Remember, your resume is your ambassador to a potential employer!
Nothing holds truer to the old adage “a diamond in the rough” than a tight and polished resume. The current economic climate still has employers on their guard as far as opening business operations which means fewer available positions being offered. So when something opens up, lots of people are pouncing on the opportunity and it’s up to your resume to stand out from the rest. You need to be sure yours is the Ferrari weaving its way past the clunkers and into the driveway of the job it is you’re after.
The following tips can help insure you get a focused, informative and clean resume that will stand out amid the all too common stacks of applications and resumes that greet business owners the day after posting a want ad.
FORMAT
A simple format that allows the eyes of the reader to go right to the information they are looking for is essential. Employers often perform very quick initial scans of a resume looking for key pieces of info. If they find what they are looking for quickly and easily, it’ll be set aside for a more in depth look later.
CONTENT
Make sure the educational and employment experience you’re putting down is applicable to the job you’re applying to. You may have done a stellar job behind the check stand at the local market but how is that relevant for a graphic design position and vice versa? Employers want to see right off the bat if your skills and experience are a fit. They do not want to have to dig through a lot of unnecessary information.
ORDER
- Your personal contact information at the top.
- A very brief statement of purpose no longer than two sentences.
- A list of educational institutions attended.
- Your past employers including company name, position held, dates of employment and the essential duties performed.
- A brief summary of any special skills/knowledge/training pertinent to the position.
REMEMBER
- Your letter size should be consistent. Between 10-12 is a good range for resumes.
- Always try and limit your resume to a single page.
- Don’t try and stand out by using goofy/exotic fonts! It’s never professional.
- When in doubt…KEEP THINGS SIMPLE.
Make sure to put aside the time to write a good resume that clearly communicates your desire for gainful employment backed by clear and concise employment/educational history. It’s not the easiest thing to compose and you may have to endure a bit of trial and error but don’t give up. Once you have a polished resume to hand out, you will notice a huge difference in the amount of call backs and interview opportunities that open up to you.
Remember, your resume is your ambassador to a potential employer!
My cousin came in to meet with our HR manager. He had no idea how to layout his resume, his references, etc. With less than 1 hour of advice and interview question ideas, he was solid. The next week he walked into a job interview and landed a job. It’s extremely important to impress the people that are interviewing, especially when it comes to a clean tight resume.
I tend to look at my resume as a self portrait. What happens when you take a picture you don’t think you look good in, you delete it and retake it until you are happy with it. I think it is very important to look/create your resume as if you did not know yourself. I am very critical of myself so that I can elevate myself to the next level. Another thing I like to do is to have someone else take a look at it and let me know what they think. You would be surprised what a fresh set of eyes can find.