I keep seeing people severely lacking good practices when creating their resume. In the end, they end up making unappealing documents that likely end up in the trash when they reach the recruiter. How do you create an effective resume? What are the key elements for a successful resume?
What is a Resume?
A resume (curriculum vitae) is your identity. It's essentially your summary. In detail, a resume is a document that summarizes your experiences, skills, and education for employment. It's an essential document in job searching and is considered one of the most important factors in the recruitment process.
Importance of an Effective Resume
Anyone can create a resume. But the challenge lies in its quality and effectiveness. Indeed, it's essential to create a resume that stands out to differentiate yourself from other candidates for the same position and secure a job interview.
You don't need 10 professional experiences to write quality content.
I've summarized the importance of having an effective resume in three points:
- Make a good impression: the resume is often the first impression you give to a potential employer.
- Selection: recruiters receive hundreds of applications, an effective resume will help you stand out.
- Success: You'll have a better chance of being selected for an interview.
Resume Structure
Employers receive numerous resumes daily. Stand out with a structure that follows a logical order.
Organize your resume like this...
- Resume Header (name, phone number, email, photo, title, etc.)
- Profile (often connected to the header)
- Skills (languages, software, soft skills, etc.)
- Languages (French, English, etc.)
- Interests (what you like to do outside of work)
- Professional Experience (companies where you've worked)
- Education (training, degrees, and certifications)
Writing Content for a Developer's Resume
As a junior developer, it's often very difficult to write impactful content. But keep in mind that above all, your resume must be attractive, follow a certain logic, and be written in the best possible way. This way, you'll have better chances of finding a job or even freelance work.
If you're a developer like me, this will help you write your resume better.
Resume Header
I've divided it into two parts:
- Identification
- Resume Title
Identification
Your name, contact information: phone number, email address should be visible. Are you present on professional social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn? Don't hesitate to include these links. Do you have a portfolio? Insert the link to it or alternatively your GitHub link so the recruiter can check your completed projects. You're not obligated to put a photo on your resume, however, it allows the recruiter to put a face to the name.
Resume Title
The title on a resume is essentially the position you aspire to in a company or what defines you (e.g., Web Developer, Mobile Developer, Junior Web Developer, etc.).
Profile
This is a short introduction that allows recruiters to quickly understand your intentions and assets.
It answers the following questions:
- Who am I? (Web Developer, Mobile Developer, etc.)
- What are my areas of expertise (Specialized in creating innovative and performant applications, etc.)
- What are my professional goals? (Looking for a developer position, etc.)
Your profile shouldn't be long (max 4 lines), it should be clear, precise, and capture the recruiter's attention.
example...
Junior web developer passionate about tech and specialized in creating innovative applications.
Skills
This section consists of two parts:
- Technical Skills
- Soft Skills
Technical Skills
Technical skills are one of the key parts of a developer's resume.
This is the technical part where you show what you can do. What software
(Visual Studio Code, etc.) do you code with? What languages (TypeScript,
PHP, Java, etc.) do you master? If you use frameworks or libraries
(Next.js, React, Laravel, etc.), mention them too.
Soft Skills
What are Soft skills? These are non-technical, personal, and relational skills as opposed to technical skills. They are very important because recruiters look for candidates who have good soft skills for teamwork.
They should follow a certain logic.
- As adjectives
curious, autonomous, rigorous, patient
- As nouns
curiosity, autonomy, rigor, patience
Languages
Languages are generally not part of the required skills for a developer position. However, they constitute added value, especially if you want to expand internationally. Moreover, understanding English will be an essential asset for you as most programming languages, documentation, frameworks, and even tutorials are in English.
Interests
Like languages, interests are generally not part of the selection criteria for a developer position. But it's always good for a recruiter to know what you do outside of your profession.
example...
video games, anime, music, etc.
Professional Experience
This section shows the companies where you've worked.
Tips to follow:
- List them from most recent to least recent
- Indicate the company name, location, period, position held
- Only include professional experiences related to development
- Mention the most significant tasks (integration of a payment system, creation of the site's admin section, etc.).
Education and Degrees
This is where you present the training you've completed and the degrees you've earned. Did you get a degree in computer science? Did you follow an online course (bootcamps) or in-person training? Mention them.
Tips to follow:
- List them from most recent to least recent
- Indicate the institution or company name, location, period, degree title
Tips for Writing an Effective Resume
Here are some best practices for creating your resume.
Regarding Form
-
Choose at most two or three colors that go well together (e.g.,
blue, gray, and white) -
Choose at most two fonts (
Anek TeluguandPoppinsare two fonts I like) -
No more than three different font sizes
-
Main headings should always be bold
-
If you have more professional experience than education and degrees, highlight them and vice-versa
-
Respect margins and alignment in your resume
-
Avoid spelling and grammar errors
Regarding Content
- You can add icons next to main headings to bring them to life
- Adapt your resume for each position
- Don't put progress bars on your resume anymore, just list the technologies you master
- Through your profile, the recruiter should be able to discern your intentions and know-how
- Include all useful information that will help contact you (
portfolio,phone number,social networks, etc.)
But the real advice I can give you before starting is the research phase.
Look at what others have done and get inspired.
Which Tool to Use for Creating Your Resume?
There you have it! You now know how to write a quality resume that will be attractive and encourage the recruiter to choose you. Now, how will you create it?
For this, you have two options:
- Either use an online tool to do it
- Or do it from A to Z while being in complete control of your design
Creating Your Resume with an Online Tool
There are several online tools for this.
Canva is an online graphic design platform that allows you to create visual content like resumes.
This is an online version of Microsoft Word that allows you to create resumes.
Creating Your Resume from Scratch
You can choose to use either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to do it. Or Microsoft Word if you want something simpler.
So what's the best tool?
There is no best tool for creating a resume, what matters is the result.
Choose the tool based on your needs. You want the design to be yours or don't want to pay anything? Fine, use Photoshop or Illustrator. You want something simple, minimalist? Okay, use Microsoft Word, or if you want an already established design without worrying about choosing the right font size and colors, online tools are there for you.
Conclusion
In summary, it's important to have a quality resume because it's the first impression you leave on potential employers. Now you're equipped to create an effective resume.
So I'm counting on you now 😉.