5 Ways to Make Your Resume Unique by @chicmompreneur

by Nancy Laws | Featured Contributor

Those who get noticed, have an easier time getting the job, promotion, etc.  Your resume is your first introduction during your job search and your first opportunity to get noticed in order to get a foot into the early stages of recruitment.  Showcasing your ability to be creative not only helps you to get an interview, but allows you to showcase your ability to be creative and innovative to your employer.

 Remember that the purpose of a resume is not only to show off your abilities, experience, and the value that you can bring to the organization, but your ability to outshine everybody else.  Although some are trying to move away from the format and design of ‘traditional’ resumes, there are aspects that should be carried over or tweaked to fit your individuality.

 Be Visually Appealing

 Creating a visually appealing resume is a great way to stand out from the rest, most resumes follow a precise structure, using colors, and restructuring the no-nonsense structure of the traditional resume is something to explore during a resume makeover.

There are an abundance of ways to get creative with your resumes.  Remember that the point is to showcase your creativity, not overwhelm the recruiter.  Limit the range of colors that you use, do not allow the visual to distract from the content.

• Infographic Resume

• Folded Poster Resume

• Origami Resume

Incorporate Important Keywords

Understanding how to use keywords is not reserved for SEO work alone, keywords are important in the structure and wording of your resume.

Identify words that will resonate in the recruiter’s mind by visiting the organization website, and doing as much research as possible through social media platforms like LinkedIn.  Reread the job description and research leaders within the organization in order to understand their vision and the terms that will help you to not only get noticed, but to do so in a way that your potential employer will value.

Make Your Resume Adaptable

Making your resume adaptable means ensuring that it is easier to modify for different positions, with different requirements.  Sending the same resume is something that should be avoided as much as possible.

Use formats that allow you to easily go in and to shift the focus from one skill or requirement over the other.

Remain Focused

Through your resume, your mission is to convince the recruiter that you are not just a great fit for the position, you are the best option.  In order to do this, make the time to understand not only the position, but the capacity in which the organization has directed previous employees in the past.

Declutter and organize your experience, focusing on details that will highlight your value.

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Social Media is a great way to build an amazing personal brand, which can create incredible opportunities for you, especially if you have successfully grown a large network.  Using LinkeIn, Facebook, or Twitter professionally is just the tip of the iceberg.

Using a larger platform, like a blog, to provide solutions in your industry is a great way to market yourself as an expert in your industry. In order to build a powerful brand, understand what personal branding is, and learn from those who have mastered the skill.

Connect With Nancy on The Blog, Where She Helps Female Entrepreneurs Launch and Manage Businesses From the Ground Up!

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Nancy Laws is a virtual assistant specializing in business blog management.  Through her virtual business LawsWrites, she offers business support to Start-Ups, Bloggers, and Authors.  She has headed business operations, social media marketing, project, and blog management, from her home in OH.

Nancy has loved connecting with other Mompreneurs through her blog Afro-Chic Mompreneur.  She launched her blog, after moving from Maryland to Ohio.  She needed a way to connect with other working moms, to share tips for staying organized as a woman on the move. A blog that started as a way of reaching out and redefining herself as a business owner, mother, and wife, has turned into the go to guide for the Mompreneur.  Connecting moms with brands that help to simplify business, fashion, health, beauty, and parenting, for the mom on the go. Nancy has been featured on several sites and is currently a contributor to Theindiechicks.com.

Connect with her on Twitter, and Facebook.

Nancy Laws