How to make your resume stand out: unveiling the secrets

An engaging and professional resume is your job-hunting secret weapon. Whether you’re looking for your first position or are ready to take the next step on the career ladder, your resume is what gets your foot in the door. 

If you get it right, your phone will be ringing off the hook with interview offers. Get it wrong, and the silence will be almost excruciating. So, that begs the question, do you know how to make a resume stand out?

If this crucial conundrum has you stumped, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Resume.io, we have everything you need to empower your job search. We’ve got a massive library of writing guides along with cover letter examples and resume examples. 

In the following guide, we will be delving into these key topics to help you out:

• How to make your summary stand out from the competition
• Writing: expert-backed resume writing tips to help you get started
• Design: how to make your resume stand out with epic design hacks
• The mistakes you should avoid when making your resume

How to make your professional summary stand out

Your resume is a hiring manager’s first introduction to you and your skills. Unfortunately, at the same time, many other candidates will also be trying to introduce themselves. 

So you need to grab their attention right away: in the professional summary. Here are some tips to make your career summary that can help you immediately stand out from the competition:

1. Grab the reader’s attention quickly 

Research reveals that hiring managers spend an average of seven seconds reviewing each resume. That’s not a whole lot of time to make the right impression. Recruiters see a bunch of generic resumes every day. Make yours snappy and catch their attention from the first line.

2. Showcase your value like a pro 

The focus of your application must be about the value you bring. You could be under-selling yourself in your resume. If you’re afraid of tooting your own horn, you could be losing out on remarkable job opportunities. Don’t be afraid to show off your biggest accomplishments.

3. Increase your chances of success by revamping

It can take sending out up to 100 resumes to get an interview. When you’re searching for your next opportunity, that can sound overwhelming. However, resumes that stand out are more likely to get the hiring manager’s attention for the right reasons. If you’ve struggled to get to this stage in the past, it may be time for a revamp.

Consider this underwhelming professional summary:

• Software developer seeking a position where I can use my software design skills. Have worked with user experience and web applications. Helped junior developers and did code reviews.

By adding action verbs and focusing on keywords found in the job description, it can transform into this:

Writing it: expert writing tips for resumes that stand out 

Now, let’s focus on how you write a professional resume. The content of this document needs to perfectly show who you are and what you bring to the table. To kick things off, before you put pen to paper, take a look at these core writing tips and see some examples of what you might include in various sections of your resume: 

4. Keep your resume short and sweet

For best results, we recommend keeping a resume to one to two pages in length. Consider what you need to include on your resume and what information is superfluous. Ask yourself: “What does this information add to my resume?” If you can’t answer that easily, you may be cramming your resume with details that don’t add value. 

5. Tailor your resume to the job posting

If you send the same tired resume out to every employer, you’re not doing yourself any favors. If you want to boost your chances of success, you should tailor your resume to the requirements of the job. Go back to the original job advert and make a note of the specifications. 

You should also do some research on the business and the particular role in question. Look for obvious overlaps between your experience and the demands of the job. Highlighting this common ground is a surefire way to make your resume stand out.

Consider this sample job description:

• We are seeking a talented Marketing Manager to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in developing and executing marketing strategies, managing campaigns, and driving brand awareness.

A tailored summary might look like this:

6. Choose the right language and tone

Language has power. The tone you use can impact how the reader perceives you. When you’re writing your resume, make sure you adopt a formal and positive tone. The style of language you use can also make a big difference here. You’re not writing a message to a friend or emailing someone you know well. Instead, you need to choose words that convey professionalism. 

Consider this sample employment history section:

Sales Associate
A&B Stores | Chicago, IL | June 2020 - August 2023

• Helped customers find products.
• Managed cash register.
• Kept store clean.
• Answered customer questions.
• Sold products to customers.

