Contents
- How to Make Your Resume Look Professional
- Be Relevant
- Have a resume that can be adjustable
- Be brief and on point
- Do not use more than one font
- For professionalism use chronological, functional, or a combination of both types of CV
- Let your cover letter and CV speak the same
- Look for professional CV/resume templates
- Send your soft copies in PDF format
- Include verbs in your CV
- Have a brief skills section
- No errors
- Objectives section
- Write your resume
- Eliminate outdated experience
- Use accomplishments as a substitute for responsibilities:
- Example of a professional Resume
How to Make Your Resume Look Professional: Are you wondering what a professional resume looks like? Today we are going to look at how to make your resume look professional.
A good professional resume brings out who you are, your career achievements, and your ability to meet the requirements needed in a job vacancy you are applying for. A decent resume is one of your marketing tools, so ensure that it is not only professional, but it is also easily understandable to every person who is reading it.
Below we have looked at tips on how to write a professional resume/CV
How to Make Your Resume Look Professional
Be Relevant
A professional CV should be appropriate to the job vacancy being applied for. For instance, if you are applying for the position of accountant, mention the skills that will market you as an Accountant. Do not make the employer try and figure out what work you can do as an Accountant. This may require you to do away with all the positions in which you didn’t apply your accounting skills. But if you feel that there is anything that you did and would add your marks as an Accountant then include it. Be precise and to the point
Have a resume that can be adjustable
Every time you apply for a job make sure to adjust your CV to suit the different companies’ job descriptions. There is no way you can have one CV for the positions you are applying for.
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Be brief and on point
A professional resume should few pages, the number of pages is determined by the years of experience, level of education, number of publications, etc. A good CV should not lack points or bullets especially where you point out your current and previous responsibilities. Bullets make the information to be precise and easy to read compared to paragraphs.
Do not use more than one font
Many consider Times New Roman as the best font to use in in your resume. Let the font size be one and consistent on every page. This will display professionalism in your CV. Never use a colored font no matter how much you want to emphasize something
For professionalism use chronological, functional, or a combination of both types of CV
Regarding the type of resume to use, you can choose one that will bring out the best of you regarding the job advert. If you have stayed in the same company for a long time, you can use a chronological type of CV. This will clearly outline the growth you have had through the corporate ladder. A functional type of resume would fit if you have developed many skills and knowledge regardless of where or how. Many people prefer the combined resume that takes characteristics of both functional and combined resumes.
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Let your cover letter and CV speak the same
In the place where you have a cover letter and resume, which happens to be a common situation, ensure what is in the CV agrees with what is in the cover letter. Any contrast would look unprofessional and it could portray you as one who is insincere. Again the font in both the resume and cover letter should be the same.
Look for professional CV/resume templates
A professional resume template can be good in helping you get a good format in which you can write your CV. Several online sites have CV templates, so do your research and find one of the best.
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Send your soft copies in PDF format
In the circumstance where you have to send a soft copy of your resume, do it in PDF format. A PDF copy will be less likely to change the format and paragraph arrangement of your resume. In addition, it depicts more professionalism.
Include verbs in your CV
Sometimes other than just listing out your skills you can explain your best-attained skills by using verbs. For instance, educated, organized, strategized, achieved, etc.
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Have a brief skills section
Most often your employer will be able to know what skills you are good at by going through your experience section. Do not waste much time writing so much on the skills section because less attention will be put on this section.
No errors
To have a professional CV you cannot go wrong with the spelling. Make sure you check your spelling and any grammatical errors. Ensure that you don’t just use any words that do not portray the correct meaning. You can ask someone else to check for any errors that could be contained in the resume.
Objectives section
Did you know that having that objective section or summary section does not make your CV to be more professional? The objective section clarifies that you are searching for a specific job position. Sometimes this section seems to be repetitive because it is too obvious that you are looking for a job if you have sent a CV to the company having the job vacancy. It is also pointless to add this section especially where you have a cover letter accompanying the resume.
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Write your resume
Although you may want to make your resume look more professional, a resume written by a professional writer will easily be recognized by employers. When somebody else has written the resume for you, chances are that they might say something that contracts what is in your cover letter or other documents such as academic or professional documents. The best thing you can do is to seek professional assistance but write your CV.
Eliminate outdated experience
Skills that have become outdated and irrelevant may deny you the chance of getting your dream job. Instead, replace those skills with the newly gained skills that are currently needed in your profession. Again some skills have become too common and having them in your CV will not add to your marks. Skills like basic computer skills.
Use accomplishments as a substitute for responsibilities:
Your CV will turn out to be less captivating if you keep listing your responsibilities. Sometimes use your achievements to illustrate how best you were able to use your skills well. This is because at times employers know the scope of obligation that a job position can have, so what they want to see is what you can do.
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Example of a professional Resume
Alison Pine
4356 US Highway 17, Flemings Island FL 32003-78
Phone No: 4255553425
Email: Alicepine@gmail.com
Objective
To obtain a challenging position as an Accountant with a progressive organization where my accounting skills, knowledge, and experience can be utilized to contribute to the growth and success of the organization.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Arizona University
2017-2020
GPA: [3.8/4.0]
Certifications
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Florida College
Professional Experience:
Accountant
Clear Water Company
28/05/2021 to Date
- Prepared and reviewed financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
- Assisted in preparing budgets for the company, which increased profitability by 5 percent
- With accuracy and compliance with Federal and state regulations I Processed payroll for over 100 employees,
- implemented relevant and required internal controls, reducing the risk of financial fraud.
- Identified financial trends and recommended management improvements, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue.
Junior Accountant
Action Take Company
01/02/2020 to 03/05/2021
- Assisted in the preparation of financial statements
- Tax returns for clients.
- Conducted bookkeeping and reconciled accounts.
- Helped to analyze financial reports, identify any errors, and assist in making corrective actions.
Skills
- Proficient in QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, and other accounting software.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Knowledgeable in GAAP and tax regulations.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills.
References
Available upon request.
Conclusion: How to Make Your Resume Look Professional
Make it your priority to write a resume that is well-polished in grammar and one that is professional. This will increase your chances of securing an interview. In one job vacancy, the employer is likely to receive thousands of resumes, being human it is possible that he/she will get tired going through all the CVs. He/she will look for the simplest error to just toss your CV to the shredder, it could be the error in spelling, grammar, repetitive phrases, etc. Be unique, let your CV be rejected just because of your wrong spelling. The list above shows you some of the ways to make your resume look professional: try to have your CV bring out the best of your skill and abilities.
Betty is a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Education (Arts). In addition, she is a registered Certified Public Accountant. She has been teaching and offering part-time accounting services for the last 10 years. She is passionate about education, accounting, writing, and traveling.