1. Make it short
According to Tai Savet, CEO of Agents of LA, “No one wants to read a long resume, it will either end up unread, or worse, in the trash”.
Savet encourages people to create a short, simple and straight to the point resume. Remember CEOs are busy people, and they don’t have much time to read a long resume. The goal of your resume is to engage with the people that are reading it, not making them feel bored.
Making a resume short doesn’t mean it has to be boring! You can add some color or design, but don’t make it the center of attention or something that will result in a two-pages or more piece because of how it looks. Your skills, talents and experience are the ones that should steal the attention.
2. It’s all about numbers
For Jordan Bishop, CEO of Yore Oyster, quantifying your information makes you stand out from the crowd.
“Resumes that get my attention are those that quantify what the candidate has done using metrics that make sense for my business”, Bishop says.
Also, he mentions that you should add numbers that relate to the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a copywriting position, share the conversion rate on your past work or if you are applying for a sales role, share the revenue you’ve generated.
This shows that you are a candidate focused on results and pay attention to goals, KPIs and mostly results and also, says how much you can do for the company.
3. Pay attention to the last line
Usually, recruiters and CEO’s read their resumes from the bottom up, since it’s where people their interests and additional information, more related to who they are as a person.
“The last line is usually where people put their interests. This is a good place to stand out with something unique and creative” says Greg Booth, CEO and Co-Founder of Gymmolly.
If you want to make a memorable impression, pay specific attention to this and make sure it’s something that speaks highly of you as a person or as a professional.
4. Straight to the point
To Ann McFerran, CEO and Founder of Glamnetic, it’s important for you to highlight specifically the jobs you’ve had and how the skills you’ve gained in each job will help you in the one you’re applying for.
“CEO’s want the key highlights and want to know if this person applying will have the skill sets required to be successful, so make sure it is very clear in the resume as well as the interview that you are capable and smart enough to excel at the job”, says McFerran.
Again, make sure your resume is short, but still has enough information to impress the CEO and people in charge of recruiting for the company you are applying for.
5. All the extra work counts
From Marian Bacol-Uba, CEO of Thriver Lifestyle and best-selling author, do something outside the regular curriculum. If you had done internships, are part of a non-profit, have a job, add it to your resume, since it makes you a more outstanding candidate than someone that only has information related to school.
“There’s a huge misconception that school prepares you for the real world, but that is so not true! What prepares you for the real world is having internships and real job experiences instead of what you learned in the classroom” advises Bacol-Uba.
Next time you create your resume, don’t forget to add all that extra work you’ve done in the past. You don’t know if that internship, project or side hustle is going to be the key that unlocks your next opportunity.
