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What Businesses Are Looking for in Your Resume


Posted: 17th July 2023 09:54

While many countries are experiencing worker shortages, that doesn’t mean simply handing in your resume will see you in the running for a new job. You’re likely still up against other applicants, many of whom might be more qualified than you or have more skills and experience. Sometimes, they might simply have a better resume than you.

If you’re regularly finding yourself turned down for jobs, despite being qualified, it can be worth finding out what businesses are looking for when reviewing the many resumes that land on their desks.

Formatting

Whether you have a civil engineer resume, a cleaner resume, or a lawyer resume, business owners looking to hire the most qualified people for these jobs are looking for clean resumes with exceptional formatting.

The more formatting they have, the easier it can often be for them to find the information they’re looking for. If they have a pile of resumes to look at, yours might not make it to the top of the list if your qualifications, skills, and education are not easy to spot in a sea of text.

Experience and Skills

Your experience, skills, and education should be front and center in your resume. After all, these areas are what make you the most suitable for a role. Ensure these details stand out by including them in the center of your resume in bullet-pointed formatting.

Include as much empty space as possible around these points to make them stand out, and include all the relevant details you know your prospective future employer will want to know, such as a degree, a prominent school, and multiple years of experience.

No Inconsistencies or Red Flags

Depending on the job you’re applying for, hiring teams might have many resumes to look through. With plenty of skilled candidates, your resume might not be considered if there are too many inconsistencies or red flags.

Always ensure your resume is in reverse chronological order and has no unexplained gaps in your employment history. These might limit your chances of landing your dream job.

Mistakes

You might say that you have a great eye for detail when applying for a design job, an engineering job, or another that requires precision and accuracy, but your resume might say otherwise. If a hiring team notices spelling and grammatical errors, formatting inaccuracies, or other mistakes, they might wonder whether you’re as suitable for the role as you say you are.

References

Hiring new employees can be expensive, with the average cost sitting at around $4,000. Knowing how costly and time-consuming it is, employers want to get it right the first time. Often, this is why they require prospective new employees to provide references.

If you provide names and contact details for people you’ve been professionally associated with, business hiring teams can gain insight into the type of person you are and how fitting you would be for a role within their company. Failure to provide these details, or only offering contact details for friends and family members, might see you unsuccessful in your employment bid.

Applying for a new job can be time-consuming and stressful, but don’t skimp on resume creation. Take the time to develop a standout resume, and you might be rewarded for your efforts with your dream job.