In 2024 overall job advertisements have fallen by 25% year on year, signalling a change of gears in the recruitment sector favouring employers. This, paired with the 54% increase in total applications received earlier in the year highlights how important it is for candidates to make sure that their resumes are well-polished and memorable.
The good news is, by applying the right resume writing tips, you’re guaranteed to get noticed by recruiters, hiring managers and employers alike.
Here are our top five resume writing tips from our recruitment experts to take into consideration when applying for jobs in the 2024 New Zealand job market.
Write your resume for AI
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission estimates that 99% of Fortune 500 companies now use some form of automated tool as part of their hiring process. This means that in order to get your CV in front of a human pair of eyes, you’ll need to catch the attention of recruitment AI, known as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Depending on the type of ATS, artificial intelligence will scan your resume looking for keywords relevant to the role you’re applying to, contact information, tenure and previous employment.
Make sure to use standardised section headings such as ‘qualifications’, ‘skills’ and ‘experience’ and write content that includes keywords you’ve seen in the job advertisement. ATS struggles to read content placed in headers and footers and is known to struggle with overcomplicated formatting, complex designs and other visual aids such as photos, graphs and charts.
The key here is to keep it simple. Focus on clear formatting, targeted keywords and content that is easy to sift through and pick out the main points.
Write your resume for people
AI isn’t the only thing to focus on when writing your resume. Ultimately, it’s going to be a human recruiter or hiring manager that’s reading your resume once it’s made its way through tracking software - so it’s key to find the balance between the two.
Your resume is a marketing document selling yourself to your future employer.
Make sure to keep it simple and only include the career highlights. Specific achievements supported with numbers, qualifications that support your suitability for the role you’re applying for, and a list of your most recent and relevant previous roles (from most recent to least) are all points that hiring managers will expect to see.
A standout resume will be skimmable, concise and highly relevant. On average, employers will spend only six to seven seconds reading through a resume, so make sure that in one quick glance your resume shows who you are, your general level of experience and relevance to the role.
Focus on resume design
Resume design is all about striking the balance of uniqueness and standing out while remaining professional, clear and effective.
First and foremost, make sure your resume fits your industry. If you're applying for a creative role in photography or design, having visuals that showcase your capability on your resume are more important than if you’re a copywriter applying for a writing job.
Formatting is also an important and overlooked factor. Choosing a unique font can be a good way to stand out, but make sure that it’s easily readable, isn’t too small and doesn’t detract attention from the content of your resume. Your headings should all be consistent sizes, use bullet points to reduce your word-count and design your resume so that the look and feel is professional.
White space is also recommended. Having a resume that’s too busy on the page can be too distracting for the reader. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend using our free library of downloadable CV templates tailored for jobseekers, by professionals.
Use supporting numbers
Writing an effective resume is as much about the numbers on the page as it is the words. Support as many statements as you can with relevant facts, figures and numbers that paint the picture of how great of a candidate you are.
- How many people did you manage?
- How many leads / revenue / sales did you generate?
- How many clients / projects / stakeholders did you manage?
- What percentage increase did you see year-on-year as a result of your work?
Quantifying your accomplishments showcases your level of competency and responsibility to hiring managers.
Link out to relevant resources
Chances are your resume won’t be a physical, printed on paper hardcopy. This means that you have the unique opportunity to showcase your skills, network and portfolios to interested recruiters.
A key link we’d recommend every candidate includes is to their LinkedIn Profile. This is quickly becoming the digital resume and indicates to employers your connections, skill endorsements and interests, and is a good fact-check when it comes to employment history. Spend some time making sure your LinkedIn is up-to-date before applying for new roles.
Beyond this, if you have a professional website, digital portfolio or links to other digital assets (such as articles you’ve written, photos you’ve taken, images you’ve designed or campaigns you’ve worked on), don’t be afraid to include these and set yourself apart.