A resume is not a comprehensive listing of your career to date. It should enable the recruiter to understand your professional experience quickly, and whether your profile is relevant to the vacancy. The relevance of the information you provide is much more important than the amount of information. The vacancy you’re applying for must be clearly stated from the very beginning. Your most relevant experience should stand out prominently. Your education, training and key skills should be easy to find. A well-written resume is a simple resume that makes the recruiter’s job easier and encourages them to find out more.
4 key points to make your resume more effective
What a recruiter should see first on your resume
ronstik
The most important part of your resume is the very top. This is where the recruiter will look for the initial answers: who you are, what you’re looking for and what sums up your profile… It should provide a quick overview of your identity, of course, the title or description of the vacancy you’re applying for, and your contact details. If you choose to add a photo, make sure it’s clear and relevant to the context. Next comes your work experience listed from most recent to oldest, with clear headings and easily readable dates. Avoid overly styled formatting: it’s your information that needs to catch the eye of the recruiter.
Things that can slow down the process of reading a resume
A resume that is too dense or where everything seems equally important. When nothing particularly stands out, nothing is going to catch the eye of the recruiter.
A non-prioritised listing of work experience with no distinction made between experience that is directly relevant to your application and that which is incidental.
Vague phrases, such as ‘involvement in cross-functional projects’, which say nothing about what your involvement consisted of.
A cluttered layout: columns, colours and an excessive number of icons can make your resume difficult to read, particularly if it’s processed using automated screening software.
Incomplete or out-of-date contact details: a number that is no longer current or an email address you no longer use, and the recruiter will move on to the next applicant.
Questions - answers
Should you tailor your resume to each vacancy you apply for?
Yes and no. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch every time, but you should adjust your resume to suit the specific vacancy you’re applying for. The basics - your career to date, education, training and skills - remain the same. What changes to suit the vacancy you’re applying for are the things you should highlight, and those you should leave as background information. A carefully targeted application will always be more effective than a generic document submitted on the spur of the moment.
Should a resume tell the whole story?
No, quite the reverse! A resume that lists everything tends to obscure the information that’s really important. The recruiter has neither the time nor inclination to do your prioritising for you. It’s more effective to have a resume that clearly presents the essentials than one that is comprehensive but difficult to read.
How can you tell if your resume is ready to be submitted?
Carry out this quick test: is the vacancy you’re applying for clear from the very first line? Is it obvious which aspects of your experience are most relevant to this role? Have you proofread it, checked your contact details and corrected any mistakes? If you can answer ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, your resume is ready.
Can artificial intelligence be used to write a resume?
Yes, as long as you follow the same precautions as for the motivation letter. AI can help you rephrase job titles, clarify job descriptions or improve the readability of a passage. But a 100% AI-generated resume is easy to spot from its generic phrasing, interchangeable action verbs, lack of personality, etc. So use AI only to improve what you’ve written, rather than to write it for you.
Should you include a photo on your resume?
In France, there’s no legal requirement to do so. But if you want to add one, it should be straightforward, recent and professionally presented: a LinkedIn profile photo is usually a good choice. Avoid holiday snaps or excessively casual shots. But if you’re in any doubt, leave it out!