Upgrading that same past employment description with quantifiable achievements and action verbs gives it a professional—and powerful—tone:

7. Find a unique “hook” for your summary

Your professional summary is the most creative part of your resume. In just a few sentences, you need to encapsulate who you are as a professional and why the hiring manager should care. One of the best tips you can use here is to find your “hook”. In other words, the thing that makes you unique. Answer the following questions to get started: 

• What skill have you mastered and can you quantify it?
• What is your biggest and most impressive achievement?
• Have you worked with big names and, if so, who?
• Do you have any particular awards or commendations?
• If you could tell the hiring manager one thing, what would it be?

8. Optimize your resume for the ATS 

The majority of businesses now use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter incoming applications. The system ranks resumes based on how well each of them aligns with the job criteria using keyword ranking. 

Optimizing your resume is the name of the game. First, you need to follow a solid structure and ensure the content is easy to read. You should also pepper your resume with keywords and phrases. To do this, take a look at the job posting and highlight any words that stand out to you or align directly with the core duties of the position. 

9. Quantify your accomplishments 

Add accomplishments to your resume, but quantify those achievements where possible. To demonstrate this, let’s take a look at a summary: 

• “Qualified sales executive with years of industry experience.”

If we add quantifiable accomplishments, it can look like this:

Do you see how the second version adds more value than the first? When you’re writing your professional resume, quantify your claims whenever possible. 

10. Always be specific about your duties 

One traditional marketing principle says that adding details to your points makes them more memorable than generic statements. When you’re writing about your past experiences, add details about your specific duties and achievements.

For example:

• Developed marketing campaigns.

Made more specific, that same line can become:

11. Curate a killer list of hard and soft skills 

When it comes to your skills section, include a balance of hard and soft skills that will pique the hiring manager’s interest. Hard skills, often technical skills, can usually be found in the job description. Soft skills demonstrate your ability to work well as part of a team and get the job done efficiently. They could be “communication,” “time management,” and “organization”. 

Designing it: quick design hacks for resumes that stand out

Don’t overlook the look of the document. If you’re new to the world of design, we’ve got you. First, take a look at our example resume, then review our tips that focus on the design of your resume: 

12. Use that white space 

White space is vital. It makes your resume easy to read and stops it from looking “busy”. You may want to cram loads of information onto your resume, but you don’t want it to overwhelm the reader. Leave some space around the edges of each section. This visual trick allows the person looking at your resume to quickly scan it for the finer details. 

13. Stick to one or two fonts 

Professional resumes are consistent. Using a broad variety of font styles appears chaotic and is a quick way to put the hiring manager off. Generally, you should use one or two fonts on your resume. Pick typefaces that are legible and professional. 

14. Space it out

Have you spaced your resume out correctly? If there is not an even amount of space between sections, something will look “off” about the document. While the hiring manager may not be able to put their finger on the problem, they will know that it’s not quite right. Take the time to ensure that the spacing of your professional resume is on point. 

15. Choose a fitting template

If you’re wondering how to make your resume stand out, using one of our field-tested resume templates is the answer. Most of the time, it’s smart to opt for a classic design over anything too experimental. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Should you work in a creative industry, for example, you can use a resume design with a tad more flair.

Common mistakes that will hold you back

We’ve covered all you need to know to create a resume that stands out. But before you get started on yours, there are some final things you should know. Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes you should avoid when creating your next resume:

• Not proofreading your resume. Spelling and grammatical mistakes are enough to put any hiring manager off. When you’re finished with your resume, take the time to proofread it thoroughly.
• Using jargon or complicated language. Write for a reader who doesn’t understand your industry. You have no way of telling who will read your resume first, so make sure a general audience can understand your application.
• Including charts, graphs, or images. You don’t need to include imagery on your professional resume. While you may choose to put a photo of yourself on your application, avoid adding charts, graphs, or any other type of picture here.

Key takeaways 

You only have a few seconds to make an impression on the hiring manager. Having a resume that stands out will increase your chances of success. Use the right tone and language, proofread, and quantify your accomplishments whenever possible. 

Using Resume.io is the easiest way to build a professional resume in minutes.