Today’s market presents many unique challenges for job seekers. Tariffs, artificial intelligence, and economic uncertainty have all contributed to hiring freezes, as fewer companies are willing to risk expanding in these unstable conditions. With fewer opportunities available, competition is at an all-time high. To differentiate yourself from other applicants, you need a powerful resume that truly encapsulates the value you can bring to potential employers. In our guide, we’ll provide expert insights to help you bring your career to life on the page.
How to Make a Resume Standout
Hiring managers review countless resumes on a daily basis, and the truth is that many of them are unremarkable. This stems largely from a growing reliance on AI tools and misconceptions regarding resume writing principles. To craft a winning resume, it’s essential to understand that this is, first and foremost, a marketing document. It needs to be shaped and molded according to your industry and career goals. Below, we’ll walk you through the fundamentals of the resume-building process.
1. Lead with a compelling opening summary
Given the high volume of applicants for any given job opening, it’s important to lead with an engaging introduction that draws the reader in. Think of your summary as an elevator pitch. The goal is to provide a concise yet compelling overview of who you are as an industry professional and what you can bring to future organizations.
Start by listing your title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that match the company’s needs. Use the remainder of your paragraph to highlight the most impressive aspects of your professional background. For example, you might emphasize that you have a proven track record of managing multi-million dollar projects or spearheading high-profile marketing initiatives. Be thoughtful and strategic in what details you emphasize, as your profile needs to deliver meaningful insights that are relevant to the role you’re targeting.
Example #1
A marketing manager with eight years of professional experience specializing in content strategy, digital marketing, and brand messaging. A proven track record of driving high-impact campaigns for multi-million dollar product lines within the technology industry. Skilled at collaborating with cross-functional teams to execute sales and marketing initiatives.
Example #2
A graphic designer with seven years of experience developing visual content for digital, print, and brand marketing campaigns. Specializes in layout design, typography, and visual storytelling across diverse industries. A strong history of producing high-quality creative that aligns with strategy and consistently drives engagement.
2. Highlight achievements instead of job duties
A common mistake amongst job seekers is focusing too much on describing daily responsibilities instead of accomplishments. Employers aren’t interested in simply learning about your day-to-day tasks; they want to see what you’ve achieved over the course of your career. This can be challenging for certain occupations, especially when a routine duty doesn’t feel like an actual achievement. To craft engaging bullet points, you need to emphasize how your contributions have impacted the company’s bottom line.
For example, say you’re a human resources professional. While not every administrative task in an HR department is glamorous or eye-catching, these are all vital to the company’s operations. It all comes down to how you frame your job responsibilities. If you oversaw hiring processes, recruitment initiatives, and benefits administration, emphasize how your efforts contributed to increased employment retention or organizational growth.
Example #1
Account Manager | HavenTech Solutions, Boston, MA | February 2020 to present
- Managed 40+ enterprise accounts worth over $3.5M in annual revenue, maintaining 92% retention and exceeding renewal targets in 2023
- Conducted quarterly business reviews to surface needs and opportunities, generating $480K in new upsells and contract expansions
- Resolved escalated technical issues by coordinating with product and support, reducing client churn by 17% over two years
Example #2
Marketing Manager | Northway Brands, Chicago, IL | August 2018 to present
- Managed a $600K annual marketing budget and launched campaigns that delivered a 61% increase in qualified leads and $1.8M in revenue
- Developed a cross-platform content strategy that boosted email open rates by 44% and increased website traffic by 47% in 12 months
- Launched a customer re-engagement initiative using segmentation and automation tools, bringing back over 12,000 inactive users
3. Quantify your accomplishments
To maximize the impact of your bullet points, it’s essential to feature meaningful numbers, data, and performance metrics. This establishes valuable context for the hiring manager, allowing them to see the potential value you can generate for their team. Whether you’re showcasing the size of a budget or annual quota attainment rates, quantifying an achievement adds depth to your story.
That said, you should never include numbers or percentages that can’t be substantiated. For example, a job seeker might make a vague statement about how they improved efficiency by 30%. The immediate question here is how efficiency is being measured. Did they streamline a task that saved five work hours per week? Did they create a shared knowledge base that improved resolution times for IT tickets? Without more supporting details, efficiency is an empty metric.
4. Feature your leadership capabilities
In addition to evaluating your talents and qualifications as an industry professional, companies also want to see that you’re the right fit for their culture. If you’ve managed direct reports in the past, highlight how you provided mentorship and coaching to help your team members grow. If you’ve coordinated cross-functionally, feature examples of how you collaborated with other departments to overcome operational challenges and execute key initiatives. This shows that you have the emotional intelligence and leadership traits to excel in fast-paced team environments.
5. Highlight relevant skill sets
In addition to listing keywords and skills from the job description in a separate section, it’s important to show employers how you’ve applied these industry skill sets in real-world business environments. It’s one thing to mention Python as a skill; it’s another to showcase how you used this programming language to develop an Android mobile application. Below, you’ll find a list of common skills to consider highlighting on your resume:
- Account management
- Agile methodology
- Client relations
- Clinical operations
- Communication
- Content development
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Data analytics
- Digital marketing
- HR management
- IT management
- Leadership
- Operations management
- Marketing strategy
- Patient-centered care
- Project management
- Python
- Sales strategy
- Software development lifecycle (SDLC)
- Team management
- UX design
6. Align your resume with the job description
If your content isn’t geared towards a specific job, you aren’t maximizing your chances of landing the interview. This goes beyond simply meeting the requirements of the applicant tracking system (ATS). You need a resume that tells a compelling story and shows the hiring manager why your unique experience makes you a perfect candidate for the role.
For example, say you’re targeting a marketing position that requires a strong background in brand messaging, content strategy, and digital advertising. Explain how you led successful digital campaigns by creating a cohesive brand identity and developing engaging content that resonates with target audiences. This shows potential employers how your expertise aligns with their organizational goals and needs.
Resume Examples that Stand Out
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Make Your Resume Stand Out
In recent years, artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. With an increasing reliance on AI tools such as ChatGPT, many candidates are using these new capabilities to streamline the resume-building process. While the utility of AI is undeniable, you should never allow these tools to write your document in its entirety. If you're struggling with a blank page, ChatGPT can undoubtedly give you some bullet points to build from, but it can't deliver unique content that adequately tells your story.
If you're entering the job market for the first time, it's easy to find yourself struggling to get your foot in the door. While your work history may be lacking, you can compensate for this by highlighting internships, academic projects, and independent projects that demonstrate your expertise within your field.
The length of a resume is contingent on your years of experience and individual career needs. If you've been working for less than eight years, one page should provide more than enough space to capture your qualifications and work history. If you have ten or more years of experience, you can expand your resume to two pages. That said, be sure that the additional content is impactful, as you don't want to extend your document's length arbitrarily. .
Resume Templates offers HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.