Craft a standout resume in four essential steps. Make an impact in your job search with our expert advice.

Creating an Impactful Resume: Your Guide to Four Essential Steps

 Apply tailored resumes and improve the chances of success. One size doesn’t fit all for jobs, so why do the same for your resume? Each job is different and so should you be. Job-specific resume tips… four steps you need to tweak your resume’s responsiveness and gain a competitive edge.

1. Match Skills to the Role

Each job listing details the skills they’re interested in. Highlight your resume to the degree possible the experiences and skills that most closely match the job’s needs. If they need staff experience, highlight your staff experience. If they need executive experience, highlight your executive experience. If they need leadership experience, highlight your recent experience leading. If you’re a fit and show interest – that is, that you uniquely match their needs – you will have a better chance at an interview.

2. Spotlight Recent Achievements

Your latest work roles are more important than those you did 15 years ago. More space should be devoted to your latest achievements and contributions. Highlight what you have done more recently – achievements in your most recent roles are more relevant. Make sure your CV is a snapshot of you as you are right now.

3. Quantify Your Achievements

Quantify accomplishments where possible. Rather than saying ‘I reduced operating costs’ or ‘I increased sales’, tell me how much of a reduction or increase. Any mention of ‘reduced’ or ‘increased’ that is not accompanied by a quantification or an action verb – eg ‘set up’, ‘negotiate’, ‘solve’, ‘pulled together’, ‘developed plan’, ‘reduced costs by 20 per cent’ – is a surefire way to make your writing sound flabbier than it has any right to be.

4. Seek Constructive Feedback

Ask others to read through your resume as you would an essay. Occasionally, it’s better to receive feedback from an outside source who identifies those ‘trouble spots’. It also helps to find someone who is within your industry. They might be able to tell you what tweaks need to be made to ensure that your resume feels authentic to your audience and conforms to the expectations of your industry.

Creating a memorable resume, one that looks good and is pleasing to the eye, is critical. It takes time and careful attention, the same way a chef who adds just the right touch of garlic by smell and taste makes her way to the burners to start the food preparation. What the chef does with garlic, you need repeat four times. 1. Prepare your ingredients.2. Cut and dice.3. Put sous vide.4. Rest.

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Questions and Answers:

Why is tailoring your resume important for job applications?

Tailoring your resume positions you as fitting each and every job description you apply for, and it maximises your chance of success.

What should you emphasize in your resume to match the job description?

Be sure to highlight experiences and attributes in your application that directly speak to the expectations for the role, as described in the job posting.

How can you prioritize recent achievements on your resume?

Give more emphasis to successes you have enjoyed in recent years. It’s this level of skill and achievement that employers care about.

Why is quantifying achievements important on a resume?

Using specific numbers and percentages to quantify your achievements gives them greater punch, and demonstrates the effect you’ve had on past employers.

What's the benefit of seeking feedback on your resume?

It’s important to get some external feedback as well because it offers new perspectives, and you need to ensure you’re playing by the industry rules – that people can actually understand your resume. Constructive critiques can bolster your work and maximise your resume’s effectiveness.