How a Great Resume Can Change Your Job Search

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You got a haircut, bought a new interview suit, and invested in some business cards to give out as you network with people. You took the time to worry about the icing, but did you also make sure to take care of the cake? A great resume is the foundation to any job search and it can also decide whether or not you get the job you are looking for.

1. A great resume makes you look more professional.

When a hiring manager sees what he considers to be a great resume, it instantly inspires positive thoughts about you as an employment candidate. Your well-structured resume gives the impression that you're an organized person. Your concise resume language gives the feeling that you're a no-nonsense individual who gets right to the point. A great resume can make a hiring manager feel like you have all of the necessary traits to be an asset to the company.

2. A great resume is easier for the hiring manager to read.

A great resume is one that has all of your important information structured in a way that's easy for the hiring manager to read. When you have a truly great resume, then that increases your chances for getting more interviews for positions that you're truly interested in. Since the resume is easier for the hiring manager to read, it inspires the hiring manager to consider your resume above the others.

3. A great resume speaks directly to each specific hiring manager.

One of the elements that makes a resume great is a custom message. There needs to be portions of your resume that directly address a hiring manager's needs. For example, your statement of qualifications can mention the company's open position specifically and point out particular elements of your past that make you uniquely qualified for the position. When you speak directly to each hiring manager, your resumes will be much more effective.

4. A great resume gets you exposure on the internet.

When you post your resume on a career website, you have the opportunity to present your qualifications to hiring managers all over the world. Your resume needs to be structured using pertinent keywords that will allow your resume to show up in searches made on the career websites, as well as general online searches. A great resume finds a way to gain you significant exposure throughout the web.

5. A great resume can get you referred from one hiring manager to another.

If your resume is a great resume, then the person who first reads it will feel compelled to share your resume with someone else within the company. Your qualifications stand out so well and your information is so comprehensive that the hiring manager who first received your resume will have to share it with other managers within the company.

This is a significant trait of a great resume because the alternative is to have your resume wind up in a pile that never gets reviewed. But when your resume is engaging and interesting, then the company you send it to will feel necessary to at least bring you in for an interview.

6. A great resume gets your name circulating within your industry.

If you're a sales professional, then you're familiar with at least one salesperson who works for each of your competitors. The names of great sales professionals travel around the sales circles much the same way that the names attached to great resumes get circulated around the various hiring managers. If you can get hiring managers to mention your name in casual conversation just based on your resume, then you have a great resume.