In this first of series of posts all about improving your resume, Human Resources provides some information on how to best organize your resume to appeal to hiring managers. Find out how to make your job application stand out from the crowd with these handy tips on focusing your resume!
Check out the other posts in this series to discover more ways to improve your resume!
Why Is Focusing Your Resume Important?
Hiring managers won’t spend forever looking at your resume. Your resume should be clear, to the point, and organized in a way that allows for quick examination while still conveying all that you would like a potential employer to see.
Introduction to FAKTSA Theory
FAKTSA stands for Focus, Appearance, Keywords, Transferable Skills, and Accomplishments. This Resume Tips resource will focus on the first aspect of this theory—Focus. The latter 4 will be addressed in later guides of the Resume Tips Series.
This theory was summarized by Katharine Hansen, PhD, and has been featured on Livecareer.com—a website featuring resume tips approved by active recruiters.
FAKTSA was developed to encompass the most important things to remember about writing an effective resume.
Focusing on ‘Focus’
- Employers screen resumes for as few as 6 seconds, so a resume should quickly convey to the employer what you want to do and what you’re good at.
- Studies have shown that employers want resumes to show a clear match between (1) the applicant and (2) a particular job’s requirements.
- In a study by CareerBuilder.com, 71% of hiring managers preferred a resume customized for the open position.
- Don’t be afraid to slightly alter your resume based on each specific job you are applying to.
- Use eye-catching verbiage at the top of your resume that identifies the area(s) in which you can contribute:
- A headline: usually just the title of the position you’re applying for
- A branding statement: a punchy ‘ad-like’ statement that immediately conveys what skills you can bring to the table
- Objective statements are currently out of fashion with employers
- Instead, choose 3-4 of your top selling points and craft them into bullets for a ‘Profile’ section to make your resume stand out from others.
