In today’s competitive and ever-changing landscape, looking for a job can be dreadful and stressful. If you’re in the market for a new job or just simply looking for change, you probably know that the first step is to send out your resume to show off your education, skills, and experience. Often, first impressions are lasting and shown to be very hard to change. Resumes are the first glimpse your employer will see of you before deciding if they are interested in inviting you for an interview, so it’s crucial you make the right impression from the get-go.
A career builder survey revealed that a good 40% of hiring managers spends less than a minute reviewing a resume, so you only get a brief chance to make a lasting impression.
We’ve come up with 5 top tips to help you land that interview–
1. Include all important and truthful information
Look out for keywords you should include in your resume depending on the job and industry you’re looking for. Use the words your employer uses in the job description. Be honest with your experiences and accomplishments, don’t dig a hole you won’t be able to close.
2. Use proper grammar, formatting, and layout
Your resume is a glimpse of your personal brand so remember to accurately represent yourself. Make it look as professional and official as possible. It should be neat and easy to read, so use a suitable font and style. There are many templates you can access online for free! Don’t make spelling and grammatical errors, double check everything!
3. Know your resume inside and out
Your resume is like a trailer of your academic life and career, if you’re able to land an interview, be prepared to tell a story by drawing a connection between your experience and what it can do for the job you’re applying for. This will help them draw that positive outcome you want to hear.
4. Practice makes you perfect
Make sure that you prepare some interview questions beforehand. Always remember to link your response to an example where you have displayed key qualities. Any form of networking is quintessential. Remember confidence is the key to success.
5. Don’t forget your digital resume!
Whether you like it or not, your social media presence and online presence matter. From connecting with recruiters to building your personal brand, having a presentable digital resume is undoubtedly important when you’re looking for a job.
Social media is a powerful tool to define your career path, build your professional network, trade minds with industry leaders and professionals, and locate new opportunities, trends, insights, and connections. Think about this- what will your employer see when they google you?
With the rising use of social media platforms, it has never been more important to define, protect and differentiate your personal brand, image and expertise. Your personal brand or ‘digital resume’ is constantly being shaped and influenced by others around you.
TaurusProfile™ is an innovative service offered by Taurus, aimed at defining, developing and protecting the profile-leading individuals. Read more about TaurusProfile .
At Taurus, we’re passionate about mentoring and training young people. We have mentored over 400 amazing graduates through an initial 3-months program with hands-on training. If you’re a passionate individual looking to kickstart your career and gain exposure, develop skills, and boost your employability, you are welcome to apply for our TaurusFastTrack™ intern program. Read more about TaurusFastTrack™ .
Applying for a job that fits you will take time. If you don’t get one right off the bat, it doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Try different things and remember there are better things ahead!