Resume Writing Tips to Stand Out and Get The Job + With Resume Examples

So I recently scored my dream marketing job at the start of the year and it all started when I stood out with my resume.

The recruitment officer said it was the most impressive resume she has ever seen. Like excuse me, what?! I imagine she sees a fair few a day as a RECRUITMENT OFFICER.

I kind of felt like asking what in particular she liked but was too busy patting myself on the back.

So I’ve taken to my resume that nabbed me the job with a magnifying glass to pull together some tips that could help you if you are currently curating your resume.

With these tips you will have delivered a blatantly honest, visually appealing and modern resume maximising your likeliness to get that interview and land that job.

Add a ‘programs and software’ resume. 
A resume within a resume – say what?! Maybe I am a genius, should def add that into my skillset. All jokes aside, it’s important for your prospective employer to know what software you have experience in using and if it fits into the programs that company uses. Or to be able to organise training for you in your first week to ensure you are off to the right start. It’s also enough to get you across the line if you perfectly integrate into their systems and have experience in their CRM, email program and design software. Besides, if you have skills in these programs you kind of want to stick to them because it’s what you’re great at.

Rate your skills and be honest... I know, weird right.
The last thing you want to do is give yourself a 1/5 stars in SEO when you are going for a marketing position BUT stay with me on this one. Honestly rating your skills show self-awareness and further promotes your strengths. You don’t want to get into a job and have no idea what you’re doing anyway, so with a clear cut resume that shows your strengths and weaknesses, you will find a job that’s a perfect fit.

Include a picture
Maybe this is primarily important for myself because I have a name that’s commonly confused for a male ‘Jordan’. But adding in a picture humanises and personalises your resume. It allows them to get a bit of a further idea of who you are and what you’re all about. Not that looks mean anything but fitting into a team means a lot these days and including a happy picture where you have a friendly approachable smile could make all the difference.

Go Digital
Okay so 3 achievable tips for going digital with your resume and really making an impression.
1. You should you add a clickable link to your LinkedIn on your resume for additional information. This means you don’t have to overload your resume with info because they can always cross check with LinkedIn.
2. Your resume should come in digital pdf form. Word docs just don’t cut it anymore. Use Canva.com to copy a resume template and save it as a pdf. This will make the world of difference for how your resume is perceived.
3. Have an online portfolio that you can also link to on your resume. This is a website all about you – like a digital CV. It gives a great visual representation of what you are all about and is just another way of displaying all your credentials.

Key Achievements
Have a section where you list some major successes you have had in your career. Did you launch a successful loyalty program with your last company? Did you build and maintain their new website? Get nominated for any awards? List all the things you are proud of achieving in your previous jobs and let them know the kind of work you are capable of.

Career Objective
Have a real think about where you have been and where you want to go in your career then write a mission statement. I’ll give you an example of mine so that you can use it as a bit of a template, swapping it out for what terms are more relevant to you.

“I am a professional marketing specialist with over 6 years’ experience in the industry. My unique career path has been due to improving my skills through fast paced and innovative roles which have lead to my extensive personal development. I am looking for a challenging role to further refine my skills in marketing management while I complete my masters in advertising ”.

How to write your own:
- What do you do? What is your specialty?
- How much experience do you have?
- What sums up your career path to date?
- Where are you at and how did you get there?
- What kind of role are you looking to go into?

Cover Letters
Lastly, I’m going to say something really unorthodox and you don’t have to take my advice here, it’s just what has worked for me. Unless there’s something you really really want to say to your prospective employer…you don’t need a cover letter. You can let your resume do the talking and have them judge if you fit the criteria rather than telling them all about how you do. Again, it’s just what has worked for me but there are definite circumstances where a cover letter could also be necessary.


Okay so those are my tips for writing a killer resume that will have you stand out from all the stock standard word docs with Times New Roman font (not a bad font, just a lil basic if you know what I mean).

So now is your time to shine - talk about your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments.

Good luck! I know you're going to smash it.