Ten Quick Resume Tips

Let’s be honest: creating a resume is hard, especially if it’s been awhile. You are challenged to fit all your employment history, qualifications, education, certifications, interests, hobbies, and personal information onto a one–to-two page document. Oh, and it needs to look nice.

Scared yet? Yeah, me too. But take a deep breath, because it’s actually not all that bad. Here for you I have provided ten quick tips to help your next resume dress to impress!

1. Make some lists. Before you even begin your resume, create bullet-pointed lists of your past experience, volunteer work, awards, publications, qualifications, etc. These will serve as reference guides when you’re modifying the real thing.
2. Include the key-words. This may seem obvious, but it is something I didn’t initially catch on to. When applying to a job with specific qualifications, include the key words in the job description. Is the job asking for a “self-starter” with “management experience” who can “optimize productivity”? Put these terms in your resume! Not only will this demonstrate that you actually read the job description, but some companies now use robots to scan through resumes looking for keywords. Using these will get your resume to a person faster.
3. Tailor the experience. This is particularly important if you have held more positions than will fit on the resume. Tailor your experience section so that you only use applicable experience or relevant previous positions. And, if you don’t have enough job experience to pick and choose which ones to include, make sure you modify your descriptions to identify relevant skills. Career Solutions Group can help you tailor your experience to fit your desired job!
4. List your accomplishments first. Begin each job experience section with things you accomplished in the role. “Decreased spending while increasing productivity,” “created a new software system,” or “implemented new processing plan” all show that you accomplished something specific in the role, and that you could bring these skills to the table.
5. Watch for white space. Do not leave gobs of white space in your resume. Fill in that space with qualifications or experience. At the same time, don’t overstuff the resume either. You don’t want it to look crammed. Work towards a happy medium.
6. Proofread. You will never see a list without this step on it. Before you send your resume, go over it three or four times, at least twice out loud. Everyone has made errors in their writing, and often these can slip through unnoticed. Spelling and grammar errors can be taken as sloppy, rushed work. You want to put your absolute best foot forward.
7. Choose the right look. The way your resume looks (a full post on this in a few days!) can influence how people perceive you. Therefore, it’s important to consider the style of your resume. If you are interested in more artistic fields, a more colorful resume is permissible, whereas a computer related field would call for something different.
8. Watch your wording. The internet is full of lists containing powerful verbs to use in your resume, so I will not rehash all of them here. But wording absolutely matters. When listing skills, use powerful words like “achieved,” “bolstered,” “promoted,” and “mentored.” Career Solutions Group can help create a resume for you that uses these powerful, active words.
9. Don’t lie. This may seem obvious, but it bears reinforcing. Do not lie on your resume. Don’t make up jobs you’ve never held, or invent awards you didn’t receive. Chances are, someone will notice, and then you’ll have to either fess up or make up more lies to explain. Instead, market the skills and experience you already have.
10. Make it relevant. The most crucial piece of advice regarding your resume is to make it relevant. Make your skills and qualifications relevant to the position you’re shooting for. It’s all well and good to have a lot of expertise, but without focus your resume turns into just another list rather than a document that can advocate for you.

Resume writing can seem like a nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. If you approach your resume like an opportunity rather than an obligation, and use the tips offered above, you’ll be well on your way to writing an excellent document! Still struggling? Feeling overwhelmed by the job search? We can help! Contact us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We have helped hundreds of job seekers uncover their passion and make fulfilling career changes.

By: Julia Pillard, Career Solutions Group