Make it to the Top of the Stack: 7 Resume Tips and Tricks for the Digital Worker
The job market can be tough, and you need to differentiate yourself from the crowd. With the power of words and a clean format, you can use your resume to shape how others perceive you.
At Crossover, our recruitment analysts are experts at evaluating resumes, and we collected their recommendations to help you create a resume that gets the job!
1. Quality over quantity
A hiring manager only skims a resume for a few seconds before deciding to either review it further or toss it out. What convinces hiring managers to give you a second thought is how relevant your resume is to the job description.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
One good practice is having a summary of your skills and competencies at the beginning of your resume. Think of your resume as a newspaper that utilizes the most relevant information to attract readers.
2. Make it targeted
A great resume speaks to a specific job. Start by filtering out information that isn’t related to the job you’re applying for. Mentioning your first job in retail or a restaurant might not be helpful for the software developer position you want.
Don’t use the same resume for every application, regardless of the industry or job title. It’s a strategy that recruiting experts say will get you nowhere fast.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
Candidates should only include information that’s relevant to the job they’re applying for. You should always include your work experience, education, skills, and achievements.
3. Proofread your resume
One survey revealed that 58% of employers turned down candidates who had typos in their resumes.
A don’t rely only on spell check, which can miss some errors. It’s vital that you take the time to proofread your resume more than once—ideally enlisting a friend to review with a fresh set of eyes.
Don’t forget to check all the dates to make sure that your employment history is accurate. Typos and spelling mistakes can happen, but they don’t need to prevent you from landing your dream job.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
Correct spelling and grammar is a strong sign of how attentive a candidate is. It also shows how much he/she values excellence and perfection in his/her work.
4. Show your passion
Passion alone won’t get you a job, but it can make a difference in a hiring manager’s decision. Your resume is a great opportunity to showcase that you love your career and the field you’ve chosen to work in. Don’t be shy about including any awards or recognition you’ve received in the past. Frame your passions in a way that present you as well-suited for the job you’re trying to land.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
Passion is important, as long as it is measurable. It’s important for candidates to include their clearly quantified work achievements (ex. sales growth, % of increase, $ closed in a deal). Writing these in bullet form is a good way for us to recognize those strengths.
Here are some great examples from applicants who passed the initial screening:
“Handled over 600 change requests and over 2,000 trouble tickets for product implementation”
“Worked on eight projects over a tenure of three and a half years in the role of project leader”
Make sure you include your volunteer experience, too — it says a lot when you apply for a job. There is nothing that describes passion more than doing a job even when you are not paid to do it.
5. Include keywords and soft skills
Keywords are important to get your resume past applicant tracking systems. The first thing you should do is make a list of keywords that you see in the job you’re interested in. Then make a second list 10 or so terms that describe your qualifications related to the job. These terms can be both technical and non-technical. Then, weave your keywords into statements in your resume.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
If you’re applying for a technical role, be specific with your skills. “Expertise in SMS and WAP technologies” is better than “expertise in mobile development.”
Advancement in technology has significantly changed the way employers are screening applications. Most tech companies use automation in the early stages of the hiring process—thus, the greater need for effective use of keywords in your resume.
6. Keep it honest
It’s easy to fall into the trap of embellishing resume content. Here’s the truth: It won’t work. You can say you’re a talented salesperson, but don’t say you were the best in your company without proof.
In the age of the internet, so many things are easy to verify. If you lie, you risk that job offer — nobody wants a dishonest person working on their team. People who falsify information usually discover they aren’t outsmarting anyone after all.
Pro tips from Crossover recruiters:
Most companies have strict background checks to validate the skills you claim to have.
7. Don’t be too personal
Don’t include information that could be perceived as confidential or unnecessary. Your weight, religion, or social security number should not appear on your resume. Make sure the content you include is always professional.
The 7-point resume checklist
- Is your resume easy to read? (Canva recommends using these fonts for your resume)
- Have you checked for spelling mistakes, typos, and grammatical errors?
- Does your resume highlight your key competencies and skills?
- Does your resume contain industry-specific keywords?
- Is your employment history accurate?
- Is your resume relevant to the hiring manager’s needs?
- If you’re sharing a Google Doc version of your resume, do you have the proper sharing settings?
