By: Alyssa Bunde
We've all been there, it's time to start applying for jobs and suddenly you realize you don't have a resume or it's severely out of date. Feeling overwhelmed you may begin asking yourself "where do I even start?". Resume writing is difficult, there are a lot of do's and don'ts, and who has time to learn such intricacies? That's why we've got the key points and the resume templates that'll save you time!
Keep it to One Page
You're experienced, talented, and have worked many jobs...but...not all of them should be listed. Select jobs for your resume that are the most applicable to the position you're applying for. However, if you still can't decide which jobs to list because all of them seem applicable, try selecting ones where you were most successful. Remember, a good rule of thumb is to list only three to four jobs.
Another inhibitor of a one-page resume could be your document setup. We suggest ensuring the document is single-spaced, all spacing is removed from before and after paragraphs, and that all the font is reasonably sized. However, when doing this, be mindful that someone actually needs to read the resume. It's great if you can fit all the information you wanted on one page, but not if it's barely readable because you used 5 point font and squished everything together. We recommend checking out our free resume templates listed at the bottom!
Keep it relevant
There is a lot of information in a resume but keeping it all relevant to the position you're applying for is key. For example, if you were applying to be a car mechanic that strictly works in the shop would you list under your skills that you are "an exceptional baker" or "proficient in Microsoft Office Suite"? The answer is no. These skills would not be relevant to the role unless this car mechanic bakes cakes or has to be in the shop's office part-time.
Keep it Professional
Life is about balance, resumes are similar. Injecting a little personality in your resume is good, you're a person outside of work after all, but airing on the side of caution is always a good idea. For example, listing things like "father of two" or "Proud dog mom" isn't the proper way to add personality.
Another important note when discussing professionalism is that your resume isn't the only thing you should keep professional. In this day and age, most employers look at your social media profiles alongside reading through your resume. Therefore, do a quick audit of your social media platforms to ensure you would be comfortable with an employer seeing what you post or have written. If you don't feel like going through your social media, at the very least, make your profile private if you know your social media has questionable content.
It's okay to brag
Once you've decided what to include and exclude it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of perfecting what you write. For example, in your experience don't just state you were "responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training", brag a little, and state your achievements! Employers want to hear about your wins, not your job description. Instead, write something like, "enhanced recruiting, hiring, and training process, which generated over $___ in revenue". It's good to state some general tasks you were responsible for but make sure you're conveying your wins too.
Spell check
Read over your resume, have someone else read over it, read it out loud; just make sure it sounds proper and is grammatically correct. In addition, avoid using slang words. We understand you could be trying to save space, but using slang terms like "bc" and "new biz" only makes you appear unprofessional.
Remember...
Building an amazing resume may get you the interview but at the end of the day, it's up to you to seal the deal. Put just as much time as you do building your resume into prepping for that interview!
Looking for more great advice & tips? Check out our other articles!
