What Should Your Resume Look Like to Capture Attention?
Ready to take the job market by storm?
Your resume needs to capture attention FASTER than ever before.
As employers hunt for the perfect candidate – and job seekers hit the market, your stellar qualifications could be missed among stiff competition unless you’ve built a solid resume branding strategy.
Your qualifications need more than a passing glance!
Here’s what your resume should contain in today’s crowded job market:
Impressive, Eye-Catching Accomplishments.
While metrics-driven achievements have always been important, you’re competing against MILLIONS of determined job seekers now – and your resume must capture attention!
The best way to show your readiness for a new role (Check out 5 Strategies for Handling a Gap on Your Resume and Pandemic Achievements to Add to Your Resume Now, if needed) is to demonstrate how you’ve outpaced expectations in your current job.
Gather performance reviews, kudos, and project details, then assess:
- Where did I exceed our planned ROI on each initiative?
- What industry averages did we surpass in recent projects?
- What metrics show my ability to deliver fast results after I’m hired?
Don’t forget about what you’ve achieved that shows speed or longevity – such as retaining employees during a hiring spike or delivering a milestone faster than anticipated.
Gather these facts in context (listing the size of each project or revenue win), then cut sentences into fragments you can use in a summary, like these examples of power-packed achievements:
- 20% faster hiring processes in 3 departments
- $3M+ potential identified in new ecommerce markets
- 4 days saved in monthly accounting cycles (shaving ~$24K off payroll costs)
You get the idea. It’s the numbers that make your success stories shine, and there’s many ways to list them on your resume.
A Brochure-Style Opening Page.
What “look” should your resume have now?
What “look” should your resume have now?Consider an extended summary and graphic elements, rather than the usual list of bullets.
Here, this example of a multinational executive resume blends unusual colors and images depicting global influence.
By employing a metrics-driven headline and a table of high-level positions inside an Extraordinary Results section (circled), this custom design won’t be mistaken for that of any other candidate!
How can you make your resume look like this? Find resume samples with different designs, taking note of new ideas for borders, color treatments, and other elements that can set off your experience.
Not ready to use a bold format? Add other, more subtle elements to set off your accomplishments.
This Chief Data Officer resume shows how blue-gray tones can frame executive accomplishments, without taking center stage.
If you’re unsure how to change colors, add banners, or incorporate other elements, this guide on Microsoft Word may help.
It’s important to note that most resumes ARE readable by ATS systems, no matter what changes you make. (ATS only stores your resume; these systemsn don’t “reject” your document.)
To test what ATS will “see,” convert your resume to a text file and review the contents. Text boxes and charts won’t be visible, but you should still see work history and other details.
Powerful Headlines That Shout Your Value Proposition.
Your resume must tell a story of your ROI – and get to the point quickly! Remember that most hiring authorities only skim your resume for relevant details.
What your resume needs now are summary statements or marketing taglines prominently touting your personal brand.
ALL the resumes you see in this article have headlines! Here’s how to create them:
First, write key accomplishments as short statements of value, then move them to the FRONT of your resume. Here’s an example from a hospital executive resume who possesses decades of success in quality and patient safety metrics:
- Curbed patient safety incidents 54%, exceeding goals with 32% reduction in patient falls.
- Facilitated 21% increase in surgical volume by recruiting 11 physician leaders.
- Drove favorable outcomes from new Cardiology program, including 21% drop in readmissions and 750 new patients.
These wins were then condensed for quick reading into a single headline:
Physician Recruiting, Service Lines, & Quality Metrics Enabling 5-Star CMS Rating
When you insert headlines like these at key intervals, your resume will look like a well-planned, strategically crafted document. See more interview-winning resume examples with headlines.
A Bold Step Into Color on Your Resume.
Now that many resumes have started to embrace color, it seems the sky’s the limit.
But how can you start adding color to YOUR resume?
Consider incorporating blue, which conveys leadership and knowledge, as a natural first step into color on your resume.
As shown in this TORI award-winning Technology & Engineering leadership resume, some slightly varied shades of blue are used as an accent to help employer names, job titles, and keywords stand out.
The trick when adding color? Apply it sparingly, and zoom out to see the overall picture after designing your format.
Your 2023 resume will look like a classic, yet compelling, story of your skills and leadership acumen when you use color as the backdrop for specific achievements worth emphasizing. The idea is to make your career achievements pop!
To go even further with color on your resume, try the Color Wheel tool to plan different combinations.
A Personal Quote for Emphasis.
You may have a personal leadership philosophy or mission statement that you’ve used to inspire teams or motivate employees.
Why not consider adding it to your resume?
In this sample of a Chief Revenue & Sales Officer resume, you can see how a powerful, single quote (“I take it personally when we lose to the competition”) sums up his commitment to excellence.
How should you identify a quote for use on your resume? Look back through your performance review comments or even emails to colleagues.
You might find noteworthy statements that you could leverage for a memorable statement on your resume.
So what should YOUR resume look like?
A carefully crafted suite of achievements, framed by eye-catching elements.
By taking bold steps to put your success stories front and center, your resume will make a positive impression on employers – and potentially influence a hiring decision.
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- Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CPBA, TCCS, COPNS, CIC, CTTCC, NCOPE
With just a few seconds to impress, it’s important to make your brand, leadership level, accomplishments, and value proposition pop!
Yes, you CAN use color. Black-and-white documents heavy with detail are easier to skim if you’ve added a bit of color.
What drives you? What type of work or challenges make you excited to come into the office? How do you inspire passion in your teams or customers?
Resumes, especially those heavy with detail, are often easier to skim if you’ve added a bit of color.
