Resume Writing Tips That Will Help You Get Hired Faster in 2024

Resume writing is an art.

Believe it or not, we all need help writing or updating our resume at some or the other time.

After all, writing a perfect resume is not an easy job.

‘Why so?’ some of you may ask.

It’s important to know that your resume will be reviewed not just by an HR Manager but also by a software. That’s why you need to write a great resume to get your resume shortlisted for your dream job.

Especially for a fresher, it can be pretty difficult to know where to start for resume writing.

What should be covered and what should be left out?

Which past project experiences and accomplishments should you include in your resume?

What are the specific industry best practices and rules for resume writing that can’t be missed out?

And one of the most important question – Should you Write One-page resume or two-page resume or even bigger?

Searching for answers to all these questions? No worries.

Your search ends here at CV Owl. Period.

What are the best tips for writing a resume?
According to a recent study, recruiters spend an average of 6.2 seconds looking at an individual resume.

Hence, it becomes important ensure that you don’t miss out on incorporating certain vital elements in your professional resume.

Especially if you are a fresher who doesn’t know anything about how to write a professional resume or someone experienced who is worried about finding a good job faster.

To overcome this challenge, CV Owl Resume Writing Experts have compiled a comprehensive list of top resume tips that can help you write a professional resume—and ultimately, help you get your dream job.

Go through these top 10 resume tips to understand the resume writing process.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes?
Try our Free Resume Builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you can download free professional resume templates and samples.

Are you still using your awkward email address from your school days?
It’s high time you change it now.

‘What’s the big deal?’ you may ask.
It looks like a trivial thing but several people get it wrong.
An embarrassing email ID just at the top of your resume can ruin your first impression.
An inappropriate email address could make potential employers throw your resume away. It’s more like you shot yourself in the foot even before you get it in the door.

After all, it's your primary means of contact.Having a professional email address in your resume is indispensable in modern era.
As per industry research, an unprofessional resume can increase your chance of getting rejected up to 70%. Getting your email right, not a rocket science, it just takes common sense.
Avoid any kind of cutesy, edgy, or artistic words.

Right:
rick.gray@gmail.com

Wrong:
Ricklovesmangoes1234@yahoo.com

Hence, choose a professional email provider like Gmail or Outlook. Use your name. Keep it simple yet professional.

Without doubt, your email is one important part of your all contact details.
However, all other contact details like address, phone number etc. are also equally important.
And more importantly, this information must be fully updated.
As a matter of fact, you would hate to miss an interview because you put the wrong phone number or outdated email ID on your resume.

A professional resume knows what to tell and what not to tell.
Avoid the fluff.
Get rid of the blabber.
Remove the full-on oddities.
Exclude information like your birth date or marital status.

Why focus on writing about religion, race, or gender in your resume.
You need to have everything working for you on your resume.
Be brutally objective, cut the fat, and remove anything that is not relevant to your professional life.

Using valuable resume space with effusive language or overused buzzwords won’t help.
Have a critical look at your resume or CV (or even your LinkedIn profile) and root out terms that aren't doing you any favours.

Go for KISS Principal. Yes!!
Don’t get ideas, 😊
KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Why use ‘amiably’ when you can use ‘friendly’?
Why “append” when you can “add?”
Why “utilize” when you can “use?”
Why ‘illustrious’ when you can ‘
It’s not “analogous;” it’s really just “similar.”

Some other examples to be avoided are:

• Results-oriented, Responsible for, Accomplished, Hobbies, Expert, On Time, Dabbled, Rockstar, Synergy, Wheelhouse, Hardworking / Hard worker etc.

• Improved, Trained, Mentored, Managed, Achieved, Created, Resolved, Volunteered, Influenced, Increased, Decreased, Launched, Revenue, Profits, Under Budget, Won, etc.

Like it or not, HR Manager won’t read every word you write in your resume.

They scan it, first.
It’s advisable to make your resume easily scannable.
Any sort of emphasis in your resume draws the reader’s attention and make it scannable.

The most common form of emphasis for scannability is bold.

While italics blend in until you reach them, bold has enough inkiness to stand out from surrounding text.
HR Managers expect text emphasis to offer meaning and guidance. They want to know what your message is, what is most important, and where they are in reading your message.

