The thought of your resume might not exactly get your mouth watering, but picture this: a great resume is like a great burger.
The basis of a good resume is all the essential ingredients stacked with some tasty little details that make it a truly juicy concoction; this gives the recruiters exactly what they’re looking for.
How to build your resume like a burger:
Don’t want none unless you got buns, hon’!
First up, you need to frame your essentials. Whether it’s a stock standard sesame seed bun or an out-of-the-box baked brioche, the burger bun serves as a strong foundation. Just like a tasty burger, your resume needs a defined layout. A burger without a bun is just a messy pile of food you can’t easily pick up and eat with your hands. Likewise, a resume without a solid structure is difficult for a recruiter to read and it will be difficult for them to recognise your valuable skills and experience.
Something meaty to sink your teeth into
A juicy meat patty is the very essence of the burger; this gives the meal substance and fills you up. If you don’t fill up your resume with substantial content, like relevant information and key sections, recruiters are going to be left hungry. Chef’s tip: do not overcook, and do not go too wild with seasoning.
There’s such a thing as too much cheese
The best burgers are oozing with cheesy goodness. Cheese is the glue that can bring all the other ingredients together harmoniously, but go too overboard with the yellow stuff and it all falls apart. A resume with poor spelling and grammar is like a burger with too much cheese – it oozes for all the wrong reasons. You don’t want to portray sloppiness and poor attention to detail.
Slicing and dicing
Slices of tomato are a burst of freshness, and only the freshest ingredients should make it onto a fine burger. A great resume should also only be filled with juicy information – don’t take away from the best bits by bulking it out with old, out-dated information. Slice and dice out the irrelevant bits, and you’ll find yourself with a refreshingly simple resume.
A delicate and balancing act
The underrated staple of every good burger, lettuce is the fresh and crunchy quiet achiever that provides balance to the burger’s other rich and flavoursome elements. Like building the perfect burger, a resume is also a delicate balancing act. While you shouldn’t oversell yourself, be careful not to undersell yourself. You might not have absolutely all the essential ingredients the recipe (ahem, job ad) demands, but your alternative ingredients and exciting extra flavours could be the special of the day.
That special something
Your achievements and unique skills are the special sauce that sets you apart! From your stock standard tomato or BBQ sauce, to exotic spicy mayos, the sauce is one of the real heroes of a great burger and brings out the best of the other essential ingredients. Likewise, showcasing the things that make you unique will make your experience shine.
Flavour and quality guarantee
Some jobs have dietary requirements – they might require you to change up or substitute some of the ingredients of your resume to satisfy the hungry customer. Whatever you’re applying for, make sure your resume contains no added sugar. Let your achievements do the sweet-talking and keep your tone professional. And make sure the information is 100% natural ingredients – no matter what industry you’re in, your resume should not contain any nasty additives or artificial ingredients.