Wednesday, September 18, 2019

How to highlight your strengths in a resume

The theater begins with a hanger, and the search for work begins with a resume. It would seem that today even a graduate of the university knows how to write this fateful document without exaggeration. However, for your resume to assure the employer that you are a valuable specialist, simply listing the places of work and study is not enough.

A resume should be written so that your recruiter can immediately see your strengths. Superjob tips will help you with this.

What experience to describe?
This happens with many applicants: it seems that there is experience, and a suitable education, and a resume is sent out daily to several places, but there are still no invitations for an interview. What's the matter? Before submitting a resume for a specific vacancy, review it https://app.box.com/s/lm358zykh5nzbgxebfqfehqmayc924yw. Are your strengths sufficiently visible as a specialist and person?

Carefully read the vacancy announcement and try to understand which of the listed requirements you meet one hundred percent. These will be your strengths. In the resume, you should demonstrate them as clearly as possible without spreading the idea through the tree and avoiding what is unimportant for the recruiter.

For example, a candidate for the position of sales manager in an IT company is required to have successful sales experience. And you just left the software company where you sold the software product and its technical support services. In the relevant sections of the resume, describe your experience and education in as much detail as possible: what exactly was sold, what results were achieved, what means were used to achieve the goal. But about your experience that is not directly related to sales (for example, about working as a programmer at the beginning of your career), you should not write in detail - just a simple mention.

Another example. If the employer requires the applicant for the position of assistant head of fluency in English and you meet this requirement, do not limit your resume to the phrase "Level of English is above average." In the "Education" section, write exactly where you gained your knowledge, in the "Experience" section - how language skills were used at the previous place of work. In the “More Information” section, mention that you keep fit, for example, by reading Salinger in the original. All this will emphasize your strength - knowledge of a foreign language at a high level.

If the match is incomplete
But what about the requirements for the candidate that you meet, but not completely? Of course, the employer may not consider your resume if it does not fit into any specific parameters. However, if the vacancy is really interesting, try finalizing the resume in such a way as to attract a recruiter to your side.

For example, an employer requires experience in implementing PR projects in the financial sector from three years from applicants for the position of PR manager, while you only work for a year and a half in the public relations department of the bank. In no case do not ascribe to yourself an extra experience - this is easy to verify, and, as you know, they try not to take deceivers to work. It is better to describe in detail those functions at your current place of work that can show the employer that you learned a lot in a year and a half. Add to this other information that characterizes you as an excellent candidate (information about education, if appropriate, or long-standing experience in PR activities in related fields), and, quite possibly, your resume will be of interest to the employer.

Personal qualities: write or not write?
“Responsibility, sociability, punctuality” - such words are found in many resumes. Are they really necessary? Are these common places distracting from your truly strengths?

The “Additional Information” section, of course, is useful to the recruiter, and you should not completely exclude it from the resume. However, before filling it out, think about what your personal qualities may be of interest to the employer, and which do not matter. For example, if you pretend to be an accountant, do not focus on your love of photography and travel, but rather describe those qualities that are important for work - responsibility, diligence, love of order.

Show the product face
Recently, more and more job seekers are accompanying the resume with a photograph. Can this help in finding a job? Among recruiters there is no consensus on this matter. On the one hand, why not show what is called a product by its face, especially if the face is pretty? First of all, this applies to those professions where appearance matters: receptionist, perfumery and cosmetics sales manager, PR manager. On the other hand, it is not easy to choose a photo for placement in the resume. For most positions, photos on the beach, wedding, with children, dogs, collective, with a cigarette, etc. are categorically not suitable.

Superjob experts recommend that you attach a photograph to your resume only if you are absolutely sure: photography is your forte. For example, if you have entered pre-retirement age, but are active and young in heart, attach a photo confirming this to the resume. Let it be a fresh photograph in a business suit, emphasizing favorably the image of an experienced and mature specialist, who is also in great shape.

Obviously, the processing of a resume in order to demonstrate its strengths for a particular vacancy requires an audit of all professional experience. This work takes a lot of time, but, we assure you, efforts will not be wasted: a well-written resume will open up new career horizons for you.

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