3 steps to an effective résumé - Sterling Career Concepts

3 steps to an effective résumé 3 steps to an effective résumé An effectively written résumé is the perfect tool to secure employment interviews. In short, it’s an advertisement matching your skills to an employer’s needs. Your résumé should clearly indicate how you will positively affect the company’s bottom line. Companies look for specific skill sets for every position. You need to look closely at the job requirements, and then emphasize those very skills in your résumé. Take these three steps to create a strong documentâ€"including a bonus insider’s tip from professional résumé writers: 1. Keep It Simple Keep your format easy to follow and your sentence structure “tight.” Make every word count. You’ll have plenty of time to give detailed explanations during the interview. A typical employer is likely to spend little more than half a minute on each résumé. That’s why perfecting yours is a must; its content should be concise, eye catching, and promising enough to compel them to call you. 2. Lead with a Strong Summary Your executive summary is your headline. It should be brief, but strong enough to prompt the reader to read further. Write it from the employers’ perspective, highlighting how past experience, skills, and educational qualifications will benefit their organization. Be careful not to overuse soft skills, but do include them when appropriate (i.e., team building or leadership skills). 3. Accentuate Your Skills Your résumé gives you the chance to put your strongest points first. Highlight your functional area of expertise. Mention any special skills, certifications, and specific technical skills and how you acquired them. The breadth of your computer skills is also important, as it indicates versatility. An “insider’s tip” from professional résumé writers is to take the time to customize your résumé to a specific job posting by matching the order of your skills to those in the profile of the position you are seeking.