This is a loaded question! But a great one! 🤣
There are literally dozens of things you need to do to make sure your resume stands out and passes ATS scanning AND those crucial seconds with HR… it is so hard to just pick a few.
You have already read all about the fact that you need to include buzzwords and phrases in a resume… so I will skip diving into details on that one. Make sure to utilize the job description as a cheat sheet though!!
But I’m feeling up to the challenge!
Here are my Top 3 Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out!
METRICS. These are far and away the most important thing to make sure your resume stands out. Metrics in a resume stem from your specialties and should be wrapped within the parameters of what those yummy keyword /buzzwords are that are provided within the job description from the company. So if they want someone with the ability to help make their company grow in revenue — show how you did this with past companies you worked at; Increased revenue from $80M to $170M in the first 18 months and brought in program to grow incrementally 14% YoY.
CORE COMPETENCIES. Ok so in an executive format resume these are the bullet points just under a strong summary. ATS love these suckers. These also tend to be very keyword oriented- but you want to not think of these part as a place to make your resume look spammy. I tend to refer to most that just go overboard as a keyword graveyard. Instead of using what you know they are looking for- focus this part on more indepth details/keywords that are industry-centric. So I don’t want to know that you are a great communicator or great with numbers if that is already expected for your industry. Make sense? Think of things that HR would be like- oh awesome— this totally complements what this company can use.
Analytical & Detail Oriented to See Big Picture
End-to-End Management for Efficiency
Strong Background in Deep Data
Networking Expert & Market Trend Knowledge
Project Management & Agile Methodologies
Revenue & Client-Focused Growth Methodology
Data Visualization & Storytelling Best Practices
Workflow Development & Process Documentation
Structured & Scalable Metric Dashboards
Trilingual: Spanish, English & Basic Italian
POWER WORDS. I know this sounds obvious, but I cannot tell you how many people just write MANAGED in almost every single line and bullet point. SO besides those crucial keywords- give some fantastic action words that showcase leadership, ability, and proven results. Some of my favorites are:
Established
Spearheaded
Orchestrated
Delivered
Performed
Facilitated
Initiated
Produced
Exhibited
Developing a resume to stand out and first pass ATS can be tricky sometimes. Know your industry, apply with purpose and really give each application the time it deserves to make sure you have the right details in the resume to stand out for each specific position.
Hope this helps! What are your favorite Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out?
-Amanda, The Job Chick
