What Should a Good Resume Look Like?

If you are looking for a job, you know that a good resume is crucial to job hunting. A potential employer becomes familiar with your skills by reviewing your resume and then decides whether you are a good fit for the position. Therefore, writing a good resume is extremely important. Now, what defines a good resume, and what characteristics it should have? This guide will teach you everything about writing a successful and impactful resume.

What is a resume?

A resume is a formal document in which an applicant lists all their abilities, skills, work experience, education, and personal information and then sends it to the employer. By reading this document, the employer decides whether the applicant is suitable for the mentioned job. Your resume is your first interaction with the employer, and by crafting a well-written resume, you increase your chances of securing an interview with the desired employer.

What are the 3 popular resume formats?

The most popular resume formats are reverse chronological, functional, and combination. Before determining which resume format to utilize, consider your work experience and the position you're going for. For instance, if you don't have a lot of professional background, you may use a functional resume—which highlights job history—instead of a chronological resume and rather focus on volunteer work, educational work, or internships.

Reverse Chronological

This is the most widely used resume format in writing a resume; it only includes information about your professional employment history. In this style, including a part detailing one's professional life is crucial.

This section should begin with the most recent job experience and proceed in order, including past employment experiences. This kind of resume is meant to demonstrate the person's reliability by highlighting the depth of their prior experiences and showcasing their professional development. This resume writing style is not recommended for job searchers who have taken a professional break for whatever reason.

Functional

This type of resume emphasizes capabilities rather than professional experience. While the chronological approach emphasizes work experience and a comprehensive description of accomplishments in each position, the functional format focuses on the applicant's abilities that relate to the role you seek. This option is suitable if you're starting with your profession and have little experience.

Combination

Finally, the combination resume style is a fantastic option for senior job seekers with a wide range of skills. You can highlight your relevant abilities and professional experience in this resume format. Your talents and work history will occupy the majority of your resume, so you might need to remove sections that aren't necessary, such as a summary, volunteer work, or additional interests.

How to write a good resume?

Writing a resume that is both visually appealing and intriguing must be difficult. Still, there are a few techniques you can use to highlight your qualifications for a position on your resume. Writing a resume that impresses employers can be simplified by learning what to include.

Choose the right format.

The layout and arrangement of the content on your resume determine its format. Choose the format best suits you from the three widely used resume types we discussed.

Use a powerful and confident language.

Ensure the language you use while writing a resume is relevant to the job you are applying for. Carefully read the job description and use any relevant keywords in your resume. For instance, you may mention time management in your resume's abilities and work history sections if the job description calls for "excellent time management skills." By directly connecting with the recruiter through keywords, you increase your chances of getting them to review your resume.

Write your contact information.

Begin your resume with your contact information, professional email address, and phone number. Including your mailing address is completely optional. At the top of your resume, your name must be noticeable in a bolder or larger font than the rest of the page.

Add your professional history.

Write a detailed explanation of your past and present experiences and abilities. Begin with your last position and give a brief overview, mentioning the name of the business, the month and year you joined and left your job title, and a few noteworthy accomplishments from what you did. You may also list any notable achievements and results from each position.

Add a section about your education.

An education section would be helpful if you are switching to a new field or have little work experience (such as a recent college or high school graduate).

What are the features of a good resume?

Here's a list of features to help you stand out when writing a resume for your next job.

Easy to read

When writing a good resume, be sure that it gives a strong first impression and expresses all of your most important details. Use margins and white space to keep the paper from looking crowded, and make sure the text is readable and the parts are structured.

Elegant design

A resume should be simple to read and rely on nicely organized content for both humans and applicant tracking systems (ATS)—the software used by employers for storing and retrieving information about applicants.

Brief writing

Your resume should be both comprehensive and precise yet concise and to the point. A good resume typically ranges from one to two pages, depending on your work experience.

In conclusion

Although there is no such thing as a flawless resume, please remember that you may use this guide to construct a well-written resume clear of frequent mistakes and dangers. Remember that your resume is a live document as you move forward in your job search. You can adjust your work in response to any criticism, but try not to waste time attempting to optimize too much. Put your best foot forward, highlight your expertise and talents, and get ready to land that next job!