How to Create the Perfect Resume to Catch the Recruiter's Eye

For a job seeker, a resume is highly crucial as it effectively showcases your qualifications, skills, etc. to the hiring managers, and helps convince them that you are the right fit for the job. However, this is only possible if the recruiter pays attention to the resume.

Unfortunately, this is often not the case, because recruiters receive a bunch of resumes for a single job posting. Due to such tight deadlines and busy routines, they often simply go through the resume list and pick the ones that sound attractive and unique. That’s why it is recommended to devote time and effort to creating a compelling resume to improve your chances of being hired.

In this blog post, we are going to explain the step-by-step procedure that you need to follow to take your resume to the next level.

Steps for Crafting a Perfect Resume That Grabs Recruiters’ Attention

Below we have outlined the best approach for creating an excellent resume that will have the potential to immediately grab a recruiter’s attention.

Understanding the Job Description:

This may not seem obvious, but how can you craft a perfect resume if you don’t know the job requirements? So, the first step is to get an efficient understanding of the job description.

Make sure to carefully read the description multiple times to determine the required qualifications, skills, or expertise. Besides this, also pay attention to the responsibilities you will have to perform after being hired. This will give you an idea of whether you are a good fit for the position or not.

Additionally, keep taking notes of important things such as job titles, essential keywords, skills, etc. So that, you can later address or highlight them in the resume to help your application stand out.

Choosing the Right Resume Format:

When it comes to writing a compelling resume, format matters a lot. This is because it greatly contributes to efficient scannability and readability for the recruiter, increasing the overall chances of getting noticed and ultimately hired.

So, always choose the right resume format according to your needs and requirements; some of the most common formats are:

• Chronological

• Functional

• Combination

However, it is important to note that each format has completely different guidelines and is suitable for different scenarios and markets. For instance, a chronological format is best when you want to emphasize your career path. Chronological is also the most commonly expected resume format in the Netherlands, so this is the format we suggest for finding a job here.

Crafting a Compelling Summary Statement:

A summary statement is also referred to as a Resume Summary or Professional Summary. It is a concise overview of the candidate’s experience and some of the top skills you possess that are relevant to the job.

To write a perfect resume, you are required to write a brief, engaging, as well as information-rich statement that justifies your position for the required role.

Use powerful words relevant to the niche and job you are applying for, and remember to insert keywords and other details that will highlight the unique points that you would bring to the role. Obviously, describing all the crucial information properly within 3-4 sentences will be a tough task. This can be especially true if you are not a big writer.

If this is your situation, an online summarizing tool can be a lifesaver for you. It will quickly condense your written summary statement in a concise way without damaging the overall quality.

Perfect Summary Statement Sample: “Experienced content writer with a proven ability to create engaging and SEO-optimized content across various niches. Skilled in research, keyword optimization, and content strategy. Passionate about crafting compelling copy that drives conversions and builds brand awareness.”

Detailing Work Experience Highlights:

Mentioning your previous working experience is one of the most essential tasks of writing an excellent resume. Remember, past experience should be highlighted in detail. This is because your previous experience will play a pivotal role in demonstrating your potential strengths to the recruiter.

You should mention the job title, as well as the key role you played or responsibilities you had. It is recommended to list either your most relevant or most recent work experiences first. In the Netherlands, you should typically start with the most recent. Explain how your work or contributions benefited the previous companies you worked at. This will leave a good impression on the recruiter.

Try to mention working experience in bullet points as these are easy to skim through as compared to plain text paragraphs.

Education and Certifications:

Similar to working experience, education, and certifications are also an essential part of the resume. The inclusion of both these makes the resume more relevant, credible, and authoritative. Let us explain how.

The education section will help in creating a good picture of you in the recruiter’s mind. Certain jobs even require a specialized degree, so adding education is necessary. When it comes to listing education, you should mention the institute name, program/degree title, duration information, etc.

Talking about certifications, these let the recruiters know that you have the required potential for the role. It will also be beneficial in determining how prepared you are for the next job.

Showcasing Key Skills:

A perfect resume always has a dedicated section for showcasing a candidate’s skills, so you should make sure to include one in your resume as well. The skills section will help in showcasing your technical know-how.

One more important thing is that most recruiters are skilled-focused. They only pay attention to the resumes that have the skills they are looking for, so it is helpful to always mention the relevant skills from the job description in your resume as well.

Let’s say, you are creating a resume for a content writer, then the possible skills that you can consider mentioning are:

• Extensive research

• Keyword adjustment

• Content strategy creation

• Editing & Proofreading

However, it is important to note that you should be real and honest about the skills you add. This means that only adding the ones that you actually possess, and not mentioning fake ones, will help avoid later disappointments or frustrations.

Adding Professional Achievements and Awards:

Alert…! This step is optional, but can be helpful if you have relevant information to include here. In case you have any professional achievements, special awards, or endorsements, then go ahead and add them to your resume. This will make you look like a high achiever, and ultimately make your resume stand out tall from the other ones.

But, keep in mind that you should only include achievements or awards that are relevant to the job. Don’t forget to properly mention the name of the specific achievement along with the date. When it comes to awards, highlight the company or organization name from which you have received it.

By following this approach, the chances of catching the recruiter’s attention will greatly increase, leading to being hired.

Customizing Your Resume for Each Application

When writing a resume, it is important to always leave room for customization, so that you don’t have to create a totally separate one when applying for a job with different requirements. The approach you need to follow in this regard is mentioned below.

You should consider using generic titles/headings for different resume sections, instead of fully personalized ones. This way, a single resume can be easily used for almost every relevant job in the targeted niche.

When it comes to education and skills, you don’t need to change them as they will remain the same every time. Although, you have the option to remove some based on specific needs and requirements.

For maximum ease in customization, there are numerous editing tools and software available online, such as Canva, that will assist in effortlessly editing resumes.

Utilizing Visual Elements

The heading is already saying everything. You should add visual elements to further enhance the overall look of your resume. There are numerous things that can be tried in this regard.

For instance, you can add a good yet professional-looking picture of yourself. Besides this, make important information bold, italic, or underlined to draw attention.

Also consider using graphical icons for different sections of the resume such as education, skills, work experience, and many more.

Finally, try to use a combination of colors to give an appealing to the eyes look to the resume. However, it is important to note that you should not fill up the resume with too many visuals, this will make it look unprofessional. Instead, your top priority should be clear formatting that effectively presents the essential information.

Wisely Proofreading and Seeking Feedback

Finally, once you are done with the writing process, take a deep breath and be prepared for a final review. Carefully skim through the resume to make sure of a couple of things:

• The provided information or details are accurate & relevant

• There are no grammatical typos or spelling errors

If you have found any issues, then don’t hesitate to make adjustments again, otherwise, it will greatly impact your chances of being hired.

Moreover, you can also consider getting feedback from friends, colleagues, or recruiters. They will review your resume and highlight the areas that need to be improved.

Conclusion

If you want to increase your chances of being hired, then it is a must to create a perfect resume that immediately catches the recruiter's eyes and stands out from the crowd. There are numerous essential steps that you need to follow for writing an excellent resume. In this blog post, we have explained those steps in detail, so get writing. Good luck!