Resume Bootcamp: 5 Steps to Crafting a Stand Out Resume
Standards and expectations on resumes have been shifting.
Because of changes in technology and the competitive landscape of the creative industries, what used to work isn't working as well anymore. That’s why it’s important for you to learn new strategies to make sure your resume stands out and positions you as the go-to candidate.
The goal of a resume is to sell and market yourself specifically to the people you desire to be employed by. Some people think the more descriptive and verbose the better, but this is a huge misconception.
You want to make your resume succinct and to the point, easy for a recruiter, hiring manager, or Applicant Tracking System (ATS - we’ll discuss what this is later) to understand quickly. You don’t have to add everything you’ve ever done into this document!
As I always say, “The hiring manager at a future 500 company doesn't care that you worked at a gym 16 years ago”. It's about relevance and creating a resume that truly speaks to your target audience.
So in this blog, I’m going to share with you 5 steps to optimize your resume, so that you can land more interviews and job offers.
With the help of this article and a little bit of self inquiry and awareness, you’ll be able to craft a winning resume…The kind that highlights your skills, talents, and accomplishments and showcases your unique edge.
The kind of resume that gets my clients into:
Some of the leading masters programs
Premier scholarship training programs
Career changes into new more aligned fields, AND
Landing dream jobs that make their life more fulfilling and enjoyable
Ready to create a resume that gets results in a highly competitive market?
Here are 5 Steps to Crafting a Stand Out Resume:
1. Personal Tagline
A personal tagline is a great way to describe in a nutshell who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
It’s a quick first impression when glancing at your resume or Linkedin.
This simple statement can be used as a curiosity hook to draw in hiring managers for roles that are aligned with your zone of genius and the contribution you want to make in the world.
The best ones sum up and sell the essence of YOU and tie in the impact you offer targeted to the roles you are interested in.
Here is a simple formula:
Your zone of genus or achievement metric + the solution or result that you offer = Tagline
Here are a variety of examples:
Art Consultant looking for a new sales position at a luxury art gallery
”Delivering 5 and 6-figure projects to art collectors all around the globe, with a human touch”A career changer from Public Policy to the Arts
”Bringing levity to intense topics in advocacy, education, and the arts by providing a community centered approach and making impactful work more accessible”An HR Coordinator wanting to up level to a HR Analyst position
”Empathy lead analysis, enhancing operational efficiency by optimizing systems and processes”
2. PRofile
The profile section is a brief impactful summary that provides an overview of your professional background, experience, and career goals.
It’s important to focus on what makes you unique and valuable, as well as highlighting a bit of your personality.
This can be done through the language you chose to use or by including details that give a glimpse of who you are beyond your professional achievements.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid clichés and generic statements like “Results-oriented professional with excellent communication skills, seeking a challenging position to leverage my diverse skill set and contribute to the success of a dynamic company.”
Instead, focus on how your background sets you apart from other candidates and provide more specific details about your actual achievements.
Conclude your profile with a forward-looking statement that hints at your future contributions. This can create anticipation and demonstrate your eagerness to contribute to the company's success.
Here’s a simple formula:
What you can do for the employer + the tools in your toolbox that you can leverage to get the job done (strengths, accomplishments, or experience) + vision for the future = Profile
Here are some examples:
Dedicated junior e-commerce designer with 2.5 years experience designing for beauty and lifestyle brands. I'm passionate about creating engaging designs that help build meaningful relationships between brands and their customers. I specialize in creating innovative banners, landing pages, email marketing, print design, and seasonal campaigns that convert viewers into long-term customers. I have an eye for light, color, and composition which is the driving force behind my commitment to creating beautiful and cohesive designs. I am skilled at working within a team or alone, meeting deadlines, and delivering quality results. I work well under high pressure in both fast-paced and demanding environments, alongside overseeing multiple briefs from concept to completion. I’m ready to take on new opportunities to utilize my skill set and desire for growth, designing compelling work for a purpose driven lifestyle brand.
Innovative luxury closer with 14 years experience and over $17 million in sales of fine art, furniture, and books. I especially enjoy the satisfaction of surpassing sales targets and developing lasting meaningful client relationships. I exercise my natural leadership abilities by taking initiative on sales campaigns and devising creative and effective product launches for ultimate profitability. My passion for personal development and volunteer work within my community helps me continue to strive for excellence both in and outside of work. I have a contagious positivity, that when coupled with my tenacity is ready to take on any challenge that comes my way. I am seeking a Sales Director role where I can further make an impact teaching, inspiring, and mentoring others to grow and exceed their sales goals.
3. Core Strengths
The core strengths section is a way to continue to highlight your areas of expertise and expand on them with more tangible descriptions.
It’s important to incorporate key skills relevant to the job you are applying for to address the needs of the employer. This demonstrates that you understand the company's desires and challenges, and shows that you are equipped to contribute effectively.
Use 3-4 bullet points to clearly communicate what sets you apart from other candidates and combine both soft and hard skills.
Try to use descriptive and powerful language. Instead of just saying "creative," consider phrases like "innovative thinker" or "imaginative problem-solver" to provide a deeper understanding of your abilities.
Whenever possible, quantify your strengths with specific achievements. For instance, "Led a team that increased social media engagement by 30% through creative content strategies.
Again, avoid generic statements and be specific about what makes you unique. Instead of saying "strong communicator," you could specify, "able to distill complex design concepts into accessible, client-friendly presentations."
