Why Your Resume Needs to Stand Out
Your first impressions are the most important thing, especially if you are applying to a job. First impressions aren’t always talking about appearance and how you talk, but also about your resume. Recruiters will have their first impressions through your resume by spending an average of 6-9 seconds looking deeper at each resume.
With the help of technology, most companies don’t need people to scan resumes because AI will do it with the ATS system. To be able pass the screening, you need to make your resume standout. A standout resume will notice both ATS and recruiters.
Key Strategies to Make Your Resume Stand Out
1. Customization is Non-Negotiable
Don’t submit identical resumes to every job you apply for. You need to have different keywords and make it relevant to the company requirements. Here’s what you gonna do:
Tailor your resume for each job:
Analyze the job description and align your resume with its requirements.
Use the same keywords and phrasing as in the job post.
Prioritize the relevance between your resume with company’s description:
Highlight the most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements first.
Customize your professional summary to reflect the role you're applying for.
Read more: How to tailor your resume for different job applications
2. Focus on Results and Achievements
Make sure to put your achievements and results with your previous works, not only give explanation about what you did. Recruiters will consider people who had impact, not only doing tasks.
Explain your success with measurements to give a good picture about your achievements. Be exact and clear. For example,
“Increased campaign ROI by 40% through optimized targeting.”
“Reduced cost-per-lead by 25%.”
Use action-oriented language like “optimized”, “streamlined”, or “led” while explaining your content in your resume to give a professional impression.
3. Craft a Strong Professional Summary
Your first sentence in the first paragraph has a big role. Write a strong professional summary about yourself to get noticed by recruiters and pass ATS screening.
First Impressions Matter:
Write a concise, 2–3 sentence summary at the top of your resume.
What to Include:
Your unique value proposition.
Relevant skills and career highlights.
4. Showcase Skills Effectively
Surely, you have lots of professional skills from hard skills to soft skills. Don’t over explain about your skills, make it concise and to the point. Recruiters don’t have much time to read long paragraphs, better to deliver it into points. Here’s the example:
Hard Skills:
Highlight technical tools or platforms relevant to the role (e.g., Google Ads, SEO tools).
Soft Skills:
Include transferable skills like problem-solving, leadership, or communication.
Organize by Relevance:
Prioritize the most relevant skills for the specific job.
5. Include Certifications and Relevant Extras
Certification and other important information is another important thing besides your skills and experience, so make sure to include those in your resume, it could be a plus point and possibly you will make it into the next process. Take a notes of these:
Certifications:
Add professional certifications that validate your expertise (e.g., HubSpot, Google Ads).
Portfolios and Links:
Provide a link to an online portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
6. Design for Readability and ATS Compatibility
Remember this, don’t use complex and catchy designs for your resume. ATS screening is done by AI, so they will only screen your information. Using complex design will make it harder to read by AI.
Here’s what you need to do:
Keep It Clean and Simple:
Use standard headings (e.g., Work Experience, Education, Skills).
Ensure consistent fonts, margins, and formatting.
ATS-Friendly Practices:
Avoid graphics or fancy layouts that ATS can’t process.
Use appropriate formatting, such as MM/YYYY for dates.
Use White Space Effectively:
Keep your resume visually appealing and easy to read.
Stick to 1–2 Pages:
Include only relevant information to keep it concise.
Explore further: How to Use AI Tools to Tailor Your Resume
7. Add Unique Elements to Stand Out
If you ever joined a community project, personal projects or volunteer work related to the job you apply for and align with job description, you should put it into your resume. That can be a plus point and make you one step ahead compared to other applicants.
Personal Projects or Volunteer Work:
Mention projects or volunteer experiences relevant to the role.
Show Growth Mindset:
Highlight your learning journey, such as certifications or side projects.
Beyond the Resume: Strengthen Your Personal Brand
The next step is to strengthen your personal branding. Recruiters will dig up information about you through your social media profile. You can not explain much in your resume, so being present digitally will show your other experiences and skills.
Create an Online Presence:
Build a strong LinkedIn profile or portfolio website.
Research Companies:
Align your resume and personal communication with the company’s brand values.
Leverage Jobier to Make Your Resume Shine
Creating a standout resume may seem daunting and exhausting. Tools like Jobier make the process seamless. Jobier’s AI-powered resume builder helps you:
Craft tailored resumes for specific job applications by analyzing job descriptions and matching keywords.
Highlight your accomplishments with data-driven insights and strong action verbs.
Design ATS-friendly resumes with clean formatting that recruiters love.
Save time by generating customized cover letters alongside your resume.
With Jobier, you can focus on perfecting your personal brand while the platform ensures your resume stands out both to ATS systems and hiring managers.
Start your journey to your dream job with Jobier today!
