A resume or CV is the ultimate tool for job hunting: it summarizes your work history, achievements, and skills to show companies how you can contribute to their day-to-day operations.
However, students and professionals face a critical challenge when writing one: the document must be concise, easy to read, and coherent. If they fail to capture recruiters’ attention within a few seconds, they may be ruled out. This underscores the importance of knowing how to create a professional resume.
At Staria, we are aware of this challenge. That’s why our Recruitment and Selection Analyst, Mónica de la Cerda, in collaboration with leading job boards and universities, shares the essential elements a professional resume should include and the latest techniques for crafting a resume that stands out in the job market.
Key Elements of an Attractive Resume
• Contact information: name, phone number, and professional email address to ensure the recruiter can reach you.
• Professional profile: a brief paragraph (about 3 lines) summarizing your professional background and the value you bring to the industry you’re targeting.
• Work and academic history: List them from most recent to oldest, and prioritize experiences relevant to the position.
Additionally:
1. Describe your achievements using action verbs (supervise, coordinate, improve, increase, decrease, etc.) and measurable results, such as “I reduced errors by 20%” (this is an essential technique if you’re looking for ways to quantify your achievements on your resume).
2. Include both technical (hard) and soft skills, accompanied by specific examples, such as “I led a team of 12 people to meet bimonthly goals.”
3. Highlight the most relevant educational degrees, courses, and certifications.
4. Focus on your higher education and avoid mentioning basic degrees.
5. Mention promotions or increased responsibilities.
6. If you’re a student or recent graduate, include academic projects, internships, community service, or volunteer work that demonstrate your knowledge.
For a results-oriented company like Staria, a resume that quantifies achievements demonstrates that the candidate understands their impact on efficiency, productivity, optimization, and profitability. This allows our recruiters to identify how you could positively influence our processes and business units.
How can you tailor your resume to the company?
Top-tier organizations like Staria operate under global standards. Tailoring your resume demonstrates genuine interest in the challenges and dynamics of the industries where we lead. This ability to adapt is a distinguishing factor that we deeply value, emphasizes Mónica de la Cerda.
“When a candidate tailors their information, they demonstrate genuine interest and provide clarity about their professional value. If you’re seeking a sales position in the agricultural sector, specify your experience in that exact field—don’t just mention that you have administrative experience,” she explains.
According to the expert and institutions such as Tec de Monterrey and Michael Page, there are various tips for tailoring a resume. Using keywords found in the job description or highlighting industry-relevant experiences are examples that can be adapted based on your area of interest. Examples include:
• Finance: Prioritize certifications and numerical data that support your achievements.
• Logistics: Highlight the scale of your operations, units, budgets, or staff under your supervision.
• Mechanics: Specify the certifications you hold and the mechanisms of the models you’re proficient with.
• Marketing: Focus on campaigns and your persuasion skills.
• Technology: Use technical language when necessary and quantify improvements in time, resources, or processes.
• Sales: Focus on how you increased transactions over a specific period and on customer service.
How to Use AI to Improve Your Resume?
Mónica de la Cerda shares some prompts for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) when creating a resume:
1. Analyze this job description and tell me the three most critical skills for this position [insert text or URL].
2. Identify the keywords for the job opening [insert text or URL] and for the industry [insert text].
3. Write a first draft using the following information [insert verifiable personal information]. It should be professional, concise, and based solely on the information provided.
4. Highlight the three most important skills for the job opening [insert text or URL] in my resume.
5. Transform this task [insert the activity, such as “I performed forklift maintenance”] into a quantifiable, professional achievement.
6. Put yourself in the shoes of a Staria recruiter and evaluate whether my resume is compelling for the job opening [insert text or URL].
For us and other leading organizations, the strategic and ethical use of AI in professional activities represents an opportunity to improve processes and make informed decisions.
Final Best Practices for Submitting Your Resume
• Send no more than one page; two if your experience warrants it.
• Avoid empty or contradictory phrases.
• Use fonts and colors that make the text easy to read.
• Share only verifiable information.
• If you use AI, adapt the text to your own style and verify the information.
The Final Touch
• Save your file as a PDF with a professional title, such as FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf
• Check for spelling errors and make sure there are no watermarks from AI or design tools.
• Keep our LinkedIn profile and job board profiles up to date by using keywords.
• Submit your resume even if there are no open positions, so you can be considered for future opportunities.
Take the next step: Send your resume to Staria
At Staria, like other leading organizations, we seek candidates who embody our Principles: a willingness to learn, technological expertise, and a mindset focused on continuous improvement.
For us, your resume is a way to demonstrate your commitment to quality, operational efficiency, and the essential skills required in the sectors where we operate; that’s why it’s crucial to understand how to create a professional one.
Now that you have the keys to standing out in a competitive environment, it’s time to take the next step…
