Top 17 Resume Writing Tips & Tricks 2019
The labor market becomes talent-driven in 2019. It means the increase in the number of job openings available as the employers' willingness to go to great lengths to hire the best candidates. So, if you were looking for a perfect timing for your next career move, this is your moment. However, despite the optimistic trends, the procedure of hiring remains the same: you still need a well-written, eye-catching resume to get noticed.
To help you fulfill your career ambitions in this year, we are going to share some valuable resume advice. Our in-house resume writers use these principles themselves when developing resumes for customers. No dull and outdated advice: only modern resume tips and tricks that worked for our previous clients. Interested? Read below. Read more about handwritten resumes here.
Where do I find tips for writing a resume with no experience?
Professionals at all career levels need a strong resume to succeed in their job search. However, students find the writing process especially frustrating and confusing. If have never had a resume before, you might benefit a lot from the assistance of someone with an HR background. A resume writing expert can share some priceless insights that will save you a lot of time on job search.
At Resumeperk.com, we provide personal resume help for students and graduates. Our consultant can create you a resume from scratch or correct the existing one. The students aren't made of gold, so our charges for student resumes are cheap: contact our chat support for a 20% discount off your first order. Still want to write a resume by yourself? Then, consult our guide for writing entry-level resumes: https://resumeperk.com/blog/creating-a-resume-with-no-experience-step-by-step-guide.
Best resume preparation tips and tricks for 2019
Whether you're a British college graduate, a creative copywriter or even academic professors, the rules that help your resume shine are pretty much the same. Follow the tips below handpicked by professional resume writer online:
Tip #1. Double check your contact information
Years ago, it was considered appropriate to put your full address on a resume. Today you'll likely to post your resume online, so think of your privacy and only include a city and street name. A contact section of modern resume looks like this: your email, cell number, location, and social media profile (we'll talk about it further). Always double check every word and digit in this section: a misspelled digit can lead to missed opportunities.
Tip #2. Add your professional social media URL
In 2019, it becomes commonplace to add the link to your LinkedIn profile (should I mention that it needs to be updated and polished?). Adding your private social media is a bad tone, although you may share a link if your job has something to do with social media and you'd like to show off your skills. If you have a professional website or online portfolio, share a link to them in your contact information as well.
Tip #3. Create a strong opener
The first lines in your resume often determine whether the reader will pay enough attention to the rest of resume content. Here is a secret from a resume pro: you can use an objective or a summary statement, but take your time to create an introduction that is informative, employer-focused and highlights your professional value. If your summary section sounds somewhat vague or wordy, rely on the proven tricks to clean up boring writing.
Tip #4. Highlight your culture fit
This is one of the freshest tips for creating a resume that works. Employers aren't only looking for a professional with the right set of hard skills. Hiring a good cultural fit means better productivity, higher job satisfaction and lots of other benefits for an employer. So, how do you show that cultural fit in a resume?
Read the job posting and company website carefully. Then, create a list of buzzwords which are used frequently and use them seven times or more in a resume. Repeat for a cover letter. A hiring manager will get an impression that you speak the same language.
Tip #5. Put your promotions into the spotlight
A modern resume should give the maximum exposure to your awards and accomplishments versus daily responsibilities. If you worked your way up with the same employer, won an award or were recognized for superior performance, this should absolutely be mentioned on a resume. Create a separate section for your accomplishments if you're a top performing professional to make sure your contribution isn't left unnoticed.
Tip #6. Replenish it with strong action verbs
Adding strong action verbs is one of the astoundingly overused tips to make a good resume – but it's because it really works. The words you use when describing your career history shape the perception of your abilities and contribution. For instance, “Participated in the launch of company's marketing campaign” portrays you like a 'doer' while “Developed content plan for the company's marketing campaign” directly showcases your contribution. Don't be shy to use “Initiated”, “Ensured” and “Directed” if this was exactly what you were doing; don't hide your impact under the generic “Responsible for”.
Tip #7. Omit the old jobs
A modern resume isn't the place to keep all the jobs you had since graduation, but rather a snapshot of your recent experience. if you have solid professional experience, exclude the jobs you had 15 years ago and earlier. Not only it will save your resume space (I bet it's a huge challenge to fit 20+ years of experience into 2 pages), but also will help you avoid the age discrimination.
Tip #8. Cross out buzzwords and filler words
Lots of candidates use buzzwords and filler words to make their resume sound more professional. However, this tactic makes an opposite effect and irritates the hiring manager as words like “Highly experienced professional”, “visionary leadership” and “proactive team player” doesn't tell much about what actually makes you a good candidate. Some other examples of filler words include:
- Proven track record of successes…
- Trained, led and mentored…
- Gained in-depth experience with…
The solution? If you really want to strengthen your writing, cross out these words and statements – you might be astounded how many of these your resume has. And then, give specific results of your work and accomplishments using dollars and percentages.
Tip #9. Make the document skimmable
You may have heard that hiring managers spend a few seconds on each resume. Given this, your resume needs to be easy to look through and navigate the information: clearly divided subheadings, bulleted lists and a plenty of white space. Set a 11-12 pts font and use shorter sentences to ease the reading. Align the resume content to the left as this is how we naturally use text both on paper and the screen. And finally, use no more than 350 words on each page.
Tip #10. Take advantage of the word cloud generator
Can't figure out which keywords to include in a resume? Insert the job description into online word cloud generator, and then see which words pop up. Those given in a big font should definitely be mentioned on a resume and a cover letter. This trick isn't well-known so far, but it helps to organize your writing and pick the right words in a matter of seconds.
