You have seven seconds to impress the hiring manager reviewing your CPG resume.
You must pay close attention to every line, phrase, and word to get noticed. A resume crammed with tiny font leaving no room for white space will likely be ignored. If hundreds of other applications are waiting for review, and they’re easier on the eyes, your resume will be pushed aside.
In today’s highly competitive CPG market, less is more. Hiring managers seek experience, but they want you to present only the summary highlights of your career, not an exhaustive employment history.
You can expand on your work experience when you get the interview. Until then, implement these tips to make your resume stand out.
6 Essential Strategies for Making a CPG Resume Stand Out
Making your CPG resume stand out requires a little marketing strategy. Steps to include and elaborate on:
- Make the first impression a good one: First, make it visually appealing and easy to read. Create wide margins, use at least a 10-point non-serifed font, and bold your subheadings. Allow for blank spaces, such as lines between each section.
- Use precise keywords: Next, identify several jobs you would be interested in and qualified for. Read the descriptions, looking for key industry phrases. Then insert those keyword phrases in your resume if they describe your experience. For example, if job descriptions require “network logistics optimization,” include those keywords – not “coordinated logistics for industry networks.”
- Provide specifics about your professional contributions: Give details and talk about how you grew your department of managed teams, productivity, or logistics. Every statement should indicate how you impacted the company and the people involved.
- Include data when possible: Avoid the temptation to write, “Improved facility productivity,” when you can substantiate it: “Improved facility productivity by 12%.” Organizations are looking for concrete evidence that you can perform effectively.
- Show how you’ve grown in the CPG field: Anyone can list accomplishments, but that won’t position you as an industry leader. If, for example, you worked as a Project Procurement Manager who analyzed vendor pricing and commodity risk management, explain how these responsibilities prepared you for your next role as a Senior Sourcing Analyst.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread: Look for misspelled words, punctuation and usage errors, and even formatting mistakes.
You are your brand, and your recruiting consultant works to promote your brand in the CPG industry. If you doubt how your resume compares to others, reach out for help. Experienced recruiters can advise you on sharpening your resume to stand out in CPG.
