No matter what era we’re in, job searching will continue to be an extremely challenging task, especially if the industry you’re interested in is a highly competitive or saturated one such as retail, manufacturing, tech, finance, or business process outsourcing (BPO).
With so many other talented, hardworking applicants vying for the same position, how is it possible to make yourself stand out? In many cases, it all boils down to your resume—which is the first thing recruiters see and use to gauge an impression of you, all before you’ve even met.
Knowing that, your resume should be more than just a laundry list of details about you. It should clearly convey to your prospective employer why you’re a good fit for the role through a glimpse of your previous experiences, hard and soft skills, and proficiency in various technologies relevant to the position you’re applying for. Many job hiring in Metro Manila opportunities also have specific requirements for application, so it’s best to review them first so that you can fine-tune your resume accordingly.
Here are more insights on how you can make your resume more competitive and increase your chances of landing your dream job:
Recruiters sometimes go through tens to hundreds of applications for each job opening. As such, incomplete or generic resumes are typically rejected right away so that recruiters and hiring managers can quickly narrow down the most diligent candidates.
To avoid getting your resume relegated to the reject pile, make sure to customize it according to the job description. This means highlighting experiences, skills, and achievements that align with the role’s requirements. Not only does a customized resume better display your strengths; it also shows a company that you’re genuinely interested in the job and have read the job description thoroughly enough to understand what it entails.
You may think that using eye-catching fonts, colors, and designs for your resume can help you stand out in a good way. But if you overdo it, all this does is make your resume look cluttered or disorganized.
Instead, stick to a professional formatting system with easy-to-read sections. Use headings and bullet points to organize information in your resume as well. This way, recruiters will be able to find the information they need from the document at first glance.
A short summary (around 3–4 sentences) at the top of your resume describing your core skills, experiences, and professional goals can be a good hook for recruiters, as this helps them easily learn what you’re all about. Recruiters have better chances of picking up and paying attention to a resume with a professional summary compared to those with no summaries at all.
Just make sure that your summary is concise and professional, focusing more on your qualifications rather than abstract claims or promises you may not be able to keep.
Another thing that makes a resume more competitive is the ability of the applicant to highlight relevant skills that the recruiter is looking for. You’ll know the answer to this by reading the job opening’s description. Put forward the skills you have that align best with the requirements.
When creating a skills section for your resume, don’t only focus on your hard skills; highlight your soft skills as well. For instance, if you’re applying for a sales position, it’s indeed important to list down previous sales experience. However, you may also want to highlight a relevant soft skill such as your proficiency in English and other languages, which recruiters often look for in salespeople.
If you have any certifications for training programs or courses you’ve completed outside your degree, don’t forget to include them on your resume to make it more competitive. Some fields, such as those of information technology (IT) and education, may even require these certifications to ensure you’re actually qualified for the job.
Make sure to check first if the job asks for certain certifications, and highlight them on your resume if you’ve got them. Training certifications will also show your dedication to improving your skill set and lend more credibility to the skills you’ve listed on your resume.
Bad grammar and typographical errors can completely ruin the chances of a resume getting past a recruiter. Always double-check your resume to spot any errors before sending it in. Consider asking a friend or mentor to look over your resume in case you miss anything and so that they can also provide feedback when warranted.
For fresh graduates in particular, it can be difficult to put together a competitive-looking resume out of a lack of professional experience they can leverage. However, there are other ways to prove your skills and dedication to a certain type of work even without previous experience. If you’re a fresh graduate, highlight volunteer work or extracurricular activities instead, granted that they’re relevant to the position you’ve applying for.
For example, if you’re applying for an administrative assistant role, it’s a good idea to cite your volunteer work as a data encoder for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in your resume. This will show your familiarity with one of the tasks that’ll most likely get assigned to you as an administrative assistant.
Again, whether you’re a fresh graduate or a worker with years of experience under your belt, there are several things you can do to edit your resume and make it appear more competitive and appealing to recruiters. Let the insights discussed above guide you when fixing your job application, as they might just up your chances of landing crucial interviews and getting hired.
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