It's not too late to find a new job before the new year. But to help yourself stand out from the crowd, you're going to need to spruce up your resume with demonstrable skills, testimonials and a laser focus on your dream job.

New Skills and Achievements

Before you kick your job search into gear, add recent achievements to your resume and update it with any new skills you have built since last year. Having trouble remembering? Go through your past performance reviews and consider highly successful projects, goals you achieved, new responsibilities you were given, classes you may have taken, etc.

Whenever possible, add specific metrics to your achievements. Verifiable numbers show the value you bring to the table and help you make your case that you are the ideal candidate. Remember, you can use these new skills and achievements as a guide for developing anecdotes for future interviews.

Testimonials

Think about the "evidence" you gather when you're considering making a purchase. You look to online reviews and testimonials to decide what to buy. If you can't find reviews or testimonials, you likely won't consider an item. Similarly, hiring managers want to find "evidence" that someone is a great candidate for a job before extending an offer. You can say you are great at specific tasks, but why should the hiring manager believe you?

Testimonials are a great way to prove your case. You can incorporate quotes from your LinkedIn testimonials (and include a link to your profile so those testimonials can be verified), or you can quote from a formal letter of recommendation, adding in parenthesis or a footnote that the full letter can be made available upon request. It's also useful to add an excerpt from a great performance review or even customer kudos.

Revamp Your Header and Add a Professional Summary

Hiring managers will naturally read your resume from the top down. You can attract attention and prove you are the right candidate immediately with your header and professional summary. Your header should include your full name, phone number, email address as well as city and state. Your physical address is not necessary in the digital age. Also include a link to your LinkedIn profile, and any link to online portfolios, as well.

Under your header, add a professional summary. This should be a short paragraph that outlines your professional journey. Include the specific job you are seeking, your experience level and relevant qualifications. Candidates who include professional summaries are two times as likely to get contacted by a hiring manager, so craft this feature with purpose.

Are You Ready to Land Your Dream Job?

If you are ready to land a great new job before the end of the year, put an expert recruiter on your side. Contact PrideStaff today to learn how we can help you achieve your goals.