One of the most difficult things for candidates who are just at the beginning of their career or who want to start a career in a new field is to make their resumes more visible. There are some tricks to making a resume strong.
Whether you have little work experience or are pursuing a career in a new field, many candidates think that due to lack of experience, their CV will be lost among other CVs and will not stand out. So, what should candidates who experience such a situation do? Monster's Career Specialist Vicki Salemi offers the following advice to candidates experiencing this type of problem:
Strengthen your resume with areas of focus
If you don't have much work experience and you're just starting out, build your resume on top of your educational background. You can strengthen your resume by including the areas you focus on and sanction during your education. Vicki Salemi shows the candidates' volunteering experiences, achievements, awards and overseas programs she has attended as an example.
Focus on functional resume
Vicki Salemi says those with little work experience can focus on a functional resume. Accordingly, instead of listing your work experience in chronological order, you can prepare a functional resume by focusing on skill sets. Functional resumes highlight your strengths, skills and abilities. You should summarize your work history, but this is usually at the bottom of your resume.
If you are starting a new field
Vicki Salemi says those with limited experience in a new field should look up job descriptions for the roles they're pursuing in the postings and learn about what skills and experience are most desirable. Accordingly, candidates can place the features sought in the advertisements they follow at the top of their resumes.
Show your transferable skills
Vicki Salemi advises candidates to finally find out if they have transferable talents. “If you're marketing on a $1 million budget, your skills for managing your budget are evident no matter what your industry is. This is what you should emphasize here. So focus on the skills and experience you already have to show employers,” she says.