Austin Belcak recently analyzed more than 125,000 resumes and his findings are an absolute goldmine for job seekers. Let's dive in!
You can get a free PDF copy of my consulting resume here!
The difference between a comprehensive profile and basic one boils down to:
Keep in mind that having a strong LinkedIn profile is more important for entry-level job seekers compared to their higher level peers. I have a LinkedIn tips & tricks playlist that explains this and how to get a custom LinkedIn URL. Check it out here!
When submitting applications online, Applicant Tracking Systems scan for certain keywords and experiences to filter out “low potential candidates”.
To overcome this, you can use free online word cloud tools to identify the keywords that pop up most frequently for the job description and include those in your resume.
When writing the “Skills/Interests” section, make sure to include hard skills AND soft skills. Take a look at Udemy’s “Workplace Trends” report or CNBC’s summary to see which of the top 10 in-demand soft skills are most applicable to you.
A popular XYZ Resume Bullet Point formula: “Accomplished [X] as measured b [Y], by doing [Z]”
For example if you’re a content marketing manager, your bullet point might look like this:
If your work does not have a direct impact on growth or revenue, you want to link your achievements to the end result.
For example, if you’re working on your company’s internal tools, you can say your improvements lead to a 33% increase in productivity by the sales team, translating to X amount of incremental sales.
Don’t keyword stuff your resume—it’s not about how many keywords you have, it’s about having the ones that match the job. Don’t forget to use the word count tool in Word or Google Docs to make sure you’re within that sweet spot 😉
Buzzwords, fluff, and cliches are unnecessary and take away from your message. Your writing should always be selling your experience, not summarizing it.
A practical solution: Google “resume cliches and buzzwords” and remove all the ones you find in your resume to get an instant upgrade!