When creating a resume to stand out, there are many things one can do. Some are helpful and others just get in the way. The goal is to get your resume to stand out in a GOOD way. Bright colors, fancy fonts and images will definitely get you noticed, but if your resume is too over the top it’s likely to reflect poorly on you. Here are 3 main tips on how to help your resume stand out in a good way.

Make It Skimmable

The most important thing is how you design your resume to look at a glance. Keep in mind that hiring managers are going through tons of resumes a day. If your resume is written like a novel and nothing stands out when then skim it, then they are likely to skip to the next. Keep your design simple. Don’t get fancy with your font, make it readable like Times New Roman or Aerial. Use things that catch the eye like bullet points, bold titles and numbers.

Quantify Your Accomplishments

One thing that will really set you apart is by using numbers to quantify your accomplishments and abilities. The more facts and figures you can use in your bullet points, the better. For example, “1st in my class, 387 completed clinical hours before graduation, increased revenue 75% in 6 months….etc.” Numbers really jump off the page on a resume. Look at your achievements and find a way to quantify them so the hiring manager can see a full picture of the level of work and skill you can provide. Sometimes this requires you to think outside of the box. Instead of saying, “Manager for 6 years” you could say “lead a team for 6 years to achieve their goals and increase company profit by 50%”. Maybe yours looks a little different, but the point is to think of what the hiring manager wants to know about that time. They care more about what was achieved and how your achievements could translate to success for their company.

Use Keywords But Mix It Up

When creating a list of your skills and accomplishments, read over the job description provided and try to incorporate as many of the same keywords as possible. Whatever words they use most often, use those within your own resume. This shows you are specifically targeting that job and will be sure to get picked up by any applicant tracking system used online. Be careful not to go overboard, though. If you start off every sentence with “Responsible for….” it can become redundant and overlooked. Mix up your wording so to not sound redundant.

When formulating a professional resume, there are many avenues you can take. In order to give yourself the highest success rate on getting noticed, be sure to make it skimmable, quantify your accomplishments and use proper keywords within your text. This will help you not only get noticed, but also increase your chances of a call back.