What makes a Good Headline for a Resume?

strong resume headline

Introduction

A resume headline is usually a single-line statement at the start of your resume. A good headline for a resume introduces you as a professional in front of the recruiter and highlights your top skills, experience, and other strengths related to the job. A resume headline acts as a make or break for your chances of getting hired because recruiters usually decide about reading a resume in detail or discarding it immediately after reading the headline. Therefore, it is mandatory to write a catchy headline that grabs the attention of the hiring manager. For this purpose, it is important to avoid common mistakes and make your headline impressive by customizing it according to the requirements of your new job. 

Resume Title vs Headline

Many people are unaware of the difference between a title and a headline while writing a resume. Therefore, it is necessary to know the difference between these two aspects of a resume. Both are equally vital in attracting a reader to read your full resume. You should write them carefully but they have differences in expression and details. 

A resume title only states your professional role. For example, your resume title may be: “Content Writer,” “IT Specialist,” or “Web Developer.” 

On the other hand, a resume headline informs the recruiter additionally about your relevant skills and years of experience in the related field. You can state in your headline “ A content writer with 3 years of experience in large organizations, with specializations in writing blogs.”

Benefits of Resume Headline

Adding a good resume headline makes your resume stand out from your competitors and increases your chances of hiring. Key benefits of resume headlines are:

  • Headlines are a significant part of a resume but not all candidates include one in their CV. They are inexperienced or unaware about its role in the resume. Adding a headline will automatically make your resume unique from these job seekers. 
  • A good headline for a resume includes all the major strengths of the candidate in the beginning. It gives a complete picture of their skills and experience to recruiters who initially view the opening part of a resume for a few seconds. 
  • Hiring managers can get information about the remaining part of your resume after reading a good headline for a resume. It establishes credibility and interest in your CV, increasing chances for hiring. 

Significance of Resume Headline

Recruiters usually read the resume for an initial “7 seconds” and then decide to either reject it or keep it on the list of those worthy to be read in detail. Therefore, a headline should be strong enough to convince the recruiter that the resume is not only suitable but that the candidate is fit for the job. 

Another factor that increases the significance of a good headline for a resume is its compatibility with ATS (applicant tracking system). This software scans resumes of all types and pushes forward only those that match the job requirements. This system generally rejects up to 75% of resumes even before they reach human recruiters. 

ATS works by identifying keywords and experiences related to the required job. If they do not find them in the resume, they discard it immediately. A resume headline can assist in passing this system if it contains these keywords (usually relevant skills and years of experience). 

perfect your resume headline

How to Write a Resume Headline?

A resume headline is a short statement where you mention your job title, relevant experience, and specific skill/s. The jobseekers only write a few words in the heading, but it contains important points of the CV. Therefore, it is necessary to know and implement a few rules of writing a good headline for a resume as other parts of the resume also depend on this section. 

To write a strong resume headline, the following are the key points to remember:

Headline Length

As stated above, the headline must be a short statement that is readable within a few seconds. It should end in a sentence, otherwise it becomes a resume summary. 

Placement

A good headline for a resume is the introduction of your entire resume and thus should be at the beginning of this document. It means the correct placement for the headline on the resume is right after your personal info (name and surname).

Font Size

The headline is a major part of the resume and deserves more highlighted text than other areas in the file. Therefore, the font size of the headline should be slightly larger than the remaining text, while using a title case is also recommended. This will make your headline stand out from the below part of the CV. However, making the headline unnecessarily large or flashy can negatively impact the CV. 

Mention Relevant Skills

Using general skills is not the right policy for a resume and writing it in the headline can be harmful and cost you your new job. There is no point in writing common and irrelevant skills, such as “team player” or “energetic.” only mention skills that are suitable according to the requirements of the job. 

Career Goals

You can talk about your plans in the resume. However, a headline is not the right place to write such career goals. You should limit yourself to achievements you have already acquired and are relevant to your job. 

Top skills

You can be a highly skilled person after years of experience. However, you cannot add all of your skills in headlines. Due to its limited space, it allows you to add only the top one or two suitable skills. 

Manage according to Experience

You should manage your heading according to your experience in the field. You should focus more on achievements and less on experience if it is limited to one or two years. On the other hand, your headline should include best skills and extracurricular activities if you are a recent graduate with no experience. 

New Headline for New Job

It is not a right strategy to write a single headline while applying for multiple jobs or positions. Your headline should focus on the job you are currently applying for and its requirements. Therefore, if your recently applied job is different from the previous one, your heading should target its specific needs.

Do Some Experiments

It is not easy to perfect your resume headline immediately. Even after several efforts, you can still commit mistakes. A simple way to avoid such resume mistakes is by preparing several versions of the headline and using the one that sounds most appropriate. 

Conclusion

Headline is one of the most significant parts of your resume due to its precise information at the beginning of the CV. However, writing a good headline for a resume is difficult despite the short length of a single sentence. You can perfect your resume headline by remembering and applying some important rules. 

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