subject: From Resume To Interview How To Land The Job [print this page] Trying to land your dream job? Join the clubTrying to land your dream job? Join the club. In this economy, there are more applicants than ever for far fewer positions. That means you need to take extra steps to ensure your resume stands out from the hundreds of others employers often receive for a single job.
The key to standing out is to create a convincing resume that has strong visual appeal and focuses on the qualifications that make you a dream applicant for the position.
Start by creating a resume that highlights your achievements. Go beyond the generic job description approach to resume writing, and focus on your most impressive accomplishments. Test the focus of your resume by asking if another candidate could copy and paste the content into his or her resume. If so, the content likely is not unique enough to highlight the unique value you would add to an organization.
When highlighting your achievements, focus on your most impressive accomplishments. Employers do not want a resume that includes too much information, so focus on the more recent and most significant achievements. Avoid irrelevant details. Too much detail bores the reader and irrelevant content distracts the reader from learning more about the great things that you have done.
In addition to strong content, your resume must also have strong visual appeal. That appeal draws in the reader and makes a great first impression, even before they read the content. Take advantage of white space to give the reader a visual break, and to signal when the reader is moving from one section to another. You can do this by using a balanced combination of paragraph and bullet points. This might sound superficial, but visual appeal is almost as important as content for some employers.
Once you have the content and format together, read the resume time and again to eliminate all mistakes. One of the best ways to do this is to have somebody read it over for you. Ask a few friends with strong writing skills to review the materials for you. You can also ask your alumni career services office for help. Contacting a professional resume writing service is also a good idea. Even if you do not want resume writing services, many resume writing services offer a discounted but thorough resume review service.
Once you submit your new and improved convincing resume to employers, you move to the interview phase. Before the interview, prepare to win the offer by researching the employer. That will allow you to showcase your interest in the role and will almost certainly impress your interviewer. You should also arrive on time, dress in business attire, and practice answers to frequently asked questions.
