It seems the job search rollercoaster of 2023 hasn’t come to an end, and neither has the struggle. As a resume writing professional, I can attest to observing a small silver lining . . .
The same things you must do to stand out when everyone is “testing the waters” work when job hunting in a tight labor market.
Whether actively looking or preparing just in case things go south, I’ve outlined 3 ways to upgrade your resume in 2024.
#1 Be Targeted, Not Generic
As a resume writing professional, I frequently hear job seekers say they don’t want to limit themselves and ask for documents that can be used for a variety of roles.
The desire to avoid getting pigeonholed is understandable but can lead to unintended consequences. The problem with writing a generic resume is it often appears diluted, making the reader hard-pressed to determine how you are a good fit for a specific role.
It is great to be a jack-of-all-trades – but it is rare that a job posting calls for someone with these skills.
Headline
By modifying your headline based on the roles for which you are applying, the reader can quickly determine that you are aiming for a specific role.
For instance, if you are applying for a pharmaceutical sales manager role, make sure your headline reads “Pharmaceutical Sales Manager.”
Keyword and Key Phrase-Rich Summary Paragraph
Go to the job posting and look for key phrasing and terms unique to a role. Skip phrasing like “great multi-tasker” or “excellent communications” as these apply to all roles.
If qualifications are clearly critical to this role and you possess them – make sure your summary paragraph says so and backs it up with a few nuggets of information specific to your career.
For instance, if the pharma sales role asks for someone who can grow territories, make sure yours reads something like “grew sales territory 30% in two years.”
On-Point Headers
Swap generic headers like “Experience” or “Career Overview” for headers that reinforce the role you are targeting.
To stick with the pharma sales example, yours might read “Pharmaceutical Leadership Experience.”
Ranked Bullets
Move your job description bullets up or down based on the opportunity. If you are looking at a sales role, list these achievements at the top and feature the customer service and marketing-related skills below it.
#2 Connect the Dots
“At first glance, my career looks scattered!” Sound familiar?
For those of us (present company included) who have held roles that at the surface seem unrelated, have worked across industries, or whose job titles are misleading or confusing, writing a cohesive resume can be daunting.
Here are 3 few strategies I employ to resume writing professionals use these strategies to connect the dots — so you can rest assured that readers of your resume and LinkedIn will not be left wondering or confused.
When Roles Seem Unrelated
Whether to explore a new opportunity or because circumstances dictated it, many of us have career stories that feel disjointed. At first glance, the roles appear utterly unrelated. By looking a bit deeper, however, common themes emerged.
Here’s an example from my own career:
As a social worker, in addition to managing a patient load, I wrote the company newsletter and the employee training guide. I also worked with people spanning all walks of life.
As a communications manager, I oversaw staff representing all walks of life that wrote newsletters, crafted scripts, etc. (p.s., I wrote resumes in my spare time along the way!).
Today, my resume and LinkedIn highlight both my writing and diverse people collaboration skills. This deep dive allowed me to uncover commonalities between the jobs and show my next hiring manager that my experiences were in fact similar.
When Job Titles Seem Unrelated
While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the truth is that impressions are sometimes made by reviewing a list of career titles.
The problem with this is that titles differ from company to company – and sometimes don’t immediately explain what you do!
My advice? Tweak the title for clarity. Here’s an example: I recently worked with a senior loan officer at a bank who wanted to transition to sales. His role was essentially a sales job – but the title did not reflect it. Here’s what I did to accurately describe the role without completely making up a new title.
Original Job Title: Senior Loan Officer
vs.
Revised Job Title: Senior Sales/Loan Officer OR Senior Loan (Sales) Officer
When Industries Seem Unrelated
Some worry a history of industry jumping will be misinterpreted as a lack of industry expertise.
My recommendation? Mitigate this concern by turning it into an advantage!
Include language in your summary/branding paragraph at the top stating that your skills have been successful across diverse industries.
You can even increase your resume and LinkedIn keyword count – and boost your chances of doing well during LinkedIn searches and Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software scans – by including a list of industries where you’ve worked.
#3 Get your Documents Ready for their Screen Debut
While resumes still get printed out – this usually doesn’t happen until the 3rd or 4th round read – which means early screenings occur on some sort of a screen.
This is important to keep in mind because resumes designed for print do not translate well on the screen which means you risk the chance key points you need to get across won’t.
The below 2 writing techniques are key to ensuring your resume can be skimmed in print AND online – on screens of all sizes.
Bullets v. Blocks
Online readers have a hard time digesting large or dense blocks of text – a challenge that increases as screen size grows smaller.
Replace paragraphs with one- and two-line bullets that highlight your achievements.
Front-loaded Bullets
Skip the adjectives, qualifiers and lead-ins. Make sure each bullet leads with the achievement, so it’s the first thing the reader sees.
PRO TIP: Adding additional context works wonders!
Here’s an example:
Original: Analyzed CRM data used to grow revenues by 20% in 2022.
vs.
Front-Loaded: Grew revenues 20% in 12 months – reversing 2 years of sales decline – by analyzing CRM data that uncovered an untapped market niche.
Be Ready to Hit the Ground Running
Job hunting in today’s lean-ish market requires job seekers to have a resume on hand that clearly shows your target and how you are ideally suited for it – with achievements that are easy to read.
The techniques shared above can ensure yours is targeted, connects the dots and can be read in print and on screens big and small.
BOOK NOW for your free resume consult.
VAFrancoResumes@gmail.com | VirginiaFrancoResumes.com | Call/text 704-771-8572