Your resume needs to be polished and professional otherwise recruiters might reject it without a second glance. A professional resume is easy to read, error-free, and tailor-made to the job. A survey from Ladders used eye-tracking software to show that recruiters could decide on a candidate in just 7.4 seconds.
The introduction of the applicant tracking system (ATS), an AI-integrated HR software, led to the automation of resume scanning. Improving your resume no longer means simply optimizing it for hiring managers. It also needs to be short, clear, and intelligible to both humans and machines. Your resume represents you at different stages of the hiring pipeline, so having a well-formatted and easily scannable resume is important in the modern job market.
What is a Resume?
A resume provides an overview of your professional qualifications, including your relevant work experience, skills, education, and accomplishments. A strong resume communicates your qualifications and shows recruiters why they should interview you.
A Professional Resume:
- Outlines relevant skills and experience
- Displays what you offer employers
- Grabs the attention of employers
- Matches you to the position
- Can lead to an interview
Here are some tips to improving your resume:
Select a professional layout
A strong resume has a clear layout. Unless you are applying as a graphic designer, it is wise to keep it simple and minimalistic. Making sure your layout includes language and technologies alongside work experience is important for AI engineers.
Be consistent with formatting
According to a Career Builder study, inconsistent formatting alongside typos and grammatical errors are the cause for over 77% of resume rejections. A resume has consistent font style and size, bolding, gaps, alignment, and so on. Good layout and formatting also help your resume stay short and concise. Always recheck your resume for these minor errors, as it might as well cost you your job.
Start with a snappy and captivating summary
Recruiters probably look at hundreds of resumes each day. A well-crafted, concise, and objective summary can grab their attention and lead them to give your resume more time. To achieve that, you must address the employer’s specific needs as outlined in the job offer in a straightforward way.
Manage your work experience section
Try to put your work experience section close to the top of the page. Make sure your recent experiences relevant to the position get more space and recognition. Also include certifications or stand-out projects. Your work experience will be the part recruiters spend the most time on.
Tailor your resume to the position and company
When it comes to professional resumes, one size does not fit all. Most hiring managers want to see how your skills and work experience match the position. Recruiters know a generic resume when they see one. Tailoring your resume will show the company you’re a serious candidate and sincerely wish to work for them in particular.
Bottom Line
A resume is among the first steps to securing your dream job. Most recruiters or hiring managers won’t be generous enough to share these tips. Luckily, we have a resume-building workshop for AI engineers completed recently. To learn how to build a fantastic AI engineer resume, download and watch the full recorded webinar here.
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