How to Write a Killer Resume

Here you will learn the easiest way to write a killer resume – that works every time!

A brilliant resume must be these four things:

1) Searchable!!!!

Recruiters must be able to find you. You can have a great resume with the three items below, but if the recruiter cant find you easily, they won’t be calling you to go for an interview.

2) Sing your experience, achievements and personal brand

3) Well written, clear and concise

4) Mirror the language of the role you are applying for

I was a number 1 recruiter for five years recruiting hundreds of trainers for national training projects, and I know that if you have a resume with the above four things, then you will get found by recruiters and have a high chance of being asked to interview.

Your ultimate aim when you start to look for a new role is to be the perfect candidate.

A perfect candidate is:

• polished and professional
• has a brilliant resume that incorporates the above 4 points
• has a great Linkedin profile that shines a good personal brand
• is articulate about their work experience who will interview well
• has the skills and expertise to match the role

Being a perfect candidate and helping the recruiters find you are the secret to getting your next role.

If you are the perfect candidate and recruiters can find you, then you will get put forward for more interviews and have a more significant chance of getting the job you want. Why? It’s because you are making the recruiter’s job easy for them.

Recruiters are busy, and they want to find you quickly, send you for an interview, place you in your new position and move on! They are usually juggling lots of live vacancies and only have time to deal with perfect candidates.

So if you’re wondering why you’re not getting called to go for an interview, it’s because you are not the perfect candidate.

I’ll teach you how to write a killer resume below.

Plus here’s some more help to become a perfect candidate and get noticed by recruiters:

• 60+Words to “Power Up” your Resume from Good to Amazing!
• How to Write Resume to Get You Past the ATS and Get an Interview
• How to Create a Linkedin Profile Recruiters Love in 11 Easy Steps
• How to get the Job You Want and Earn More?
• How to Identify Your Personal Brand and Why You Need One
• How to Promote Your Personal Brand to Boost Your Earning Potential

You need a resume that will set you apart from the competition. Writing or updating your resume can sometimes be a huge hurdle and often it’s good to have some input from those around you.

The effort you invest here to write your resume can be the difference between getting a good job and a great job!

Here’s how to write a killer resume that will get you noticed by recruiters:

1) Preparation is the key to writing a good resume

Search the job boards for your ideal next job. Find 5 or 6 that look perfect for you. Check for commonalities in the job title and the skills required and language used. You need to replicate this on your resume. Using similar language will quickly help recruiters and hiring managers to identify that you are a good match for them.

Recruitment agencies and large corporates will search for candidates on their database by using key search words that they will find in the job spec so language is important to get your resume selected. Think keywords such as skills and expertise, systems or methodologies used, industries, qualifications and affiliations. Using keywords on your resume makes you searchable.

More on language here 60+ Words to “Power Up” YOUR Resume from Good to AMAZING!

2) Find a resume template that will sell you

The content needs to stand out on your resume, so you need to present it in a way that is easy to read. A recruitment consultant will spend approximately 10 seconds reading your resume before moving to the next one. If you don’t make an impression in that time, then your opportunity has gone.

Standing out for the wrong reasons does not work and can work against you so do not use coloured fonts or anything gimmicky if you are going for a job in corporate or a regular line of work. Creatives may choose a more design-focused resume if relevant.

When you open Microsoft Word they have a great crisp and clean resume template designed by Moo and also a cover letter template, so that is an excellent starting point.

3) Write a profile

This is the opportunity to sell yourself. If the job title you want is Project Coordinator then under your address and contact details, you should write “Your Name – Project Coordinator” in bold (this is your profile header) with your profile underneath. A profile header like this immediately tells the recruiter that you are the person they are looking for. Obviously, if you apply for a job with a slightly different title, then you will need to change it.

Your profile is a sales pitch

This is an absolute essential to write a killer resume. Treat your profile like a sales pitch. Don’t be shy to brag about yourself as this is your first shot at making the right impression. Your profile needs to say that you are exactly what the recruiter is looking for so tell them why you are the best Project Coordinator, how much experience you have and what you have achieved in previous roles and quantify in numbers where possible.

If you find it hard to brag about yourself then think about it like this – you want to describe how you have helped other companies do what they want you to do.

4) Think about what skills and expertise are required for the job you want?

E.g. Stakeholder Management; Excellent Communicator, etc. – gather a list of 6-9 and put them on a table on your resume just under your profile under a heading “Key Skills and Expertise”. Use your profile and key skills and expertise to tell the recruiter that you have everything it takes to do the job. This will encourage them to keep on reading.

Use similar language or key skills that are in the job adverts that you want to go for.

5) Work history

If the recruiter has made it this far then well done, it’s now time to prove to them that you have all of these key skills and demonstrable experience in your previous roles.

Lay out a clear and concise work history detailing company, dates worked, job role with objectives, tasks and achievements. Bullet point format works well to keep it punchy and concise. List your most recent job first and so on. If you’ve used particular IT systems then here is the right place to note the details if relevant.

Again, remember to use similar language to that in the job adverts. A good starting point for this is to look at your existing job spec and list out what you actually do including any additional projects you’ve worked on and then tweak the language. Look to sprinkle the key skills and expertise words you have chosen all the way through your resume paying particular attention to your most recent roles as they are normally the ones you get asked about most.

Show promotions and progression through your job history.

Leave out any irrelevant detail – this is an important when you write a killer resume. Ask yourself the question “will my new employer care about this?” If the answer is “no” then leave it out. Too much irrelevant information will get the recruiter and hiring manager questioning your suitability.

6) Education

Qualifications, affiliations and courses you have completed that are relevant to the role you are applying for. I recommend adding the institutions and (dates if you feel it will benefit you). Be accurate here as some employers will wish to validate your qualifications, particularly Banking, NHS, Teaching and Govt in general. Older candidates may wish to leave dates off the resume as there is still bias out there and someone’s judgement about your age may work against you.

How to write a resume – Avoid these common mistakes:

1. Your resume is too long – 2 pages is good
2. It’s not targeted to the role you are applying for
3. There’s no profile
4. There are no skills or expertise listed – this is such a quick win if you identify skills they want on the job advert/spec and add them in a list on your resume (obviously if you have those skills)
5. There are no achievements listed – they want to know you are a high achiever
6. There are too many sentences – use bullet points for experience
7. There’s too much use of “I.”
8. Your education is too high up – this should be the footnote
9. Bad spelling and grammar – This is likely to be an automatic decline

Once complete, do a spell and grammar check then ask someone else to review it for you and refine it until you are proud of it.

Your next step is to

• Create a Linkedin Profile Love in 11 Easy Steps

You will then be ready to start applying for your new role.

That’s how to write a killer resume! I get that it sounds like there’s a lot to do to get your resume in fantastic shape but remember you are competing against others for your next job, so you need to stand above the competition. If you put in the work now, it WILL pay off!

YOU GOT THIS!!!

I’m busy rocking my life as a career, relationship and healthy living coach and doing all the things I love like yoga, pilates, meditation and exploring happiness. Learn more about me here….peace and love always…Jo xxx

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