In the 21st century where most professions are now dealt with online, job seeking has also become an online process. There are various websites such as Monster and Indeed where job-seekers and employers search for their requirements. But, are the employing personnel over the internet these days the same as earlier scenarios?
If not, what are the things that one needs to keep in mind while searching for a job on the internet? Well, there are a few simple steps to keep in mind and one of the most important one being your RESUME. You may wonder that despite so many factors why it that the resume matter the most? Well, there are hundreds of reasons for a resume being the most important facet.
So, before you upload your resume on a job website, what are the things you should know about making your resume? Here in this article, we aim to put in the picture some vital points for you before you start making your resume.
Firstly, you must know how is uploading your resume in job websites different from dropping them to specific companies. You might wonder that is there even any difference at all? Honestly, there is a great extent of the difference between these two approaches, the primary aspect being one is online.
Now you may ask how they are different. The answer is very simple. If you are dropping your resume to a particular company, you know their requirements. You know for which post you will be hired. You know what exact features they are demanding in you. But is this the case when you are uploading your resume on a website? No. Definitely not. In a job website, just as people are searching for the jobs of their suitability, some employers continuously search for candidates fulfilling their demands. But, after you upload your resume, do you know which employer is going to look for your resume? No, you do not know that. So, the basic difference that comes into play is that there is no specificity about the employers and their demand once you upload your resume.
Difference between Curriculum Vitae and Resume
You may have used the words curriculum vitae (CV) and resume interchangeably, but sadly, these two are quite different from each other. The difference is in the length and layout of the two. Basically, a CV is a comprehensive document showing your career records, educational records, projects, scholarships, awards etcetera. You don’t need to mention the skills you have or your profile. But this not the case for a resume. A resume is basically the summary of your career records, education and the skills you possess. It also mentions about the goal you have in your career. A CV is generally used by academicians and research-scholars whereas resumes are used by corporate officials.
But while uploading your resume or CV on a job website, you do not know if the employer wants your CV or your resume. And you should be aware of this fact that the hiring in-charge of the companies may call you for an interview only by looking at a glance at what you have uploaded. So, here are a few tips on how to make your resume more appealing to them.
1. Use a format for your resume:
While preparing your resume the first thing you should consider is the format. You need to highlight many things so that it becomes eye-catchy. Moreover, using a format enables you to present your career history systematically. Also, using a format increases the representation of your professionalism from the beginning only.
2. Mention only the relevant details:
This is perhaps the most important thing you should keep in mind while preparing your resume to upload it in a job website. Since you do not know which company is going to look at the resume you uploaded, try to keep things precise as much as possible. Do not repeat or exaggerate a single point or brag too much about your previous achievements.
3. Check for typos and other minute errors:
Remember, a single error or a typo is found in your resume, you will be considered as careless even before being hired. So, before uploading your resume, check it at least thrice for any typo or grammatical error in your resume.
4. Corporate words:
Well, you might not be aware of ATS (Applicant Tracking System) which is used by the job websites to shortlist the candidates according to their needs. So, you need to use more of the words used in the corporate world such as ‘team player’, ‘punctual’ etcetera so that your resume is shortlisted and it brings better recommendations to you. But always remember, do not use them too much because once your resume is selected and the employer looks at it, finding too many words like those will make them think you tricked them.
Moreover, you should also mention the title of the job, that is, the designation you are searching for and do research if you job position is called something else in the area you’re applying to. Use their terminology. For example, they might call a software engineer a software developer, etc.
5. Length:
You need to mention all the relevant details precisely. If you have more experience, then it is natural that your resume is going to be a long one. Do not ever try to reduce the length by not mentioning the relevant details in your resume. You may NOT use extremely modern fonts and use too many colors.
So, these are a few of the most important things you would need pre-hand before preparing a resume for any purpose and then uploading it to a job website. As mentioned at the beginning of the article that there are some differences in dropping your resume to specific companies and in uploading them on any job website, one of the biggest difference is that while dropping your resume to a company, it is always accompanied by a cover letter. But, this is not the case when it comes to uploading it on a website like Indeed.
No cover letter is required, neither can you upload one. So, all you need to do is via your resume but make sure you fill as many details in your job profile as you can so that the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software can properly link your profile to offer the best recommendations. However, before finally uploading your job resume on Monster, Indeed or any other job search websites, make sure to double-check it and see if you haven’t missed any of the tips provided above.
All the best with your job hunt!
