5 Resume writing tips to help you land a job

Your resume should be easy to read, summarize your accomplishments and skills, and highlight relevant experience. Employers use resumes throughout the hiring process to learn more about applicants and whether they might be a good fit. This article will show you 5 tips to help you write a great resume.

1. Call attention to important achievements

You might also consider including a separate “Achievements” or “Skills” section to specifically highlight relevant achievements in your education, career, volunteer work or other experiences.

Where possible, include numbers that measure your success for that particular goal or achievement. Instead of listing your job duties under the experience section, select your top three or four most important achievements in each role you’ve held.

2. Include only the most relevant information and put the most important information first

Try to include only work experience, achievements, education and skills most relevant to the employer. You can find the most relevant attributes by closely reading the job posting. You should prioritize important information higher on your resume to draw attention to key skills and achievements.

If your resume includes old or irrelevant information, such as jobs held over 10 years ago or minor degrees and achievements, it may distract from key information. While you might have extensive work or educational experience, it’s important to keep your resume as brief as possible without leaving out key information.

3. Use a professional font

Selecting a clear, readable font will help make your resume appear more professional. Because employers have only a short time to review your resume, it should be as clear and as easy to read as possible. You should use a basic, clean font like Arial or Times New Roman.

By reducing extra white space, you make it easier for the resume reader to focus only on the content of your resume instead of the white spaces. You should also make sure to reduce or eliminate any extraneous whitespace. Too much blank space might make your resume seem sparse, distracting the audience and possibly raising a red flag.

4. Review resume examples for your industry

When crafting your resume, you might study examples of resumes from your industry for inspiration and best practices. While there are many ways you can use resume samples, there are three main takeaways you should look for:

• Make it simple and easy to read.
• Include numbers.
• Make it brief.

5. Look for keywords in the job postings

For example, if you’re applying for a job as a medical billing coder, an employer might list keywords like “coding,” “claims submission,” “compliance” or “AR management” in the job description.

The best place to start when preparing to write a resume is to carefully read the job postings that interest you. As you apply for different jobs, you should study each job description for keywords that show what the employer is looking for in an ideal candidate. Include those keywords in your resume where relevant.