It can be daunting to look for a new job and target your resume appropriately. The idea of a new career opportunity is exciting. However, the process of a job search is stressful and can affect your confidence level. You know what you have to offer and have a good sense of what you are looking for. Why aren’t you getting the interviews you want. Your resume could very well be hurting your chances. Unfortunately hiring managers and recruiters don’t have the time to read every resume that comes through. Is your resume optimized based on how candidates are evaluated today? It very well may not be.

Back to the Basics of Resumes

First and foremost, have a trusted friend or family member with strong writing skills proofread your resume. Sometimes you spend so much time developing your resume that you miss something when reviewing it for grammar. Your friend may catch something you missed. You have looked at your resume so many times, it starts to look like one big blur. Check your resume to makes sure the font is easy on the eyes. Some basic fonts are great for resumes. They make it easy to scan quickly. Other fancy fonts can detract from critical content.

Technology

It is essential that your resume is optimized for the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that most companies use today. If not, you won’t get your resume in front of the hiring manager. Certain fonts are ideal for the applicant tracking system and increasing the level of readability. Sometimes there’s a temptation to be creative with the format and font selection. That will likely negatively impact readability. You want to try your best to keep the format simple in order to increase your readability with their resume software system ATS.

Selecting a format that is optimized is essential for ranking well within the applicant tracking system. This gives you a better chance for your resume to be seen by the recruiter or hiring manager. Although your information is maintained in the database, that’s not enough. Your goal is to stand out so that you get your resume in front of the decision makers.

Target Your Resume For Your New Career Opportunity

There’s a temptation to include everything one has every done in their resume. Although there was a time when recruiters read your entire resume, that’s not the case anymore. Now it’s more important than ever to target your resume based on the positions you are applying for. What that means is whatever content you include should be relevant to the role you are interested in. Your summer job 20 years ago is no longer relevant. In fact, content that does not pertain to your current career path will actually hurt your chances to secure the job interview.

The information you need can be found in the job postings. Does your resume demonstrate you meet the job requirements of the position? Have you shown examples of your greatest achievements that give the employer confidence in what you can contribute? Putting yourself in the hiring managers’ shoes and diligently reviewing the job description will give you key insight into how to target your resume and market yourself.

The days are over when you put absolutely everything you have done on your resume. Your resume may actually be hurting your job search. Your goal is to prove your track record of success that will enable you to be successful in this new role. Creating a resume that stands out may be very challenging. There are professional resume writers to help you put your best foot forward. Some of the key points are to keep your content relevant, optimize readability for the applicant tracking system and focus on major accomplishments. That perfect job may be just around the corner. Creating a standout resume is vital.