In today’s competitive job market, your resume needs to contain certain components if you want to make it through the screen out process and land an interview. Hiring managers review your resume for the essential components they place an emphasis on like qualifications, achievements, quantitative metrics, and esthetic appeal. All of these components must be strategically integrated into your resume if you want to decrease the time it takes you to find a job. Here are some items that hiring managers consider to be resume must-haves.
A clear definition of what the jobseeker has to offer. Many hiring managers do not have time to dig through resumes to see what you have to offer. They need to know relatively quickly whether or not you have what they are looking for. If you are perceived to be a good fit based on the clear definition of skills you offer, this will streamline the process for landing an interview.
Unique achievements that distinguish the jobseeker from other applicants. Every jobseeker in the same industry has more or less the same job responsibilities. It is never a good idea to highlight the same things everyone else will highlight. It makes more sense to select unique and distinguishable achievements for your resume that set you apart from the competition.
Quantitative references that show real-time results. Jobseekers all claim to be the best at their jobs on their resumes, but this isn’t always the case. In order to dispel any doubts hiring managers may have, it is best to use quantitative metrics wherever possible. Don’t just simply say: I did this. Break it down and say: I did this, but I also produced this quantitative result.
Esthetic appeal that makes the resume easy to read. This might seem so basic, but you would be surprised at how many resumes get cast aside simply because they are too hard to read. The goal is to use brevity while balancing detail. Try adjusting spacing, using less complex verbiage, or using more bullets to make the content easier to read.
The success of a resume includes many core components. All of these resume must-haves work together to strategically position you at the top of the candidate pool. If you always remember to keep hiring managers in mind, your resume will generate better results for you because you gave the hiring managers what they were looking to see.