The question “how to land an interview?” is relevant for job seekers with any qualification. First-year students and employees with years of experience that want to advance their careers strive to do an engaging interview.
- A winning resume consists of several major elements:
- Right keywords;
- Tailoring;
- Presentation.
You may request such a service in a professional resume writing service like Skillhub to get the best results. Yet, if you want to craft a winning resume independently, this guide will explore each element and help demonstrate your true potential to recruiters.
Start with a Clear Goal
A job search for a prospective or high-salary job sounds like an excellent idea. Yet, you need a career plan to make it come true. And a career plan implies following smaller steps to achieve bigger goals.
Ivy Exec, one of the most prominent career coaches in the state, gives the next piece of advice: “You should have a clear goal for the interview before it begins.”
If you are an entry-level job seeker and only start your career, you should focus on junior positions in your career field. If you are an experienced worker, a career coach consultation may help you find the next successful step in your professional journey.
When you start your job search, you must imagine your final goal. The best way is to concentrate on a short list of possible vacancies and aim for them.
Research the Keywords
Proper keyword use is vital for an engaging resume. Many recruiting firms use ATS systems to filter the flow of incoming resumes. ATS bots look for relevant keywords and discard resumes with insufficient scores.
Positions from your job search scope are a great source of relevant keywords. Scan their skills and work experience sections for words and phrases. Compare your qualifications with the keywords and make adjustments.
Tailor Your Resume for Each Position
Resume tailoring is another great way to make an engaging resume. A story of one of Our clients is a good example of proper tailoring: Mark hoped to switch his career from marketing to web design. He had many transferable skills but little professional experience in IT development. He made a few variants for the resume, but they all failed. Potential employers ghosted his applications or promised to contact him later.
Mark decided to apply to resume service to learn how to fix the issue. The main stumble was in the ATS optimization and resume tailoring. Mark tried to use his general knowledge about the market for different positions, which showed him as a relatively inexperienced specialist.
Top resume services reviews experts helped Mark to trim his resume and emphasize his solid transferable skills and professional value as a web designer. Marc’s next job application resulted in a successful interview.
How to Tailor a Resume
Resume tailoring starts with a summary. Use the name of the specialization from a job application in your resume. Use the amount of work experience close to the one requested.
When you describe your work experience, use lists of bullet points with achievements from your previous job positions. It is crucial to remember that not all work experience is relevant and should be included in the list.
Provide information that touches on the job position to which you apply. Follow this plan when you make an achievement entry:
- Start with a sentence with an action verb: achieved, completed, finished.
- Add a sentence about your contribution to the achievement: managed a team, analyzed data, etc.
- Complete with the benefits for a company: resulted in 5% more income, saved three months for project development, etc.
This formula will show your professional value and how you can contribute to the company to which you apply. A few copies of your resume with tailored work experience and skills sections for different positions will increase your chances of landing a successful resume.
Let Your Personality Shine in Your Resume
Enriching your resume with additional personal information is another great way to stand out. Many professionals use similar qualifications, education, and achievements in their resumes. Personal information will help to show a person behind skills and qualifications.
There are no strict recommendations concerning additional sections’ content. Job seekers may include:
- Postgraduate education certificates;
- Licenses;
- Official and personal publications;
- Participation in industry-related gatherings.
Besides, candidates may add their experience in volunteering and job experience in related work fields.
The main criterion for the additional information is that it should be relevant to the position you are applying for. General hobbies and interests do not make a resume engaging for a potential employer. Therefore, ensure that your personal information emphasizes your professional qualifications.
Bottom Line
An engaging and captivating resume has information that an employer needs. Recruiters need to see how a job seeker can contribute to the company at a given job position. There are several ways of such proficiency demonstration:
- Keyword use;
- Resume tailoring;
- Additional resume sections.
A resume that contains proper keywords will reach employers more often than an unoptimized one. Measurable achievements and relevant work experience will demonstrate actual professional value. Finally, personal information will help stand out.
These elements take time to master. A resume writing service will use these techniques professionally to enhance your job search.
FAQ
Do I have to add a cover letter to my application?
A cover letter is not mandatory but will increase your chances of landing an interview. It will show your genuine interest in the position, and recruiters will pay closer attention to your resume.
How can my network help me land an interview?
You need to formulate a concrete request before reaching out to your network. Imagine a clear goal for your job search, and ask how you can increase your chances of landing an interview in this field.
Is there anything I can do after an interview?
First of all, you should be patient. A follow-up letter and clarifications about the next steps of the hiring process will be a plus.
