Creating An Effective Resume Your resume is a reflection of who you are. When applying for a job, your resume is the first thing a recruiter sees of you. In order to make an effective first impression, it is incredibly important to have a neat and concise resume that is capable of showing who you are and why you should be considered for the job. Among hundreds of resumes that recruiters go through, what makes your resume any different? Here are some effective tips to make your resume stand out – Keep it simple People often try to decorate or over-do their resumes in order to show their creative skills. A simple one-pager resume with a little information about you, your educational qualifications, work and volunteer experiences, certifications, skills and a summary is enough to make a statement. Creative templates are available online that might help you enhance your resume in case you’re applying in a creative industry. Keep it short Do not over explain. Write only what is needed. A recruiter would only spend a few seconds on your resume – it is important that he/she is able to gain relevant information within those seconds. Long resumes are harder to read and analyze when only a little amount of time is being spent on them. Put emphasis on the right skills Tailor your resume to fit the job requirements. Emphasize on what you’ve done in your past work or volunteer experiences. Offer a brief description about the job and then proceed to highlight your experience and achievement. Research the company you’re applying at and make sure you know what they need in an employee. You’re marketing yourself with your resume. Make sure you show that you possess what the organization needs. Format your resume Make sure the headings are easily distinguishable from their text. Use bold or italics to put necessary emphasis. Use clean fonts, preferably Arial or Times New Roman and make sure that the font size isn’t below 11. Use bullets to further organize the content clearly. Proofread your resume It is incredibly important to thoroughly proofread your resume to make sure that it is complete free of errors pertaining to grammar, spelling mistakes, etc. Focus on your summary The summary section is a combination of statements that provide a brief overview of your resume. Begin with a short description of your profession, followed by your view of your industry, your skills and how they’re relevant and unique to the job and your objective of applying to the job. Your resume is an incredibly important aspect of how you present yourself in your career. It is imperative that your resume is absolutely authentic and true to who you are, what you’ve done and what skills you possess.