16 MS Word Resume Templates with THE Professional Look
It can be a harrowing experience, to say the least, when it comes to seeking new employment. Whether you’re entering the workforce for the first time ever, looking for greener pastures to replace your current job, or returning after a long absence, it can be a challenge to get out there and apply to positions. However, there are ways to put your best foot forward and one of the best is a professional resume that you can be proud to send out to prospective employers.
How Important Is the Perfect Resume?
The art of resume drafting is something that many people struggle with. For the most part, drafting a resume or even using a generic Microsoft Office resume template or something similar is the kind of drudgery that is only slightly more elevated than filling out insurance claims or tax returns. However, if you think writing a resume or using a resume template to fill in the blanks is boring, just think about how the person reading it feels.
That’s right – too many people forget that the resume is a tool to gain the attention of a prospective employer and to move you to the interview process. This means that unless you can draft a professional-looking resume, you might miss out on a satisfying career opportunity because it’s just one of a 100 nearly-identical pieces of paper that have to be gone through by a hiring manager as he or she separates the wheat from the chaff. Unless you stand out, you’re sunk.
The Art of Advertising
When drafting your resume, even if you’re using an excellent MS Word template that provides a fantastic framework for you, the important part to remember is that your content has to achieve one specific goal: demonstrating to a prospective employer that you are the perfect candidate for the job. You do that by “advertising” yourself as the person who can solve all the company’s problems when it comes to the right person to fill their vacancy. This takes a subtle, clever hand, but it’s entirely possible to accomplish.
Make no mistake: a good, professional resume will contain relevant work history and education, but the one that stands out is the one that is less of a record of your own personal history and more of a demonstration of how good a fit you will be for the position you’re seeking and the company in general. You don’t need to inform the hiring manager reading your resume about where you’ve worked and what you’ve studied – you want to excite him or her by demonstrating to them how your previous job experience and education have given you the specific skills needed to excel in the position you’re applying for. Let the rest of those candidates simply provide dry and dispassionate information. Submit a knockout resume and you’ll be on the shortlist for an interview in no time.
