How to Write a influential Resume and Cover Letter

A Step-by-step Guide to Writing Powerful Resume and Cover Letter

You must be aware of the fact that a resume takes only 7 seconds to leave its first impression. If you are a fresh graduate and applying for a job, don’t forget that you only get one shot. Don’t miss it, go and hit the market with a powerful resume and cover letter.

Most employers want to see how much uniqueness and excitement you represent through your resume. This piece of paper is the showcase of your best qualities – which means that it needs to be convincing.

While writing your resume or cover letter, be very specific about your skills and how these can benefit the organization. It is meant to display you as a favorable element towards the success of that organization.

What is the Need of Crafting a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is one of the first things which introduce you in a memorable way during the submission of a job application. A well-written cover letter gets you an instant chance to appear for the job interview. It must be descriptive, clear, and honest about your skills and experience.

Including a cover letter with the job application creates an instant impression about your personality. A cover letter is a summary of your resume so it needs not to be too long. Also, don’t forget that a strong cover letter can hide the flaws of a weak resume which makes it a powerful tool in your job hunt.

So How to Create a Cover Letter that Stands Out?

Well, there are no hard and fast rules to curate an impressive cover letter. To help you do this, here we have compiled a few tips for you.

• Use a professional header that includes your name, phone number, email address, name of the hiring manager along with his designation, name, and address of the company.
• Start it with a catchy first sentence.
• Explain yourself briefly and how do you fit the job.
• Show your excitement about joining the organization.
• Use the right formal closing.
• Restrict it to one page only.

So now when your cover letter is ready, paste it with your resume and you are good to go. And a strong cover letter immediately does its magic on the recruiter.

But wait a minute!

Did we tell you that you will need a fresh cover letter for each job? We know how easy and time saving it is to use the same cover letter every time you apply for a job. But if you truly want to land your dream job, you need to create a custom letter for each position you apply for.

Now, you are ready with your cover letter so let’s take a step further.

With a strong cover letter, you will have to create an impressive resume that stands out. In simple words, your resume must be perfect while explaining your academics, experience, skills, and objectives.

From your work history to your education and skills, your resume should be structured strategically. From the correct font to format styling, every element should be chosen wisely.

Once you learn how to craft an outstanding resume, you are all set to land the job of your dreams.
With our easy-to-follow guide, creating an impressive resume is no more a dry task. We are here to break down the elements of a powerful resume for you.

So, let’s get started!

1- Pick an appropriate Resume format

Picking up an appropriate resume format is the very first step that helps you create an outstanding resume. There is a variety of resume formats that you can choose from according to your personal preferences.

From chronological style to functional resume format, you can choose any style to highlight your experience, skills set and so on. If you want to impress your potential employer with a mixture of experience and skills, you can go with a combination style resume.
Whatever resume format you go with, make sure to strategize your resume accordingly.

2- Summarize Yourself

Start with writing a brief summary in paragraphs or bullets that describe your accomplishments, capabilities and skills. This is the first section so it must be very catchy and must describe that ‘why should you be the choice’.

In this section, you can highlight your objectives, goals, and how you can be a productive addition in the organization. This introductory paragraph instantly grabs the attention of a prospective employer so make sure to highlight this part with your relevant career objectives.

3- Highlight your work experience

This is the core section of your resume that describes your expertise. While creating this part, only list the experience which is relevant to the job you are applying for. The hiring manager does not have enough time to go through all the work experiences which you have gone through.

To list down your experience, try using 3 to 5 bullet points to highlight your main duties and expertise. Write down your relevant experiences in reverse-chronological order with job designation, company title, and duration.

4- Create the Education Section Like a Pro

The hiring manager always looks at your educational background regardless of the job requirements. So it’s very important to display your education correctly without making it too long. Keep it simple and direct.

The education section should include the name of your school or college, the year you graduated, the degree name and CGPA. In this section, list your most recent degree first and then go backward.

5- Showcase Your Skills

Don’t forget to pen down your skills according to the job description. A resume looks incomplete if it does not showcase your skills. If your education or experience does not correspond to the position, try to highlight the skills that will make you look capable.

When arranging your skills, keep similar abilities grouped together. Arrange your technical and non-technical skills according to the job requirement.

6- Include Awards/Certifications.

If have won any award for any of your services, do mention it in this section of your resume. If you are involved in inter-company gaming or sport, its recommended to put that here as well.

The same thing goes for highlighting certifications or licenses. If you have any special certification, don’t forget to mention it in your resume. It creates a very positive and pleasant impact on the recruiting team.

And that’s it!

Creating a resume or cover letter is not that tricky. You should know the right tricks and patterns to pen down the essential parts. With a stellar resume, you can land more interviews; hence more chances to win the job.