How to Improve Your Resume: 7 Key Steps to Take

If you are trying to learn how to improve your resume, you are in luck! Check out our guide here on the things you should do.

Applying for a job?

For the past few years, employment rates have steadily improved. This means you can’t get by with a quick-and-easy application. Recruiters now have the leeway to get picky.

You need to learn how to improve your resume so you stand out. Make them want to hire you instead of the other candidates. If you don’t know where to start, you can begin with these seven steps below.

1. Optimize the Top Third

Print out your resume, and fold it into three. Take the upper third portion and review it. Recruiters should already get convinced you’re the right person for the job based on the info on that visible portion alone.

If not, it’s time to get to work and revise your resume.

2. Most Relevant Jobs First

Hoping to make a scrum master resume? You need to put related jobs and achievements up top.

Remember: the recruiter will likely skim your resume instead of reading it thoroughly so the first things they see are the most important. If you put all the relevant job histories at the bottom, they might not reach it before they stop skimming.

3. Use Photoshop, Make It Pop

Gone are the days of using a pre-designed resume. Use colors and different layouts to make your resume pop. It also shows the recruiter you took a lot more time improving your resume, which easily shows you care to get the job.

Not great at Photoshop? There are a bunch of great resume builders online. Yes, they’re often not free but they are worth investing in if you want a resume that looks as good as it should.

4. Easy Skimming With Keywords

Make your resume easy to skim. Putting important information up top helps but you also need to tell a story based on the few words visible. Use strong keywords that you can repeat throughout the page.

For example, an SEO copywriter should put words like “SEO” and “writer” multiple times. Even for someone skimming, they’ll come across those words repeatedly and this paints a picture about the applicant.

5. Accomplishments, Not Responsibilities

Responsibilities are mundane so get rid of them. The recruiter wants to know your achievements, not your usual tasks from your past jobs.

Keep them sparse, but if you can, plot out where you can place statistics and numbers. Make sure they’re relevant. Recruiters don’t want to know how much you earned as a cash registrar on a given Monday but they do want to see if you made massive sales during a holiday rush.

6. Minimalist Design

Use a minimalist design so that the important information stands out. A simple black and white or grey and white resume with H2 headers or bold captions can help lead a reader’s eyes to portions you want them to focus on.

7. Keep a Digital Company

Yes, make sure you save your resume as a PDF. You can go one step further and build a website around your resume. This allows people to dive deeper into your background while still getting a physical copy in their hands.

Not only is this impressive, but it helps you stand out and easily sell you as an achiever.

Now You Know How to Improve Your Resume!

Learning how to improve your resume isn’t difficult. It’s all about getting rid of the designs and ideas from the 2000s and early 2010s. Resumes nowadays need to be visually captivating but the content itself should be mesmerizing and easy to digest.

Of course, designing a good resume is only the start. If you’re looking for more tips, don’t hesitate to read more of our articles and guides right here!