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At a time when young talent is creating video resumes on TikTok, it’s only fitting to discuss how you can amp up your resume to stand out.
This isn’t to say that traditional resumes are outdated. In fact, a lot of places prefer the single page roundup of your education, professional qualifications and extracurricular activities. But you can always experiment and tailor your resume to where you’re applying.
No two resumes are the same. If you’re applying to a media agency, you need a more creative and portfolio-backed resume. But if it’s a large-scale multinational, you may have to fit your history into a preset format. Whatever the case may be, one way to improve your chances is by adding a field of interest in a resume.
Areas of interest in a resume aren’t common but they do help distinguish your profile from others. Let’s deep dive into what makes an effective resume and why you need an area of interest for resume building.
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Will Your Resume Get You The Job?
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How To Write Areas Of Interest In A Resume
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How To Write A Winning Resume
Will Your Resume Get You The Job?
Well, it depends on how well you’re able to present your experience. From the layout to the language, everything needs to speak to the recruiter. It can’t just be a generic, run-of-the-mill single-pager with things listed on it. How can you make sure that the recruiter takes notice of your resume? You give them what they’re looking for.
A great tip is to scour the job description and pick out keywords that describe the job role. When you add these keywords in your resume, it makes your profile relevant and specific to the role. The recruiter probably has to go through hundreds of resumes to find the one that works. This small step can help you stand out.
Here are some ways to check whether your resume can get the job done:
1. It’s Original
Using resumes you find on the internet as a template may be easier, but will probably not be as impactful as a unique resume that’s been written for a specific job role. You have to make a lot of effort to land the job of your dreams. This starts with writing an original resume. Your qualifications and experiences are unique. You can’t be like anyone else in the job market. So, use that to your advantage. Present yourself in a robust, impactful and original way.
2. It’s Tailored To The Job
Each resume should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. The roles may be similar, but they’re never the same. Moreover, organizations work differently. They may expect different things from your resume. Some may want you to send a video resume while another might expect a detailed CV, explaining what you did in your last job, how and why. Make sure to read up on the organization and its culture, the job description and other relevant information before writing a resume. This will help you create something that’s unique, specific and, most importantly, relevant to the job role.
3. It Has Your Introduction
A resume that has an introduction may just be more effective than one without. Of course, this works if you know exactly what you need to write. An introduction focuses on who you are, what you’ve done and why you want a job in that organization. It’s a glimpse into your personality. Think of it as the summary of a cover letter—a few lines that describe you to the hiring manager. But having said that, if you’re not sure what to write in an introduction, it’s better to leave it out. An introduction that doesn’t do much except reiterating the same information may do more harm than good.
4. It’s Error-Free
An often overlooked aspect of writing an effective resume is the grammar, content and style. Yes, your qualifications and credentials are more important to the recruiter. But if you spell your designation in your last organization incorrectly, that won’t sit too well with the person hired to read your resume. They want to see you’ve paid attention to detail. An error-free resume has no grammatical or spelling mistakes. The font, style and white space are aligned well to make sure the resume flows efficiently.
5. It’s Easy To Read
A resume that’s full of jargon and complex words won’t get your foot in the door. Make your resume easy to read and simple to understand. You can use jargon if it’s related to your job, but otherwise it’s ideal to go for simple words. This also helps the hiring manager breeze through the resume rather than trying to decipher what you’ve written.
Make your resume stand out with these quick tips. In addition to the usual sections on a resume, there’s one section that’s not as common. This includes the areas of interest in a resume. Areas of interest can range from running a YouTube channel to developing a website or volunteer activities. They add that extra kick to your resume. But what’s important is how you present areas of interest in a resume.
How To Write Areas Of Interest In A Resume
There are multiple ways to convey information on a resume. Lists, bullet points, paragraphs, icons or even rating scales are some ways in which you can present your education, job experience or interests. A popular way to showcase language learning, for instance, is with a rating scale that highlights how proficient you are in it. Creative methods are now becoming popular when it comes to resume writing.
But, how do you write about your areas of interest in a resume?
An area of interest for resume writing will touch upon what you’re passionate about aside from your work. This may be hobbies, activities or projects you’ve undertaken on the side. Many people add volunteer work as an area of interest. This gives you the chance to highlight social causes you support and what efforts you’re making for them.
Here’s how to add your field of interest in a resume:
1. Be Detailed
It can be effective to write a detailed field of interest for resume building. If you’re simply listing what you’re interested in, it may not have an impact at all. But if you explain what it is you enjoy and why in a few lines, it can go a long way. More importantly, the interviewer will have something to base their questions on as well. There could be an interesting project that aligns with the organization’s own initiatives. This will give you the leverage you’re looking for. Finding that one thing they need and showing how you align with it will help you land the job of your dreams.
2. Support Your Claims
When you explain your areas of interest, be sure to add evidence or something that supports your claim. For instance, you may be listing volunteer activities as your area of interest for resume building. You must also add where you’ve volunteered, what the activities were and what impact your actions had. This proves your point and helps you be specific when you’re explaining this to the interviewer. It’s easier to walk them through your resume when you know exactly what you’ve written and what inspired you to add it in.
3. Add Latest Information
Make sure that any information you add to areas of interest is the latest, most updated information. This way, your claims will also be more believable and relevant. They may ask you questions about your areas of interest and if you’ve recently engaged with it, you’ll have more to discuss. If a seasoned professional adds something they did in high school, it may not make any difference to their chances. Latest information gives you an edge. It shows you’re actively involved in things you enjoy doing and that you’re still passionate about them.
4. Make It Interesting
If there are activities and hobbies you’re passionate about, you’ll surely be a lot more comfortable talking about them. Areas that interest you will give you a lot more content to discuss. When you’re in an interview, your areas of interest can be the conversation starter you need. The interviewer may find something interesting about what you’ve done. They can ask questions like “what were your key takeaways?” and “how will you apply that same passion to your job?”
The examples of areas of interest can be volunteer or charity work, building a mobile application or games using Python, writing children’s stories, painting or participating in book fairs as a volunteer. You may enjoy baking and selling your goodies at a festival. All of the activities you engage in outside of work constitute areas of interest in a resume.
How To Write A Winning Resume
Your resume, if it’s edited well, includes relevant information that’s up to date and speaks to your personality as a professional. It will most definitely help you ace your job interview. If you want to learn to write succinctly and master business writing, Harappa’s Writing Proficiently course will teach you how. With frameworks like The Pyramid Principle, you’ll be able to frame your resume in a way that makes an impact. Learn how to write clearly, concisely and compellingly. Even if it’s your resume, there’s a way you can write a story that ignites curiosity. Our course will teach you the nitty-gritty of storytelling for every context.
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Technical Skills For Resume, What Are Your Hobbies, Tell Me About Yourself and HR Interview Questions And Answers that will help organizations tap into employee potential.
