How to Write the Best Resume, According to a LinkedIn Career Expert
Applying for jobs sucks. It has always been like this, but now for some reason it has become worse. It may be easier than ever to send out resumes, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to understand what hiring managers want . It’s hard to even know what to include on your resume, let alone the wait, the (lack of) follow-up emails, and the interview process. Let’s start from the very beginning. Here’s what your resume should include today, according to an expert.
Your skills play a key role in your resume.
Yes, you need to include past jobs and where you went to school, but the resume should be about you and the specific value you bring. Instead of listing job responsibilities that you included in your past job, spend some time brainstorming how what you did applies to what you’re trying to do now.
“If you want to discuss your previous restaurant experience and how it can be applied to a management position, talk about how you demonstrated excellent management skills while managing multiple tables at once,” says LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill . “Or how you improved your communication skills by interacting with clients and colleagues. Or how you demonstrated leadership and teamwork by serving as a shift leader, delegating tasks, and effectively communicating messages to different groups.”
McCaskill says “transferable people skills” are in high demand right now, so spend some time looking at your old roles to see how you can differentiate them. If you’re struggling to figure out what other “skills” your past experiences have given you, check out this list for inspiration. You can highlight soft skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving, or hard skills such as project management, data analysis or SEO skills.
Also consider writing a functional resume to focus on skills as much as possible. A functional resume is based on your skills, not your work experience, and is ideal for demonstrating what you’re willing to do for your new bosses, not just what you’ve done for your old ones. This is especially helpful if you are trying to move from one industry to another or are struggling to find ways to relate your past experience to the job responsibilities you are trying to obtain.
Take an action-oriented approach to your resume.
The language you use to demonstrate all of these skills is almost as important as the skills themselves, so revising your resume should also include some light editing. McCaskill cautions against using passive terms, replacing them with actions “to more convincingly convey what you contributed in your previous positions.”
OUT: “I was responsible for…”, “My responsibilities included…”
I.N.: “I improved…”, “I increased…”, “I developed…”, etc.
Be sure to back them up with evidence. If the company’s sales are up 11% compared to last year when you started working on the marketing team, say so. Be specific. Essentially, own it. According to McCaskill, this not only helps employers see how you can contribute to their organization, but also shows that you have confidence in your skills and experience. Think of it as using examples to tell the story of who and what kind of employee you are. A less effective resume, of course, confirms that you were a former employee, but a better resume demonstrates what kind of employee you were and could be in your new job.
If you’re concerned that you don’t have room to explain your talents in more detail, review what’s on your resume that can be removed. Your GPA, college courses taken, address, and more are completely useless unless you’re a graduate with little work experience (in which case you should try the functional resume format mentioned above). There may have been a time when they were useful, but that is all over now. It’s 2024, and according to McCaskill, the rules have skills. Focus on that rather than the details of your college years.
Tailor your resume to the vacancy
It will be annoying, but it’s a necessary evil. Just as you tailor your cover letter to the specific job you want, you should do the same with your resume. No more sending the same boring old job history to every company.
“Be sure to read the job descriptions for the positions you’re interested in, and then match your skills as closely as possible to what’s listed in the job posting,” McCaskill says. “Telling stories and demonstrating the impact of these skills will show hiring managers that you have what they are looking for and can immediately add value to their organization.”
If the job posting states that the company is looking for someone with leadership skills, list the leadership roles you have played in the past. If it says they need a team player, you may need to modify the skills you highlighted in the same past job to better demonstrate your ability to work with others. The trick is to tailor your resume to reflect exactly what the job ad says the company is looking for, putting your relevant skills at the forefront.