In today’s highly competitive job market, 70% of today’s job seekers stated their current job search has been more difficult than their last. While economists debate the reasoning behind such chaos on the job trail, one thing is certain:
Standing out in 2024 can be the difference between another dreaded “thank you for your time, unfortunately…” email and getting hired!
A critical piece to standing out starts with the first thing a hiring manager sees—your resume. How can you make your resume stand out in 2024? It begins with understanding what employers want to see most.
Resume Basics: The Must-Haves
Whether an employer uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)—more on this below—at some point, a human will read your resume. And, while resume creation continues to evolve, two resume basics have remained must-haves in the eyes of employers:
- Easy-to-read formatting
- Work history & relevant or unique skills
Easy-to-read Formatting
A 2024 Harris Interactive Poll found that only 19% of individuals will read a full article presented to them. Skimming has become the new normal, even for recruiters and hiring managers. This is why it’s critical to create an easy-to-read (skimmable), well-formatted resume.
Chronological resume formatting is the most popular formatting among experienced candidates. This style includes in order:
- Name and Information
- A Professional Summary
- Work History (from most recent to least recent)
- Skills
- Education
- Accomplishments/Certifications
While implementing ways to make your resume pop, remember to first make it easily digestible for your audience.
Professional Summary
The professional summary is short, but it’s still the best place to shine on your resume. Make sure it’s customized to appeal to the job and employer you are applying to. This is a great place to immediately show the recruiter or hiring manager how you are the perfect fit.
Work History & Skills
The biggest thing employers want to know is whether you have the experience and skill set to complete the goals of a position. Work history and skills will be the most scrutinized sections of your resume. Ensure you are highlighting all of your relevant previous experiences and the skills you bring to the table. Additionally, be specific in your accomplishments by including measurable results. If you are applying for a management or executive role, include specific examples of leadership in your employment history (more on this below!)
Don’t worry if you can’t keep your resume to one page. Two pages are fine if you have a lot of experience.
Resume Help
While resume basics such as formatting may be easy, showcasing yourself can be a challenge. For that, a resume writing service can help. CareerTuners provides resume writing and job application services.
Ways to Make Your Resume Pop
With the basics out of the way, it’s time to get more granular about how to make your resume stand out in 2024.
How to Make Yourself Sound Good on a Resume
The goal of a resume is to highlight how awesome you are. So, make the most of each section, especially in your work history.
Easier said than done. How can you make each bullet in your work history pop? One surefire way is to detail specifically how the company benefited from your work in every bulleted point.
Let’s say you’re a copywriter. In your previous position, you used SEO to improve a company’s blog.
Instead of writing:
- Improved company’s blog using SEO
Be specific:
- Utilized SEO best practices to improve company’s blog, increasing website traffic by more than 60% in 2023.
Be as detailed and specific about how you helped your previous employers, and you will find companies scheduling your interview in no time.
How to Make Your Resume Stand Out Visually
Easy-to-read formatting is important, but that doesn’t mean you simply turn off your creativity.
Here are three ways to make your resume stand out visually:
- Incorporate White Space: Avoid clutter and give your words some breathing room by utilizing margins and white space around sections.
- Highlight Headers: Skimmers want to know where to skim. By using bold, larger font for section headers, you create a visual map for your readers’ journey.
- Add Icons & Symbols: Use simple icons or symbols to represent skills or accomplishments. They not only stand out, but give your resume a personable, unique perspective.
How to Make Your Resume Stand Out to the Robots
Yes, it’s 2024. Technology is part of life, and ATS is predominately part of the hiring process. In today’s job market, candidates need to leverage relevant keywords to be seen by employers. Regardless of your professional field, there are ATS-Optimized Resume Formatting tools that can help you leverage the right keywords to get you through to the next round of hiring–hopefully with a human! A resume writing service will also help you optimize for keywords if you are unsure.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to how to make your resume stand out, utilizing and optimizing certain resume basics will help your resume pop. Ensuring your resume is easy to digest, while specifically highlighting your work accomplishments, and making your resume as visually- and ATS-friendly as possible will fast-track you to the next round of hiring and beyond!
If you need help with your resume, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, or need assistance with other aspects of the job hunt, schedule a call with us to find out how we can help.
