If you’re looking for a job in Portland OR, there’s a huge chance you compete with tens (and possibly hundreds) of people for the same position. Even if you have a specialization that makes you feel more confident of your chances of getting in, all it takes is a few seconds for the recruiter to scan your resume and decide whether you’re a good fit or not.
You cannot let those few seconds decide your career path.
If you want to write an effective resume that gets you hired, here are 7 steps that you have to take:
1. Steer clear of clichés.
It’s normal for people who know what the best keywords to use in a resume. Unfortunately, they also often end up using clichés that you see in just about every other resume around. Team player, innovative, thinks outside the box – these are things that other job seekers are claiming to be. The key is to use keywords on your resume that other people wouldn’t normally use.
2. A different resume for a different employer.
You can’t submit the same resume to every single employer. Sure, your credentials are the same – but the potential employers aren’t. As much as possible, create a unique and engaging resume for each employer. The moment you start joining the throng of job seekers in Portland OR, you have to be ready to do research about the companies you’re applying to and pattern each resume you submit according to the organization you’re submitting it to.
3. Make the top matter.
Recruiters know what to look for when they scan through the dozens of resumes submitted to them. Give them more or less 10 seconds and they can either add your resume to a huge pile of rejected documents, or set it aside for further perusing. This means that you have to capture their attention from the top of your resume alone. Make your career summary on your resume meatier than the rest of the document. A great way to do this is learning how to write an effective career summary and putting it right on top.
4. Use numbers.
You can’t just say that you hit and exceeded all sales targets. You have to specify by how much. This matters because anybody can say that they exceed sales targets. But remember that .01% in excess of the target still fits the profile, though unimpressive. Because of this technicality, headhunters will always look for numbers. It’s easy to say that you excelled, but they would always look at how much you really excelled.
5. Fill in the gaps.
If you have gaps in your resume, don’t wait until the initial interview before explaining these gaps. Chances are, you won’t even reach that stage. If you went back to school or tried to build your own business in the year or two that’s missing in your resume, then add those in. If anything, these could show the potential employer that you have the guts to go for the gold, a trait they would probably want to see in their employees.
6. Use the same keywords used in the job post.
Look closely at the job post and try to emulate the kind of language used. If there are adjectives on that post, use those words to describe yourself on your resume. These keywords are there on the job post for a single reason – it’s what they’re looking for on your resume.
7. Consult an expert.
You may be an expert in your field, but when it comes to knowing how to write effective resumes in Portland OR, there are specialists who can do the job impressively. TopResume Pros, for example, can pinpoint areas that need improvement in seconds, aside from the fact that they know exactly what kind of resumes each employer usually looks for. So don’t just trust your own instincts and skills. Get consultation expert resume advice for free in Portland OR.
The job market in Portland is competitive, and you have to do all it takes to be noticed. Knowing how to make your resume stand out may not be as simple, but the extra effort put in can greatly increase your chances of getting that dream job.
Who knows? Those few extra steps could be what you have been missing out all these years. Before you know it, you can see doors of opportunity opening up right in front of you – all you need to do is step in and enjoy the rewards of that extra work.
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