Tips to Create the Ultimate Winning Resume

Find out how to craft a winning resume that stands out

In today's competitive job market, sending out winning resumes can make all the difference. A resume is your chance to showcase your suitability to potential employers and secure an interview. It captures the attention of hiring managers and highlights your skills, achievements, and suitability for the desired position. Here, we're sharing our expertise on how to write a winning resume, with invaluable tips to help you stand out from the crowd - let's go!

Top tips for winning resumes

A winning resume is one that secures interviews. A lot of job seekers are ghosted by companies, mostly because the resume fails to impress a hiring manager. By incorporating the following elements into your resume, you can create a winning document that effectively communicates your suitability, matches job requirements, and highlights your achievements and skills.

Clear and concise summary statement

When it comes to crafting winning resumes, the summary statement holds significant importance. It serves as the first impression to hiring managers, enticing them to continue reading your application. A strong opening statement can capture their attention and make them eager to explore your qualifications further.

Your summary statement should succinctly summarize your professional background, skills, and experience. It needs to instantly communicate your value proposition and highlight what sets you apart from other candidates. A well-crafted opening statement can leave a lasting impact and compel employers to consider you for the job.

Tips for writing an effective summary statement

Be concise: Keep your summary statement brief and to the point, typically ranging from three to five sentences. Use clear, concise language to convey your suitability effectively.
Tailor it to the job: Customize your summary statement to align with the specific job you're applying for. Highlight relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that directly relate to the position.
Focus on your unique selling points: Identify your key strengths and showcase them in your opening statement. Emphasize the skills or experiences that make you a valuable asset to the company.

Tailoring the resume to job descriptions

A winning resume goes beyond generic templates and takes into account the unique requirements of each job. Tailoring your resume to match the requirements of the job posting demonstrates your understanding of the position and increases your chances of landing an interview.

Tips for tailoring a resume

Understand the job requirements: Thoroughly analyze the job description to identify the skills, qualifications, and experiences sought by the employer. Pay close attention to keywords or specific terminology used, as these are often indicators of what the company values.
Customize the resume: Tailor your resume to highlight the most relevant aspects of your background. Adjust the order of your sections, rephrase bullet points, and emphasize key achievements that align with the desired qualifications. By customizing your resume, you demonstrate that you possess the specific skills and experiences sought by the employer.

Highlight key achievements and skills

When you're creating a winning resume, it's crucial to showcase your key achievements and highlight your skills effectively. This enables employers to quickly assess your capabilities and determine your fit for the role.

Tips to highlight achievements and skills

Showcase relevant accomplishments: Include specific accomplishments that demonstrate your contributions and impact in previous roles. Quantify your achievements wherever possible, using numbers, percentages, or other measurable results. This helps employers to gauge the value that you can bring to their organization.
Emphasize transferable skills: In addition to job-specific skills, emphasize transferable skills that are applicable to a wide range of roles. These skills, such as communication, problem-solving, or leadership, are highly valuable and can differentiate you from other candidates. Clearly articulate how your transferable skills have been successfully used in previous positions.

Choosing the best winning resume formats

Before you start putting a bunch of information onto a Word document, you need to pick your format. Consider your career history, skills, and goals when selecting a format to showcase your qualifications and increase your chances of landing that coveted interview.

Three popular resume formats to consider are chronological, functional, and combination. Each format has its own advantages and is suited for different situations.

Tips for choosing the best resume format

Chronological: This format is the most traditional and widely used format. It emphasizes your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. This format is ideal if you have a consistent employment history, with relevant experience that aligns with the job you're applying for. It allows employers to see your career progression, highlights your stability, and demonstrates your industry expertise. However, this format may not be suitable if you have employment gaps or if your work experience is not directly related to the job you're pursuing.
Functional: This format shifts the focus from your work history to your skills and achievements. It highlights your abilities and qualifications, making it suitable for individuals with limited work experience, career changers, or those re-entering the job market after a hiatus. The functional format allows you to emphasize your transferable skills and showcase your capabilities, even if they were acquired in different roles or industries. It helps to downplay any employment gaps or lack of direct experience. However, this format usually raises questions for employers who prefer a traditional work history timeline.
Combination: This resume format, as the name suggests, combines elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It allows you to showcase your skills and qualifications while also providing a chronological overview of your work history.The combination format provides the best of both worlds, allowing you to highlight your relevant skills and accomplishments while presenting a clear work history. It's a versatile format that is suitable for a wide range of job seekers. However, creating a well-balanced combination resume requires careful organization and tailoring.

Winning resumes - what to avoid

We've given you some tips on creating a winning resume, but make sure you're not making these common mistakes along the way!

Using jargon and acronyms: Your resume needs to be accessible to recruiters and HR teams that may not be familiar with your role. Don't alienate them by using terminology they don't understand.
Too much detail: Remember that the resume is your shop window. You just need enough detail to tempt your reader to want to find out more. For most professionals, two pages is enough to do that, so if you find your resume spilling onto three – or even more – pages, it's time to get ruthless with your editing.
No contact details: Here at TopResume, we often see documents with no contact details on. If the recruiter can't find your email address or phone number, all your hard work will be for nothing as your resume heads straight for the shredder.
Lack of focus: If you're open to any role, it's tempting to create a generic resume that covers as many bases as possible. That's not a great tactic! As we said before, every resume should be tailored to a specific vacancy. Otherwise, hiring managers will struggle to see how your broad skill set will add value to their specific position.

Job winning resume sample

To help you visualize how a winning chronological resume looks, we've created a sample that follows this format. Take a look at the template below to get a better understanding of how you can structure your own resume to highlight your work experience effectively.

John Doe

[Your location] | [Your phone number] | [Your email address] | [Your LinkedIn URL]

Summary

A results-driven marketing professional with extensive experience in digital marketing strategy development and campaign management. Skilled in creating and implementing effective marketing plans, driving brand awareness, and optimizing online presence. Strong analytical abilities with a focus on data-driven decision-making. A proven track record of exceeding targets and delivering impactful marketing initiatives.

Skills

Professional Experience

Digital Marketing Manager, ABC Company

City, State | MM/YYYY - Present

Developed and executed comprehensive digital marketing strategies, resulting in a 30% increase in online sales within the first year
Led a team of 12 marketing specialists, overseeing successful social media campaigns, email marketing, and SEO optimization
Implemented marketing automation tools, resulting in a 40% improvement in lead generation and conversion rates

Marketing Specialist, XYZ Agency

City, State | MM/YYYY - MM/YYYY

Managed end-to-end execution of client marketing campaigns, including content creation, social media management, and PPC advertising
Conducted thorough keyword research and implemented SEO best practices, resulting in a 25% increase in organic website traffic
Monitored and analyzed campaign performance using Google Analytics, providing data-driven insights and recommendations for optimization

Education

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Marketing | University Name | City, State | Year

By following this format, you can effectively highlight your work history, showcasing your progression and accomplishments over time, and ultimately making a great impression on potential employers.

Winning resumes from experts

Now you know how to create a winning resume, don't leave your career prospects to chance! Use our tips to produce a document that sets you apart from your competition.

Alternatively, submit your resume for a free resume review and get constructive feedback from our team. We have years of expertise in creating winning resumes and can support you in landing those interviews.

This article was originally written by Marsha Hebert and has been updated by Jen David.