Top 10 Things to Put on a Resume to Stand Out
A resume is a hiring manager's first impression of you - thus, knowing what to put on it to make it stand out compared to others is the key to securing you that job interview, which is a step or two away from landing you that job and to secure offers from many employers.
Continue reading to learn more about the best things to put on a resume along with resume items to avoid, the importance of making your resume stand out from the rest of the crowd, as well as some resume tips that can help make your resume more unique.
Top 10 things to put on your resume to stand out
Listed below are the top 10 things to put on a resume items that can make yours look more exciting for hiring managers. These can be listed in bullet points instead of a paragraph format in your skills section.
- Great communication skills
Having great communication skills is a good way for employers to know that you can properly collaborate with your future teammates as well as ensuring that you can properly deliver complex ideas to everyone that you're working with. - Leadership skills
Possessing leadership skills means that you can lead your teammates when they need you the most in a charismatic way, making it a good thing to put on a resume. Not only that but possessing leadership skills also allows you to properly manage your team if your team lead is away or is currently unable to address your concerns. - Transferable skills
Transferable skills refer to the abilities and skills that you have gained in one job that you can apply to another one. The aforementioned skills can count as transferrable soft skills, whereas more technical ones like SEO writing and blog writing for certain positions like writers are considered transferrable hard skills. - Problem-solving skills
One of the most relevant experiences that most hiring managers look out for in any employee are problem-solving skills. This is because having these means that you are perfectly capable of determining the root cause of any problems and providing sound solutions for everyone involved. - Computer skills
With most businesses now operating on a digital scale, having adequate computer skills is a must to make your resume look more appealing. Knowledge of how computers work is a key skill that most - if not all - companies look for and should be one of the things to put on your resume. - Active listening skills
90% of being an employee is listening. Whether it's for feedback or for implementing new programs, having the ability to properly listen and respond with thoughtful and insightful responses can help make your resume more effective. - Time management skills
As the old saying goes - time is money. Thus, a good resume tip is to put time management skills as part of your core skills. Proper time management skills allow individuals to finish their tasks on time and even work on projects ahead of time. - Management skills
Having management skills are also traits that most companies look for in their future employees' resume items. The skill to be organized enough to help manage employees while also properly empathizing and supporting them is no easy feat and putting that on your resume can help hiring managers see you in a more positive light. - Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills allow an individual to properly cooperate with their teammates with the help of good communication skills while still allowing them to have solve problems and lead projects accordingly, hence why most hiring managers list it as one of their required qualifications and a must to things to put on your resume items. - Customer-facing skills
Although not a requirement for some jobs, having customer-facing skills is still a good one to have as it lets hiring managers know that you're capable of helping clients and communicating with them without raising your tone, thus making it a good thing to put on a resume item.
Top 5 things to NOT put on your resume
That said, there are still some things on a resume to ensure that you'll get into the interview process. Listed below are resume items that you should avoid ensuring that you eventually get hired.
- Lies
Lying is no good, no matter which industry you're in. Lying on your resume items - like putting relevant skills like knowing foreign languages, adding hobbies like community service, or even adding key accomplishments and special recognitions that you don't actually know, do, or have - will land you in hot water during the interview process. Before putting that one thing on a resume, it's important to internalize and know your current skill set to ensure that you can properly explain everything that you can do during the interview process. - Your price
Although it's important to have a good baseline salary, adding it to your resume can greatly limit your chances of getting hired. Most companies only have a set amount of money allocated for a certain role and showing your price early and if it's way above the allocated budget will ensure that your resume will land in the rejection pile.
It IS a good idea, though, to get your price early on and mention it during the interview round. To do that, you can use Salary.com's Personal Salary Report to get the competitive compensation that you deserve. - Extra content
Putting too many things on a resume can make it more convoluted than it needs to be. Ideally, it should only be a minimum of one page and a maximum of two pages - any longer than that and your resume will immediately be rejected. Remember to stick to the relevant details.
A good resume tip is to keep your cover letter in a different document to make sure that you're not submitting it all in one document. This ensures that the entire resume summary can be the resume's footing. - Badmouthing past employers
Badmouthing your past employers - no matter how egregious and negative your experience with them was - should be avoided in a resume. Remember to keep it positive and bright. - Grammatical errors
Lastly, and although it's not limited to a resume tip, but leaving grammatical errors is your resume's one way ticket to being straight-up rejected. Remember to use third-party software that can help you detect any grammatical errors and correct them before submitting them.
Why is it important to make your resume stand out?
It's been said many times in this article, but your resume is your prospective employer's first impression of you, thus making it stand out compared to other candidates - some who may have better professional experience than you - applying for the same role as you will help you secure that much coveted first interview for that job description that you've been looking forward to.
What's more, a resume that stands out from the rest is an important factor that can easily nab you interviews against more experienced professionals. Although this can make the job search a bit more challenging, it can bump up your pay grade and put you on a more favorable position with your potential employer.
How can your resume stand out from your competitors?
A general rule of thumb when it comes to things to put on a resume is the fact that you should always aim to please the hiring manager. Although it might seem like it can only be done during the interview process, you can always use the a mix of the right buzzwords and skills to impress that hiring manager to properly consider your seriousness for applying to the role.
At the end of the day, it's important to remember that a strong resume should reflect you and the job title that you're applying tp. Your technical skills and educational history are one thing - your confidence and cadence is another. Tailor your resume to your personality and you're well on your way to being the best candidate for that job interview that you've always wanted.
