Have you ever seen a job posting you are interested in, but the thought of having to write out a professional resume deters you from apply...
Have you ever seen a job posting you are interested in, but the thought of having to write out a professional resume deters you from applying?
Do resumes feel like a foreign concept to you?
In this article, you will learn how to create a professional resume section by section.
What is a Professional Resume?
A professional resume is a resume created for a specific role in mind.
A resume should be tailored to your specific industry and to each job you apply for. Not all your work experience will be relevant to every potential job.
For instance, if you are applying to a management position, you probably don’t need to add that clerical job from 15 years ago to your professional resume.
A professional resume includes the following sections:
- Professional title
- Professional summary
- Skills
- Experience
- Education
When writing your resume, every section should highlight your relevant skills, experience, and accomplishments.
In this article, we’ll look at each section in detail, and offer tips on how to craft a professional resume.
But first, here are a few overall concepts to keep in mind.
General Resume Writing Tips
Make sure your document is free of errors and includes a professional email address.
Never send a generic resume to different job postings; this will only show your lack of interest in the specific positions.
As far as wording and approach, keep in mind the hiring managers or employers as your audience when writing your resume.
One thing to be aware of before you start writing is that, nowadays, resumes are vetted by an Automated Tracking System (ATS) as well as by hiring managers.
The ATS scans for resumes with wording that matches the information on the job posting.
To get past the ATS, read over the job posting and note keywords that are used. Try to incorporate these keywords from the job posting within the content on your resume where it makes sense.
Okay, now for the techniques on how best to craft each section on your resume.
Keep the Professional Title Simple
Even though you may have experience and knowledge in different roles, your professional title needs to be simple and clear.
For example, if the job posting is seeking a “Marketing Manager,” don’t put something fancy like “Public Relations Specialist.”
Simply use the same title in your professional resume as you see in the job posting.
Show Your Value in the Summary
In the resume summary, your goal is to show your value to the potential employer. You accomplish this by highlighting your skills and major accomplishments.
- Quantify the skills by adding numbers and statistics for previous accomplishments you have enjoyed in your career.
- Mention successful strategies or results that will potentially lead to the company’s future success and growth.
- Show why you are a valuable asset to the company with proof from the past.
Share Your Relevant Skills
The skills section of your professional resume provides brief pictures of all your skills.
Take into consideration the skills mentioned in the job posting when adding yours. This will be a good place to find fitting keywords from the job description.
List all the skills you possess that are relevant and will be useful for the role.
You’ll want to include about 12 skills in this section, but avoid adding any skill you do not have mastery over.
Add the Experience that Matters
We touched on this earlier, but it bears repeating here.
If you have been working for many years now, you may have held a variety of roles that are not relevant to the role you are applying for.
In the experience section of your resume, only include the roles that are related to the posting.
As you write out your job experience, try to include appropriate keywords from the job posting description.
Additionally, mention key responsibilities you held in the past that would apply to the role you seek. Previous experience in the industry gives you, as a job seeker, a competitive edge.
Job seekers may assume that they should include all experience they have acquired in their lifetime. However, your professional resume should rarely go back more than 20 years, and 15 years is a better rule of thumb.
On that note, you might be asking this important question:
How long should a resume be?
- Early professionals (0-3 years in an industry) should keep their resume to one page.
- Mid-range professionals (3-20 years of experience) can have a resume of one or two pages, depending on how many jobs you’ve had.
- Experienced professionals (20+ years in an industry) should keep resumes to a total of two pages, no more than that.
There are some types of professional resumes that almost always need more than two pages, including federal resumes, academic CVs, research CVs, and International CVs.
Include Education Depending on Your Experience
When describing your education, the amount of information you include on your professional resume will depend on your work history.
If you are a recent graduate and do not have much work experience, this section can be prominent and descriptive.
You can add:
- Coursework and projects
- Academic accomplishments
- Awards
Just make sure that this information relates to the job posting.
On the other hand, if you have years of experience under your belt, your education section will be short and simple.
It could help to keep an overall list of your education and then add to resume all certifications or education required by the job posting.
Keep References Separate
Since a resume should only be two pages long, you should not use up valuable space by including references here.
If required for the position, provide references in a separate document.
Summary
And that’s all!
Creating a professional resume can be easy if you look over the job posting for industry keywords, and include these within the resume title, summary, skills, experience, and education sections.
The writing process can be daunting, especially when your career is hanging in the balance.
But you also have the option of reaching out to a professional resume writer to receive advice tailored to your situation.