The most common types of emphasis include:

Italic
Bold
ALL CAPS
Small Caps (sorry, can’t get it to work with WP formatting)

You may also create emphasis with:
Underline
Color
Larger font size (sorry, can’t get it to work with WP formatting)
A different font

It’s a good idea to format/emphasize your resume headings.
When formatting your headings, the emphasis elements (bold, font, font size, etc.) should reinforce the hierarchy.
Hence be consistent with your choices.
Try not to overuse anything.
The point is to make important information easier to find.
As a double check, when you are done writing your document, look at it without reading it in full.

Ask yourself - What pops out at you visually?
Is that what you want to pop out for your readers?
If answer is a resounding Yes, then your resume works fine.

There are hundreds of fonts available and picking the right font type and size can be the game changer.

Obviously, it’s not going to be an easy one.
Whatever font you go with, make sure that the resume typeface is easy on the eyes and looks good both on screen and in print regardless of formatting or size.
Avoid Comic Sans fonts as it is more of a distraction for the recruiters.
Stick to basic fonts like serif fonts or Times New Roman that come with minimalistic decoding markings.
Such fonts are easily readable for both hiring managers and for resume management systems.
Basic book print fonts like Calibri, Verdana, Arial, and Times New Roman work well for all kinds of jobs.
It is highly possible that the hiring manager may take a print out copy of your resume after reading it on the screen.
Hence, make sure to validate yourself by taking a print out of your resume and check the font and its size looks good on paper as well.

The most important resume writing tip – tailor your resume as per the job description given by the recruiter.
Each job is unique despite needing the similar skill-set.

Many people make this mistake – Have a cursory look at the Job Title and immediately apply for that job right away.

They can’t be more wrong.

So, it’s strongly recommended to read the job description again and again before you start adapting your resume accordingly.

It may look an obvious point but more than 75% job seekers overlook this fact.

Most of them simply scan the job description and that is one of the biggest grouse from hiring managers.

As a matter of fact, 50% of resumes don’t get shortlisted within the first round because it reflects in their resumes.

You’ve got to make sure you have the skills necessary for the job in the first place.

Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Read the job description.

Go on date with your job description.

Get married to it.

And then, read it again.

Understand what skills and qualification recruiter is looking for.

Make sure your professional background matches the job description and you’re fully qualified to apply for that position.

Look for the relevant keywords.

Reading a job description is like reading the recruiter’s mind.

If you understand the job description well, only then you can tailor your resume as per the needs of the recruiters.

Ignore the job description at your own peril.

Writing a professional resume is just one part of the challenge.
Next part of the challenge is to build a cover letter that compliments your professional resume.
It’s very common that many job seekers treat them two different documents – while they are ideally two sides of the same coin.

Your resume and your cover letter are intertwined.
And the last thing you want is for a hiring manager to read about jobs or experiences in your cover letter that you don’t mention in your resume.

Or you have used completely different font type and size in resume and cover letter.

The information as well it’s formatting in one should always match the other.

By matching your cover letter with your resume, give your recruiter one more strong reason to put shortlist your resume for a job interview and ultimately a job.

Getting a great job starts with a great resume.
So, focus on your resume and do whatever it takes to get your resume right. If it needs you to go for professional help, then there is nothing better than that.
After all, it’s about you getting a new job, living a quality life and getting better career growth, so it’s worth getting it exactly right.

A strategically tailored resume can significantly increase your response rate and, as a result, substantially decrease your job-search time by getting you hired faster.
You can use CV Owl’s world-class, feature-rich FREE Resume Builder or submit your existing resume for FREE review to us.

Moreover, you can create, edit and share your professional resume and cover letter in minutes using our free resume builder.
We have thousands of pre-defined content templates that suits your Industry & Job Skills.
You can also ask CV Owl’s professional resume writers to review and craft a fresh resume that does justice to your career aspirations.

As told earlier, recruiters only spend six seconds reviewing your resume. But this doesn't mean you too should spend the same amount of time on your resume and cover letter.
Give your resume and cover letter full attention it deserves and tell your professional story in a compelling way.
Of course, it's easier said than done.
We have explained top 10 resume tips in 2018 that will help you build your resume, CV and cover letters which cannot be ignored by recruiters or hiring managers.

Are you now ready to implement these resume tips to optimize your resume and cover letter?
Start using these resume tips now and be ready to get hired for your dream job. Then there are job seekers who are unable to see that they need help to build a professional resume.

If you’re looking to avail resume writing services, then you’re at the right place.
CV Owl’s expert resume writers can certainly help you.
Share your experience after trying these top resume tips and how did it improve your existing resume and cover letter.

Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us at @CV_owl.