Using the right resume template can help you edge out the competition and win more job offers.
Using the wrong template will send your resume straight to the “black hole,”, never to be heard from again..
These days, it's easy to get carried away with our mission to “stand out.”
I've seen resume overhauls from graphic designers, and video resumes.
While those can work in very specific situations, we want to aim for a strategy that consistently gets results.
The format I saw the most success with was a black-and-white template with sections in this order:
Summary/Objective
Experience (Interchangeable with Education)
Education (Interchangeable with Experience)
Volunteer Work (if you have it and you are a fresher)
Skills/Interests (Optional)
This template is effective because it's familiar and easy for the reader to digest.
As I mentioned earlier,
hiring managers scan resumes for an average of 10 seconds.
If your resume is in an unfamiliar format, those 10 seconds won't be very comfortable for the hiring manager.
Our brains prefer things we can easily recognize.
You want to make sure that a hiring manager can catch a glimpse of who you are during their quick scan of your resume.
If we're not relying on design, this hook needs to come from the Summary section at the top of your resume.
Summary
This section should be done in bullets (not paragraph form) and it should contain 3-4 highlights of the most relevant experience you have for the role.
It should support your
Resume NARRATIVE i.e I am ___ and who can help you ____
For example, if I was applying for a New Sales position, my summary could look like this:
Sales Manager Summary :
Drove quarterly average of $1M in new business (#1 on my team)
Received award for Highest APU of the year
Developed and trained the sales team on a new lead generation process that increased total leads by 9.3% in 3 months, resulting in 15 new deals worth $5M
Those bullets speak directly to the value I can add to the company if I am hired for the role.
Only Two Thing Matters on Your Resume
Expereince & Education. Period
You can check out my article on How To Write A Resume Which Gets Interview and learn how to write engaging bullet points.
My Only Recommended Resume Template
Don't run after fancy designs, ATS designs.
In marketing, we have a saying
Content is always the king
You read it right, it's not design or a fancy word.
It is the content.
You can have the best designs but if your content sucks, guess what you won't be getting an interview call.
So here is my go-to resume builder template which is free and you can download easily.
Visit the website resume.com and sing up and use free resume builder and download.
When it comes to choosing a resume layout, there is no “best” option for everyone. The smartest thing you can do is go with a simple, clean and easy-to-read format.
Still, Have Questions About How To Write A Resume?
No problem! I tried to include as much as I possibly could in this guide, but everyone's situation is unique.
Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at rajeev.kumar@breakcareerpattern.com with your questions or any feedback you have!
Want to land your dream job that pays you more, makes you excited to go to work or has a work-life but doesn't have relevant experience or getting rejected online?
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