10 Things to Add to Your Resume to Make It Outstanding

Let’s face it – most resumes look pretty much the same. They use similar corporate language like “work effectively under pressure” or “possess a strong business acumen”. The structure doesn’t allow much space for creativity either: a career summary, work experience, education and skills. Let alone the fact that the bureaucratic format of a traditional resume doesn’t allow you to show your human side to the hiring person. So, how on earth under these circumstances do you make a resume stand out?

Although resume writing offers limited options for creativity, it’s still possible to get yours noticed. You simply need to make an extra effort and do one of the things the majority of other job-seekers won’t. In today’s post, we are going to reveal the 10 creative solutions you can apply to your resume.

A quick note: if you have no time to learn how to write a resume, consider finding a professional writer. Resumeperk.com has online writers with years of experience and a knack for quality writing. Our writers use a personal approach to identify the career needs of each client and write a resume that better serves those needs.

10 creative hints to make your resume stand out

Quality writing is the king. Yet, every perfectly written resume will benefit from these 10 things you can add to a resume right now:

1.  A LinkedIn profile URL
   Despite the fact that nearly every professional has a LinkedIn profile these days, many still don’t add a link to it in a resume. You shouldn’t neglect to do it for two reasons. Firstly, the hiring manager will look up for your profile online anyway, and you will save their time and show your transparency. And secondly, unlike the resume, LinkedIn allows you to show your personality. This social media encourages less formal language and allows adding multimedia content. An attractive LinkedIn page can give you more chances for an interview.
   By the way, our LinkedIn profile writer has shared his tips on filling out your profile effectively. Check them out here: https://resumeperk.com/blog/tips--tricks-for-professional-linkedin-profile-writing.
2. Blocks of color
   We always advise our readers to use the color carefully in their resumes. Most traditional recruiters are against bright formatting. Yet, there’s no denying the fact that big blocks of pastel, grey or black color on the white page immediately captures the eye. Use this trick on your resume and you’ll see the difference. You can highlight the header of the paper, summary sections, or skills. Just make sure that the text reads well on the colored background. Calm shades don’t irritate the eye as the bright ones do, so such a resume can be used to apply for all kinds of jobs.
   Need a bit of inspiration to get started? Use our hints for creativity increasing.
3. Framing statements for the employers
   Do you know one of the biggest struggles for the hiring manager reading your resume? Figuring out how your experience aligns with their company. And your job title isn’t of much help: the ‘Account manager’ title implies different responsibilities depending on if it was a small business or a big corporation. The solution? Add the framing statement for each employer, indicating the industry, annual turnover, number of directs or other information you deem significant. Here’s the example: “XYZ company, the #2 shoe retailer in Nebraska with 500+ employees”. This certainly gives the context for your responsibilities and achievements, doesn’t it?
4. Explanations a for job change
   One of the traditional resume rules states: do not give reasons for quitting the job. Yet if this reason was positive, why not use this trick to make even a stronger impression and sell yourself better? If you were promoted, hunted by another company or quit to pursue an MBA with a prestigious school, those are all good reasons. The company has been acquired? That’s an acceptable explanation too.
5. Personal brand
   Your personal brand is 2-3 core competencies or career interests where you bring maximal value to the table. It shows your unique strengths that differentiate you from other applicants. The best place to show your personal brand in a resume is your career summary. Ideally, it should tell your professional story simply yet powerfully. Many candidates tend to show off everything they’ve got without branding themselves, so those who have a personal brand immediately get noticed. Of course, if you are a recent graduate or career changer, you might not care about it much; yet for senior-level professionals, a strong personal brand is a must.
6. Name-dropping
   All resume specialists recommend removing the irrelevant or too old information to make your resume shorter. There’s some truth in it; but if your earlier experience is connected with the famous name in the industry, keep it. If your career trajectory was quite average yet you had an internship with Google ten years ago, this fact alone can secure you an interview. So, if you were associated with a loud company name, even if it was a temporary gig, take full advantage of it.
   To make that resume truly perfect, have a second set of eyes to proofread it. If you need resume editing services, our expert can fix the minor issues in your document and make your writing flawless.
7. Timeline or infographic
   Many creative resume templates use infographics. Although we don’t recommend using the resume template you’ve found on some website, adding graphic elements to your resume might be helpful. You can visualize your career trajectory, show the revenue you’ve brought in as a chart, or rate your proficiency with hard skills. If you are in programming, creative design or marketing industry, consider setting yourself apart with a pure infographic resume. this kind of resume presents most of your resume information in the form of pictures, graphs, charts and more. Here are the benefits of using an infographic resume: https://resumeperk.com/blog/our-new-service-custom-infographic-resume-writing.
8. A link to your video resume
   Just like the infographic resumes, video resumes are on the rise. Their biggest benefit is that the video allows you to communicate your body language and show your appearance. A dry and formal resume language doesn’t allow that. Meanwhile, we collect most of the information about the person non-verbally. So, attaching a link to your video resume not only shows your creativity, but also increases your chances to get liked by the hiring person.
9.  QR code
   If you send in a paper resume, add a quick response code somewhere in the corner. If scanned, this code may lead to your LinkedIn page, a professional website or blog, or your online portfolio. The interactive element will keep the recruiter interesting, and you won’t have to overload the resume with excessive information. This trick is rarely used, so your odds of standing out with this one are pretty high.
10. A testimony from a previous employer or client
    Sometimes one or two testimonials from your employer or client work more than your bragging about your achievements. The principle is the same as with LinkedIn – ask someone you’ve worked with to give you honest feedback and outline your professional strengths and personality traits. Quotes in the resume will immediately catch the eye, and the positive comment from the business owner will form a positive impression about you immediately. If you are a freelancer looking to find a good job for writer, use feedback from your previous client.

These techniques are rarely used but extremely effective for getting your resume noticed. Of course, you don’t need to use them one at a time – choose the ones which apply to your career situation and will work best for the format of your resume.

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