Applying for a Job: How to Stand Out On Paper

You have your resume and cover letter written and free of spelling and grammar mistakes, now what?  There are many things you should do to ensure you stand out compared to other applicants.

First, make sure you are specific about your skills and experience, and don't just include buzzwords on your resume.  If the content is on your resume, you should really look at the tone of your writing.  Read your resume and cover letter out loud.  Does it sound like you?  Are those words and phrases you would normally say?  If not, make some changes; you want your personality to shine through.

I am NOT suggesting to be unprofessional or crack jokes, but you don't want to sound like you're a robot or used a thesaurus for 80% of your resume.  This is one of the many reasons why I don't like the Objective Statement of a resume, because it doesn't sound like something a person would ever say in a normal conversation.  The point of a resume is to get a recruiter to call you, so make sure your resume is professional and full of content, however it is also beneficial to ensure you are not exceedingly verbose (see what I did there?).

What do you do to stand out in your resume or cover letter?  Let me know in the comments! :)