pick up this skill either by learning it in courses, online videos, or on your own.
Interested in more posts like how to write a resume? Check out 31+ FoolProof Ways to Make Money for College Students.
3. Use a Clean Format
There are so many resumes out there that have bad color choices (if not black and white), different fonts, and unorganized layouts.
First of all, start with a clean slate and use a maximum of two fonts.
Also, your headers or contact information can be in a different font from the descriptions or paragraphs.
If possible, then stick with one font to keep the entire resume together.
Next, make sure you are not using crazy colors, shapes, or styles to distract the reader from your resume.
If you are a designer or graphics person, then consider using lines to section your resume instead of stylistic elements.
Furthermore, remember to include whitespace between sections, titles, and contacts.
The last thing you want is to have everything stuffed together.
4. Include a Personal Summary
This may be a small addition, but I recommend for entry-level jobs include a brief description under your name.
Moreover, this can be just a brief one to two sentences describing the three traits and experiences that you have.
For instance, you can have something like:
-I am a recent graduate who is detail-oriented, organized, and eager to learn.
-An emerging young professional who has experience with marketing, data analysis, and communication skills.
-I am excited about this marketing assistant position with three years of club experience, two years of social media coordination, and six projects for small businesses.
–Very eager and passionate coder with four years of volunteer experience teaching kids how to code in Java, Python, and SQL.
–I am meticulous and have two years of part-time administrative experience during college. I have experience handling confidential matters, completing projects on time, and multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
However, do not reveal too much since you still have your cover letter to write.
Pick either one of those sentences and alternate the skill set that you have, the position, and the information about you.
5. Include Great Skills
A top tip is to include a section just for your skills.
Did you know that Excel, Microsoft programs, mailing systems, file organization, and communication are all considered a skill?
Also, this is even more important to include if your job position is related to administrative work.
On the other hand, if you are applying for a programming role, you would want to add skills like what programming languages you know.
Moreover, it is a huge plus if you have soft skills to add to your programming skillset to stand out from other applicants.
I wrote a banging resume but got rejected…
Rejection can happen all the time.
This is not your fault and usually, other interviewees match their skill requirements more or have more experience.
It might also mean that the candidate was either internal or had more qualifications than you.
And this is by no means your fault!
A better way to deal with rejection is to come back stronger than previously!
At least you learned how to write a resume and keep crafting better ones along your way!
For instance, learn more skills, gain more experience, and build connections through networking to keep growing.
Do not let rejections get to you because the job market is tough and there are plenty of qualified and over-qualified candidates saturated in the field.
Go grab an ice cream and reward yourself for applying to jobs and come back with more job applications and more skills!
I passed the first stage, now I have an interview…
Congratulations if you passed the first round of resume and cover letter checks.
Now you have an email sitting there asking you to show up or agree on a time to get interviewed.
Don’t fret, take a few deep breaths and prepare to dive into acing the interview.
First impressions matter and your preparedness will also show through with your responses.
Keep your eyes peeled for a more in-depth guide on how to ace your interview post in the near future!