Tip #11. Change the file name
Change the resume file name to “Firstname_Lastname_Resume.docx”. If you give your document a meaningless name such as “resume” or “111”, it will easily get tossed in a hiring manager's folder with hundreds of other files.
Tip #12. Ditch the “References available upon request”
This statement was a traditional resume closer around ten years ago. But in 2019 it doesn't make sense and, which is more important, makes your resume look outdated. You shouldn't put the reference list at the end of the resume as well – create a separate document for them.
Tip #13. Don't focus on your education
In today's resumes, the education section is put under the experience. if you've graduated over 5 years ago, the only education details deserve being mentioned are your degree, major (or double-major), university name and graduation year. Listing academic accomplishments, student communities, coursework and extracurricular activities is only acceptable for those recently out of college.
Tip #14. Give accomplishments, figures and results
Resume is a marketing tool, and nothing markets your professionalism more effectively than measurable successes from the past. Even if you believe that you haven't done anything special, think at your daily work under the different angle, and you'll certainly notice something worth to be shared in a resume.
- Add figures: how much money you managed or saved for the company, how many people trained, how much you increased sales in percentages, etc.
- Use the PAR approach: mention the challenge you faced, the action you took and the result you've managed to achieve.
- Mention awards and recognition: did you win a corporate or industry award? List them. Was your work praised by management or client? Consider adding a testimonial from them.
Illustrating your responsibility with an achievement puts you a lot ahead of similarly qualified candidates.
Tip #15. Use an online proofreading tool
As you've followed the professional resume formatting tip and organized the resume content properly, it's time to fix smaller issues. An online English checker (like Grammarly.com) will help you correct grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. However, for better quality of proofreading it's recommended that you hire a resume proofreader. By the way, our company provides affordable resume correction.
Tip #16. Follow up
You might think that sending follow-up letters is out of date; but in fact, the situation is quite the opposite. Only a few candidates follow up after sending in their resumes or keep in touch with recruiters after the rejection. This courtesy will not only distinguish you from many other applicants, but also leave a positive impression with the hiring person, and if you aren't given a job offer, they'll likely contact you when the similar job appears.
By the way, if you make it to the interview stage, check out the tips for interview handshake – it matters more than you think!
Tip #17. Use an infographic resume building 2019
Visual resumes continue gaining popularity. They are a great way to stand out from the pool of candidates, highlight your creativity and get noticed. However, it takes a combination of graphic design and resume writing skills to create a truly impressive inforgraphic resume. Our experts offer the creation of a custom infographic for you – read more about the service here: https://resumeperk.com/blog/our-new-service-custom-infographic-resume-writing.
And some more recommendations from experts as a bonus.
Show - Don't tell - Your soft skills
In addition to professional responsibilities and accomplishments, it's highly recommended that you list hard and soft skills on your resume. To catch the recruiter's attention at a glance, you might want to list those skills (for instance, Teamwork, Problem solving, Verbal/Written communication) closer to the top of the resume.
In this case, make sure that the rest of the resume gives evidence of how you put those skills into practice. In addition to saying that you have strong customer service skills, give recruiter the example, such as 'Maintained customer retention rate at 55% throughout the year'.
Name your resume smartly
The name you create for a resume file matters more than you may think. Imagine the recruiter who downloads 15 files which are called simply 'Resume'. How do they find your application in this pile? The smart move here is to give your resume file a name consisting of your name and job title, i.e. 'Resume_Joe-Dou_Account-Manager'. Needless to remind that you should use the .doc file type or other file as required by an employer.
Constantly update the resume
Your career isn't static, and so shouldn't be your resume. Did you pass a corporate training, win an award, joined a volunteering organization or were assigned extra responsibility at work? Make sure your resume reflects that. By keeping your resume up to date, you'll provide the target employers with comprehensive information about your professional background and give them extra reasons to call you for an interview.
A Resume is not a CV
A resume and a CV don't mean the same document. A resume is an application document which is 1-2 pages in length and is focused on your experience relevant to the particular position. A CV, on the contrary, describes your professional history in its entirety, including all educational activities, jobs, publications, and many more. Its length is not limited. For most jobs in the US, you need a resume, not a CV, so keep the document to 1-2 pages and feel free to remove the information which is outdated or irrelevant.
What are the common resume mistakes?
We hope that our comprehensive guide has provided you with helpful information to update your resume and make a big career move. It's also important that you fix the following resume mistakes:
✓ Referencing the employers you had issues with. If you didn't quit on a good note, don't include people from this company as a reference since they won't give you a good recommendation.
✓ Irrelevant or basic skills. If you're applying for a job as a programmer, don't include your customer service or receptionist skills you've gained early in your career. Similarly, if you're an experienced professional, omit obvious skills such as MS Word or time management.
✓ Personal information. Unless you want to apply for jobs in Europe or Asia where it's common, avoid mentioning your age, marital status, or nationality.
✓ Not tailoring the resume for a job position. Adapt your resume for a specific job posting to ensure that it has the needed keywords and matches the employer's expectations.
✓ Grammar or spelling mistakes. Edit and proofread the document several times, and have someone to review it for you as well.
Benefit from professional resume writing for college students
Above is the list of resume writing tips and approaches that will dominate in 2019. So, if you want to succeed at landing a good employer, consider them when writing your resume. However, if you are serious about creating a strong resume that will help in your career, consider contacting the consultants for professional resume enhancement. The American and UK helpers can both create a modern resume for you or edit the one you already have as per the freshest trends in resume writing. The professionals of Resumeperk com offer the cheapest urgent help and have all the required qualifications at the same time – learn more about our writers.