If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to land a new job, you’re probably going to want to polish up your resume. And if that’s the case, you’re in for a treat. Having a well-written resume that effectively communicates your skills, education and experience is essential when job hunting. No matter where you are in your career, making sure that your resume is up to par will serve you well. Here are a few helpful tips to make your resume stand out from the rest. 

Keep it brief.

Generally, a hiring manager will spend just a few seconds looking over your resume before they decide to move forward with you or throw it in the trash. For that reason, you want to keep your resume concise and to the point. Aim for a one-page resume, and only go beyond that if you have lots of highly-relevant experience you want to highlight. 

Start with a compelling career summary.

Objective statements are dry and dated. Instead, start your resume with a brief, but impactful branding statement that communicates your skills, qualifications and experience. Use this section of your resume to demonstrate your unique value to potential employers. 

Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for.

Rather than sending out a generic resume to every employer, customize your resume to be specific to each job you’re applying for. Find opportunities to demonstrate the ways your experience, skills and values align with the company’s mission, culture and expectations. 

Include the right keywords.

To further tailor your resume to the job, include keywords from the job description in your resume. Many employers now use applicant tracking systems to manage and filter applications. Your best bet to make it past the bots is to ensure your resume features keywords from the description, which will make you seem like a good match.

Focus on results.

Think beyond dull descriptions of your job duties in the experience section of your resume. Use this section to highlight your accomplishments, providing concrete evidence of results achieved. Share specific metrics and numbers wherever you can.

These tips should help you optimize your resume so that you can land more interviews. And if you’d like some help in that department, check out these interview tips. These resources can support you in your job search, helping you to prepare and deliver on paper and in person. So, good luck and go get ‘em!