Want to Create a Killer Resume? 5 Tips for Filipino VAs
Do American clients still check resumes when looking for people to hire?
Yes, they do. However, if you think your resume should consist of page after page of your detailed work experience and history, then it’s time to rethink what a resume should look like.
First of all, your resume needs to be a one-page PDF.
Having a document that concisely demonstrates your skills and experiences relevant to the job description helps potential clients understand, in a glance, if you’re going to be a good fit.
Here are my top tips for what you need to include in your killer resume:
- Choose the right photo
People don’t want to hire a resume, they want to hire a person. When choosing a photo, use one that shows a bit of your personality while still maintaining professionalism.
Because the goal is to land American clients, refrain from using your college graduation photo. It’s not something they are used to seeing so find a different head shot, which could even be a selfie. As long as it’s fun, professional and has a clean background, you’re good.
2. Use color wisely
Choose one accent color to use in your resume. Using a color helps make the resume look more interesting than if you just used black and white, but don’t make your resume too colorful either.
3. Focus on skills first
Instead of highlighting your educational background, first highlight your skills relevant to the job.
Remember, your education is important but it doesn’t determine whether you can do the job or solve their problems, which is what potential clients consider when screening candidates. You can still include your education but present it towards the end of the document, after your skills and expertise.
4. Demonstrate your expertise
Talk about the things you’ve done. Provide specific examples of how you were able to solve a problem or accomplish a goal in your past jobs. Create a bullet point list under every job about something you provided to your past clients as long as the information is relevant to the job you are applying for.
Note: You can create different resumes depending on the client or the industry.
5. Make it clear why you
Include your favorite quote or a link to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile. The goal of this part is for you to stand out and to show the potential client why they need to choose you over the other candidates. So think about what the client would want to see and stay away from vocabulary that devalues your resume.
Bonus tip: Think of your resume as a marketing piece. In most cases, your resume is what gets you through to the next stage of the hiring process so make sure it sells you and that it sells you well.
What are your takeaways from this post?
Share them in the comments!
#sonicva #virtualassistant #killerresume #remotework #onlinestaff #virtualstaff
Dan Meyer Sonic VA, which specializes in matching Filipino Virtual Assistants with American Small Business clients and has been a leader in the outsourcing industry since 2011.
Dan is also one of the top experts in Virtual Staffing and has personally trained over 10,000 Filipinos in areas such as virtual assistance, data analytics, business process outsourcing and social media marketing & management.
