5 Tips to Make Your Resume Shine

This post was written by Centene talent attraction team members, Sakiba D. and Alissa G.

Highlight your skills

Your resume is one of the first introductions between yourself and the company you are applying to and your first chance to shine. It is a way to succinctly tell your story and show recruiters why you might be the best fit for the job. By reviewing and curating your resume to the type of job you want, you can show companies why you’re the best fit for that specific role. You can achieve this by carefully reviewing a job description and making sure all of your relevant skills and experiences that match are highlighted. Does the role require project management experience? Then make sure to highlight a time you rocked a project.

Show off your soft skills

While traditional skills are important, don’t forget to show off your soft skills! A balance between competencies and soft skills could give jobseekers a leg up on the competition. Soft skills can be highlighted through examples of teamwork, problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and more. By taking the time to research companies (make sure to check out their career sites or social media channels), you can increase your understanding of their culture, mission, and values while also preparing your resume and increasing your chance of landing an interview.

Demonstrate your performance

Aside from having soft skills and necessary competencies on the resume, providing concrete performance examples are another important component of a resume. All roles have some type of metrics included in them and specifying this on a resume provides recruiters with an understanding of how previous behaviors will predict future performance. By adding specific numbers and metrics associated with your performance, you are able to show recruiters concrete examples of how you’ve made a positive impact as well as your ability to track these metrics. If you have gone above and beyond in your current scope of work by participating in or leading additional projects, taking on additional responsibilities, or were recognized for your work in your current role, give yourself credit and make a note.

Simple vs fancy design

Simple resumes can be very well written, contain the necessary information, and catch an eye of a recruiter or hiring leader. Additional unnecessary images could distract resume reviewers from your skills and experience and could potentially lead to technical issues in your application. A simpler design will also make it easier for a company’s application system to look through your resume and autofill the application – that way you are less likely to have to retype things like education and work history. Some HR professionals recommend putting your resume through a free Applicant Tracking System-friendly test online before submitting it to ensure you and the system are presenting the best version. To start a simplified design, try avoiding images, unusual headers, pictures, and borders.

Highlighting work history

Put the most emphasis on your most recent experience. It is typically recommended to list experience in reverse chronological order as a great way to showcase your work history.  Recruiters are interested in seeing how long you have been in your positions as well as your continued professional journey. If you are concerned about a gap in your resume, you can explain it in a few simple sentences.