Here are some examples:
Graphic Design
Expert Design and Captivating Brand Experience
Expert innovative designs that sell products and services in a way that meaningfully connects customers with a brand that they value. Thorough understanding and translation of brand experience that customers desire to immerse themselves in. - give metric from example
Corporate Sales
Brand Positioning and Storytelling
Advising corporate clients on innovative, inspiring, and educational brand story communication including team trainings with 30+ employees to deeply connect with customers and create more die-hard brand enthusiasts
Public Policy and the Arts
Community Based Research and Participatory Action Research (CBPAR)
Comprehensive understanding of community based research methods such as PAR, scholarly research with a community centered focus, and volunteer data collection - for public policy recommendations, advocacy reports, and evaluation that help shape and move culture.
4. Work Experience
Begin each work experience section with a clear and concise header that includes your job title, the company's name, location, and the length of your employment.
Write brief but impactful bullet point summaries for each role, organizing the list by importance and wow factor.
Think as if you were a hiring manager for the company, what would you be most interested in knowing about the person applying for the role?
You can highlight key responsibilities, achievements, and contributions, as well as action you took and the impact or quantifiable results that were created.
A great way to make this section more engaging is to start the bullet points with a strong action verb to convey a sense of accomplishment and initiative. For example, rather than saying "responsible for," try using action verbs like "conceptualized," "designed," "spearheaded" etc.
It’s helpful to use metrics to quantify your results or share concrete examples to illustrate impactful experiences. For instance, "Increased customer engagement by 40%" or "Designed a campaign that resulted in a 30% boost in sales."
Also incorporate details that are industry specific. You can mention design tools and software you've used, artistic techniques applied, and how you stayed updated with industry trends.
Lastly, be selective in what you include by focusing on the most relevant and impactful experiences. You don't have to include every job you've ever had, especially if some are less relevant to your current career goals.
Here is an examples:
SUPERDRUG - East Croydon
eCommerce Junior Designer | October 2021 - Present
Lead Designer for Marketplace - Managed brand development for launch of Superdrug Marketplace, covering logo creation and trademark, cohesive brand guidelines, and intuitive web design. Executed strategic in-store banners and a compelling promotional leaflet to boost brand visibility. Proactively maintained and updated landing pages, resulting in heightened customer engagement and increased sales conversion rates.
Lead Designer for SUPERDRUG private label: Doing Good Feels Super (DGFS) - Collaborated with multiple teams to optimize the dedicated hub, prioritizing enhanced sales and conversion rates. Cultivate a strong partnership with GOBE/DGFS eCommerce coordinators for vital updates to improve sales performance. Participate in meetings with buying and own-brand teams to ensure regular brand page updates. Design dynamic flash sale banners to strategically support onsite sales initiatives.
Edited and finalized powerpoint presentation on design trends within marketing in 2023 for the Head of Digital Marketing.
Designed mockup for affiliates page in Figma to capture the attention of influencers thoroughly communicating the affiliate process and pitching sponsored opportunities
Lead Designer in collaboration with charitable foundation Marie Curie - Supported optimization of online donations by skillfully uploading and integrating banners provided by the brand for national days and events. Ensured prompt updates to the webpage, fostering an enriched customer experience and facilitating heightened sales engagement. Additionally created the design for compelling donation imagery to go onsite.
Executed design for monthly seasonal banners with various business objectives from key decision-makers (occasionally lead projects to redesign landing pages), to add to the website. Continually managed category pages and landing pages ensuring that the brand's tone of voice was reflected in all digital marketing collateral.
5. Everything else
Other sections to include:
Education and Training - College degrees and/or any ongoing professional development
Transferable and Technical Skills - Volunteer work, Board Member, Personal life experience, Salesforce, Adobe Suite, Final Cut Pro etc. copywriting, photography, data analytics, social media strategy, SEO
Languages - only important if you speak multiple
Kind words - Testimonials or social proof:
“In the past 15 years of hiring, I have yet to come across anyone who has the type of positive spirit that Lauryn has, which made it a pleasure to work with her day in and out. Any employer looking for a fearless, go-getter, who is not afraid of any challenge, Ms. Lauryn Hill is a perfect candidate.” - Creed Poulson, Executive Director & General Manager, TASCHEN (Just to toot my own horn! 😉)
Keywords:
Integrate relevant keywords from the job description to make sure your resume is aligned with industry terminology and passes through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
You can test out using https://www.jobscan.co/applicant-tracking-systems to optimize your resume for specific jobs.
Formatting and Design:
Don't worry too much about ATS when it comes to formatting - it is relevant but often overstated. You can still submit a Canva design saved as a PDF.
The ultimate goal for each company is to find the most valuable hire for their open positions. It wouldn't make sense for them to implement super complex filtering systems knocking out worthy applicants just because of formatting. Content is king!
You can use the order of importance below to help you organize and design your resume. You don’t have to have every section, so just remove anything you feel isn’t relevant for you.
Start with your header: name, tag line, contact info
Profile
Core Strengths
Work Experience in standard chronological
Transferable and Technical Skills
Kind words
Languages
Education
Most the time you don’t need to include a photo of yourself unless you’re applying to a job in a country where that is typical - you can do a quick Google search to figure it out.
You can find resume templates from either of the two sites below. If you are applying to a job in a more creative industry, your resume can reflect that by adding color or design elements that speak to the industry or brand. Just make sure the font, font size and spacing is legible and easy to digest. Aim for less than 1000 words, unless you have more than 20-30 years experience.
https://www.canva.com/resumes/templates/
https://www.jobscan.co/resume-templates
Lastly, just remember to add personality to your writing so that you don't sound like a robot! Incorporate things that build the holistic picture of the kind of worker you are.
By implementing these strategies, you will be sure to create a stand out resume that grabs the attention of key decision makers and recruiters for your dream roles.
And if you need more help with this process, this is the exact type of work I help my 1:1 clients with all of the time.
I know first hand how intimidating this work can be!
So let me help you feel more at ease and more confident about landing your next bridge job or dream job. Schedule a free Consultation now.
Or feel free to email me if you have any questions!
Lauryn@curatedsplash.com