In 2014, I applied to more than 100 jobs in a 3-month period. I was proud of my cover letter. I believed I had a tremendous amount of experience and a shining resume. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I wasn’t getting any calls back. 6 years later and I can say with complete clarity that my resume and cover letter were awful.
My resume was bland. I wasn’t writing content that stood out. It’s no wonder I wasn’t being called in for interviews. My resume was perfectly okay, but that doesn’t cut it in today’s increasingly competitive job market.
Since that point, I have grown a lot. I have been fortunate enough to participate in interviews and hiring decisions at 2 global nonprofits. I started to develop a sense of what hiring managers are looking for and boy was I off the mark when I was applying in 2014.
Nowadays, I work part-time as a resume consultant, advising applicants on how to transform their resumes into content which pops off the page for a hiring manager. So how can you ensure your resume stands out in the pile? These are my simple tips and tricks.
Improve Readability
On average a hiring manager will only look at your resume for 6 seconds before deciding to bring you in for an interview or not. 6 SECONDS to be able to make an impact.
Too often job candidates write paragraph-long descriptions of what their responsibilities are in their role. Hiring managers are busy looking through dozens of applications. Your carefully crafted paragraph may only receive a quick glance.
Write bullet points, not paragraphs. This allows the eyes to sign-post for important information and to get a more complete picture of the candidate in a shorter amount of time.
Also, if you are switching fields, lay off the jargon. It doesn’t matter how impressive you are if your resume doesn’t make sense to the person hiring you. The exception is if you are applying for a higher-level job and there are relevant pieces of software and training. Make your resume readable to the person who is hiring you, or else your resume will end up in the trash.
Add Keywords
A lot of different companies use something called an applicant tracking system, or ATS. This process is when a computer scans the applications for a particular job and pulls out those that align best with the job description. A hiring manager then sees these applications.
Word Cloud for my current job as a Web Marketing and Social Media Manager
The way the computer knows what applicants are relevant is through using keywords. Now yes, you could go through and look at a job application and just pick out what words seem most important. However, I prefer to create a word cloud. A word cloud allows you to quickly see what words appear most frequently in the job description.
I recommend doing this for any jobs in which you are interested. As you apply to more jobs in the same field, you will see an overlap of words, and those are often the keywords associated with an applicant tracking system. I use WordItOut to create free word clouds to give me a better idea of what keywords to incorporate in a resume and cover letter.
Show, Don’t Tell
Your resume shouldn’t just read like a list of responsibilities. It is an opportunity to showcase your accomplishments.
One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating numbers. The best way to get a hiring manager’s attention is to showcase the return on investment you can bring to their company. Numbers allow a hiring manager to look at you as an investment in their company, not just someone to fill a role.
Too often, I hear, “I don’t have any numbers associated with my job.” I promise you this isn’t true. Here are just some examples of numbers my clients have put on their resumes: # of clients (students, customers, phone calls, community organizations), employee engagement rate, customer satisfaction rate, budget (for events, money responsible for, or budget forecasting), $ saved (reducing inventory costs, innovations), increase in productivity, new programs, etc. There are numbers you can add, but it will require you to sit down and think of your past work in detail.
Around 70-80% of bullet points on your resume should have a number in them. It isn’t possible in every case, but that should be a good benchmark for you.
Action Verbs are also a must. People tend to reuse the same sentence starters over and over again on their resume, and it falls flat. To appear more dynamic, you need to change your action verbs and show yourself as a leader. I like to use this list of 185 Powerful Action Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome from TheMuse.
Finally, unless you have 20 years of experience, do not hand in a 5-page resume (unless they request a CV or a list of comprehensive work experience). As a hiring manager, unless you are providing past jobs with a significant amount of relevant experience, I consider handing in a long resume with irrelevant work as showing a lack of critical thinking in customizing your resume for the job. If your past work experience is irrelevant, rebrand the bullet points with keywords in order to show transferable skills.
You only have a few seconds to make an impression on the hiring manager. Get into an interview and then impress them with all the additional experiences you can bring to their company.
You are a Brand
Every industry is different. The resume you submit for an accounting job is going to look different than one for graphic design.
No matter what industry you are in, commit to a brand. Your resume, cover letter, and reference sheet should use the same font and colors. If that is monochromatic and a serif font, that is okay, but standardize it across your application.
In my industry, I expect to see cover letters with a bit more color since there is a creative design element. Those are the resumes that stand out and are easier to remember. That isn’t to say color is the end-all-be-all, but take some time and decide on your personal brand. You bring your own unique skills and background to whatever work you are doing, and your resume and cover letter should reflect that brand.
Cover Letters that Convert
Whenever possible, address the cover letter directly to the hiring manager. If that isn’t possible, try and direct it to the Human Resources Manager.
‘To Whom It May Concern’ is not the best introduction for a cover letter. I would prefer to receive a cover letter addressed to the CEO of the organization than ‘To Whom It May Concern.’
LinkedIn is your friend! If the applicant or the company website doesn’t tell you who to direct the letter to, look on LinkedIn to determine the hiring manager or human resources manager. This is about showing the company you did your research.
Write cover letters that are interesting to read. My cover letters with the best response rate have started with the following introductions:
What’s the most exciting thing about me, you ask? I represented the United Nations at a presentation on the global water crisis and how we can reach SGD 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All.
As a young woman in the political space, I often look around the room and don’t see people who look like me.
I have always been a storyteller. Even as a child, I would gather my stuffed animals around and tell them stories of make-believe and wonder.
What sets these all apart? They aren’t “Hello my name is Cambria, and I am submitting my application for the ______ position at ________.”
Once you have their attention, highlight WHY this company. Customize your cover letter to the company. Mention specific values of the organization and how it connects with your own story. Highlight a recent news story relevant to their work or a program they are working on. If your cover letter looks like it was copy and pasted from another application, your response rate is going to be lower. Your cover letter should highlight the unique strengths you can contribute to a company, not generic buzzwords.
Most importantly……
ALWAYS INCLUDE A COVER LETTER
Even if a cover letter isn’t required, write one. Take any opportunity to show you have done your due diligence on the company. I have never received a call back for a job where I didn’t submit a cover letter (even if it wasn’t a requirement). While that may be unique to me, take the opportunity to make an impression and show you are willing to go above and beyond as an employee.
When Submitting Your Resume Via Email
Often you may be asked to submit your application over email. If so, you will need to write some copy in the body of the email. Below is an example of the email I sent when applying for my current job.
Dear __________,
I am writing to express my interest in the Social Media and Web Marketing Manager position at _______. I recently graduated with my MA in Political Communication and have years of experience communicating digitally on behalf of large nonprofits and campaigns.
I am currently working as a freelance digital marketing consultant, and I have a history of executing social media campaigns, blog writing, managing email distribution, and analyzing paid and organic digital media campaigns through Google Data Studio and Google Analytics.
I have attached my resume and cover letter.
I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully having an opportunity to discuss how I can support the ongoing success of _________.
Warmly,
Cambria __________