It is often easy to know what skills, expertise and experience employers are looking for when they post a job vacancy – it will be in the job advertisement. However, it can be difficult to understand how to put that information together on your resume in a clear, concise and interesting way.

In an attempt to stand out, more and more job hunters are creating quirky resumes and using attention-grabbing methods. A number have hit the headlines over the past year, with some candidates putting their resume on a chocolate bar, or even rapping their past experience to employers.

However, new research, which was conducted among over 900 recruitment professionals by resume-Library, found that 98.5% of recruiters believe traditional resumes are still hugely important in today’s recruitment process.

Founder and managing director Lee Biggins believes that while these quirky methods are memorable, they are not always entirely practical and it is important that the value of the traditional resume to UK workers is still promoted.

Remember the basics

Depending on the amount of experience you have, sometimes the basic skills required for any role can get lost. The same research found that just under three quarters (73.9%) of recruiters believe that candidates should still list skills such as Microsoft Office on their resume.

While you may think basic skills are a given, they are essential to working within most companies and should not be neglected on your resume. Soft skills, such as communication, attention to detail, self-motivation, strong work ethic and time management are traits that really appeal to employers, and mean that you can thrive in any work environment.

Make your personal life interesting

The common things to list when talking about your personal life on your resume usually include, books, films and socialising – things that pretty much everyone likes. If you are going to talk about your life away from the office then focus on personal projects, think about what are you working on in your free time and focus on that, rather than writing an endless list of your interests.

Linking your social media

One of the most interesting aspects for those looking over resume’s is digging a little deeper on candidate’s social media accounts. If you have a positive online presence do not be afraid to include links, to your Twitter, blog or even LinkedIn account if you have some glowing testimonials.

If you are a graduate looking to kick-start your career, have a chat with Discovery graduates and see how they can help get you started