Simple Tricks To Make Your Credentials Look More Impressive

January 4, 2019

In a business world which is rife with competition, it can be incredibly hard to make yourself stand out from the crowd. There will always be those who have a better education, more experience, or a wider range of skills than you do, even if you put a huge amount of time and effort into this side of your life. This doesn’t mean that you can’t beat them, though. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the work which can go into ensuring that your professional resume looks as hot as possible.
Presentation Is Key
When an employer receives a stack of resumes, they will usually start their sorting process by removing those which are below the expected standards. Document formatting is crucial with something like this, both saving space and ensuring that your content is as easy as possible to digest. To give you a hand with this, it could be a good idea to look around the web at some examples for inspiration. Of course, though, it needs to be unique, and it won’t be worth copying other people’s ideas to mirror them.
Along with the way it all looks, you also need to make sure that the writing is completed to the right standard. Spelling and grammar mistakes, repetitive sentences, and boring words will all make for a dull read, often causing the employer to skip past the resume in question. To solve this issue, paying someone a small amount to write this up for you can be a great idea. There are loads of services around the web which offer this, giving you peace of mind when you hand in an application to a job which you really want.
The Right Names
Most people are aware of the influence you can have when you know the right people in business. When it comes to something education, the same is also true, and this can have a powerful impact on your chances of success. With more and more people using online resources to do their studying, it’s becoming harder for employers to recognise the schools which people are going to. If you study with a university like Exeter online, though, you will always be part of a select and prestigious group. This is particularly important when you’re dealing with companies which are operated by older or more traditional people.
Extra Work
It can be easy to feel unwilling to do work when you’re not being paid for it, especially if you already spend a large portion of your time in a normal job. When it comes to a resume, though, having the chance to show off your willingness to get stuck into things which don’t benefit you directly can be a great way to win people over. Volunteering with charities is a great way to achieve this goal, giving you something which can be referenced down the line if the employer wants to make sure that you’re being truthful.
The extra work you do doesn’t have to be for charity, though, with some people finding ways to make money when they’re going through this process. Starting a small business will show that you have the ability to work on loads of different areas, while also illustrating your willingness to work hard at something when it isn’t giving you a big profit. Of course, though, you have to be careful, as some employers will see this as something which will get in the way of your normal job. Balancing passion with obsession is crucial when you’re trying to impress someone.
Elements Which Reflect Those Reading
Thanks to the way that online job hunting works, you have an opportunity which people in the past simply didn’t have. With the details of each of the employers you find being readily available, you have the chance to start doing research before you even apply. This will teach you about their business, including information in your resume which will make it feel as if you’ve only applied for the job with them. Of course, you will be applying for loads of jobs, but this isn’t something which your potential employers have to know.
Choosing The Best Words
Finally, as the last area to consider, it’s time to think about the words you use in a document like a resume. A lot of people write things like this using the same basic descriptions and phrases, making them all very similar when they are read at the same time. While it can sound good to tell them that you are a “hard-working and determined individual”, loads of people will have already said this, and something which highlights your other qualities could be a good route to follow.
Of course, along with this, you also want the words you use to match the business you’re applying to. Trying to get a job with a young people’s clothing company wouldn’t be very hard if your resume is written in a highly professional and rigid manner. Likewise, though, if you were to use street talk in a resume for a job in a bank, you’d probably be laughed out of the door. Balancing this can be hard, and the only judge you have to tell you what might be best is the job advert itself. It’s usually the same person writing the advert and reading the responses.
Getting a job in the modern world takes more than merely meeting the requirements for it. There will be candidates with skills far beyond your own, and there will also be those who are very lacking. In reality, though, it doesn’t matter where you sit on this spectrum, as the bulk of jobs are mostly based on the image you’re able to build of yourself. If you need more help with this, it could be worth speaking with a career advice professional, as they will have a very good understanding of what employers are looking for when they hire new workers. Of course, though, you also have to make sure that you’re following a route which you like.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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