Standing out to employers can be tricky when the only way to make a good first impression is through your resume. When employers receive thousands of resumes per day, it may seem intimidating to throw one document in the mix and hope it stands a chance. Fear not – there are some subtle and creative nuances you can add to your resume so that it stands out!
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Add a Pop of Color
In high school I was told time and time again that a professional resume is in Times New Roman font and all black and white. Although that seems professional and uniform, your resume won’t stand out at all from all the other resumes that look just like this. Adding a pop of color could help draw attention to your resume without sacrificing professionalism.
Try changing the color of your name or some of the job titles or add a background color to the header. You don’t have to color the whole resume, just a background behind some text or colored text is enough to catch the hiring manager’s eye.
2. Highlight Your Skills
Listing out your best skills on your resume is a great way to show employers the type of work you’ve done and what you’re good at doing. Something that will help highlight those skills you’re good at is rating your skills. For example, if you’re a pro at using Photoshop while you are familiar with using HootSuite and Buffer, but not exactly an expert then you might list photo editing as a skill and rate yourself as an 8 out of 10 and list social media management and rate yourself as a 6. This gives your employer an idea of where your best skills are while showing them you know your own skills and what you are good at!
3. Put a Face to a Name
LinkedIn is how we make professional connections and find new career opportunities and it works because employers are able to put a face to a name and a resume and gives both the potential candidate and the employer a way to make a real connection that would not exist if you simply applied for a role online.
For that reason, I have found that adding your LinkedIn headshot on your resume could help build that type of connection and let your employer put a face to a name. Bonus points if you literally use your LinkedIn profile photo – it shows consistency and will really make your resume more memorable!
4. No Work Experience? No Problem!
One thing that feels like a drawback when you’re applying to jobs or internships is that sometimes you might not have relevant work experience to add. Including part-jobs you may have worked through high school and while in college is great if you can relate those roles to the opportunity you’re applying for.
So if you worked at a local clothing store as a clerk and are applying to an opportunity at a fashion design company then you should totally include your part-time job. On the other hand, if you worked as a teller at a bank and are applying for an editorial opportunity at a digital media agency, that might not be so relevant.
But, let’s say you don’t have any relevant work experience to list. In this instance, you should definitely include any projects you’ve worked on whether in your courses or on your own that show you have the skills for the role you’re applying for. Talk about these projects in detail and list out what the goals and accomplishments were for these projects – this will definitely help your resume stand out because it shows work you have actually done.
5. Add Examples and Portfolio Links
Last, but not least add some links to backup any projects you have worked on or any content you have created so employers can take a look at your work. Add up to 3 links. Link your website (if you have one), that awesome article you wrote for HerCampus, or maybe a social media page you created or managed that you’re really proud of. Don’t clutter your resume with links, but definitely add them to showcase your work.
With these simple adjustments to your resume, you are making your resume more than just a document with some credentials. Instead, you are letting a little more of you shine through in a unique way!