It is a busy time of year at ProMotion Career Solutions. We are seeing more and more resumes in need of our expertise. Here are a few missed opportunities we have noticed in some of the resumes sent our way. These simple tips may help you with one of your upcoming applications.
1. Don’t be shy – give yourself a title.
Demonstrate to the employer that you are the right candidate for the job. Add the title from the job poster beside your name like this:
“John Smith, M.B.A., B.Sc. – Senior Systems Analyst”
If that makes you feel uneasy, maybe you’re not right for this position. When the job starts, you’re going to have this title. So if you don’t feel qualified enough to have this title now, what is going to change between now and the time you start the job? Be confident. Add your title.
Not only does this make it easy for the hiring manager to determine which open position you are applying to, it also demonstrates that you are confident in your ability to take on the role.
2. Highlight your skills – literally.
Take a highlighter to the job poster; using the same colour highlight all the qualifications you meet. Focus on this colour; these are the qualifications that you have that meet the job requirements. Next, go to your resume and highlight all the qualifications you found on the job poster. My guess is there is a lot more colour on the job poster than your resume. Am I right?
The reason potential employers are not calling is because the qualifications you know you have, that make you well suited for the job, are buried deep in your own mind and not written in your resume. You can fix this right away. Use the job poster (with the coloured highlights) to identify the qualifications missing from your resume. Match as many qualifications as possible. Even partial qualifications can help get your resume through an Applicant Tracking System.
3. Focus on similarities, not differences.
If you have been working in an unrelated industry or position, that’s not the part of your experience to feature. Focus your resume on the experiences relevant to the employer.
For example: If you have finance experience in the oil and gas industry and you plan to apply for a finance job in government, focus on your finance expertise (not on where you got it – oil and gas). Yes, the experience you gained is relevant, but you have to draw out the parts that will be meaningful to the employer. Make it easy for them to understand that you have the skills they seek and you’re a good fit for their team.
These are three easy changes you can make today to help improve your resume’s chance of being selected.
Related Categories: Resumes & ATS
About The Author
Maureen McCann is an award-winning career coach, master resume writer, and master certified interview, employment, and career strategist whose clients include C-level executives, managers, and professionals in all industries including the Canadian banking, oil and gas, healthcare, IT, and government sectors.