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Rewriting Your Resume? 7 Easy Ways To Give Yourself An Upgrade
In today's competitive job market, a first class resume is an essential tool for winning an interview. The way in which you present your skills, achievements and experience on paper will profoundly affect the way in which a hiring company considers your application. An expertly crafted resume not only captures the attention of its reader through careful attention to layout and formatting; it also targets the specific needs of the potential employer by matching and highlighting your abilities and background to the key requirements of the position. So what exactly is the 'perfect resume'? It's well-nigh impossible to get recruitment professionals to agree on this. For example, take the vexed question of the 'resume objective'. Some employers prefer to see a clearly stated objective as evidence of a candidate's career focus; others consider including an objective to be a restrictive practice -- or worse, little more than vague waffle. So in the pursuit of a truly personalized resume, it's hardly surprising that effective practice differs from applicant to applicant -- and what suits one job-hunter may not work so well for another. And while it's impossible to lay down hard and fast rules of best practice in resume writing, it's a whole lot easier to identify some of the habits that can turn recruiters right off -- perhaps even sabotage a candidate's chances from the start! In this article, I've collected some of these common resume blunders -- so if you're looking to upgrade your resume, here's a checklist of seven easy ways to start! 1. Don't rely on a 'one size fits all' resume If your resume is going to get you the interviews you deserve, it needs to focus on the particular demands of the job. So unless your field is very narrow, it's likely that you'll need to adapt your resume to each specific application. To help you target your resume, try answering these questions:
When you profile the 'ideal candidate' in this way, you're putting yourself in the employer's shoes: thinking first about what matters to them and imagining what they'll be looking for when they make a short list from all the applications they'll receive. This is a really useful exercise to help you decide which of your own abilities and achievements to spotlight in your resume. 2. Make sure you include complete contact information Your cover letter may get separated from the resume. Don't blithely assume that because your address and telephone number are in the cover letter, they don't need to be on the resume as well -- they do! If the employer wants to get hold of you, they'll likely use the phone. So ensure that you give a personal number (including area code) where you can be reached during the day or where messages can be left. Include a cell phone number and e-mail address where possible. 3. Make the resume easy to read Don't print your resume in any font size smaller than 11 pt. Be liberal with white space and remember that bullet points in a list help a reader to absorb information. You can emphasize headers and key points by discreet use of bold type, capitals or underlining -- but don't overdo the effect. Consider going on to a second sheet if a single page is crammed. 4. Seize the reader's interest in the first few lines If your application is one of dozens or even hundreds received, you need to capture the attention of the reader in just a few seconds. The best way to focus interest at the start is with a powerful objective -- or, if you prefer it, a skills summary. It's the place to emphasize your key achievements and core expertise and identify specific job goals. The employer wants a straight answer to the question 'What can this person do for me?' -- so make your profile easy to read and give a clear statement of what you can bring to the job. 5. Don't underplay your achievements and experience You've already imagined what the perfect candidate for the job would be like. So now focus on those aspects of your own background and skill set that best illustrate those attributes. Highlight your key accomplishments and areas of authority and, wherever possible, use action verbs and statements that quantify what you have achieved. But don't get creative here: make sure you give evidence for your claims. 6. Order your information according to what the reader wants to know There's no single correct order of elements in a resume. Everything depends on what the employer or recruiter is most interested in finding out. In general, put your most relevant material first! Many recruiters like a reverse chronological order of dates. Also be aware that some employers dislike a purely functional resume format and feel that it glosses over gaps in work history or other shortcomings. 7. Check your spelling and grammar There's no substitute for careful proofreading of your resume. Use grammar and spell checking software by all means, but be aware that it may not always pick up contextual errors. Print the document and check it on paper rather than on screen. If possible, ask a reliable friend or relative to double check for mistakes. Don't forget to check that you have spelled names correctly. Conclusion: keep developing your resume Your resume is a powerful marketing tool. It will always be a 'work in progress', constantly needing updates and refinements according to changing circumstances. If you're planning or conducting a job search, redrafting your resume could be one of the best investments you make towards your future career success. Nigel Patterson is a business writer and publisher of http://1st-class-resume.com/. Visit his website for more tips and advice on writing an effective resume and cover letter, resume distribution and preparing for a job interview.
MORE RESOURCES: Careers at Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University National Park Service restores some jobs of fired employees, pledges to hire 7,700 seasonal workers WVTM13 Birmingham Corporate Lowe's 2025 Job Hunting: The Skills That Will Make or Break Your Career and the Fastest Growing Fields Investopedia Careers Baxter Commonwealth Job Fair Governor Tom Wolf Careers at USCIS USCIS Charted: Which Jobs Are Using AI the Most? Visual Capitalist Investigation: Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources lawyer worked second job on state's dime The Columbus Dispatch Careers ontarioca.gov Compensation & Benefits Lowe's Careers | Home USDA.gov Thousands of federal employees fired from US regulatory and science funding agencies Chemical & Engineering News Employment opportunities Department of Taxation and Finance Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Store Hourly Job Areas Target Corporate Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University Work at Butler Butler University Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Jobs at Liberty University Liberty News Work at the U.S. Department of Energy Energy.gov Employment | Department of Corrections Governor Tom Wolf Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care Careers and Jobs at CRS Catholic Relief Services Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Work for the City of St. Louis City of St. Louis Career Opportunities UMHB Work for Us (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service Careers BASF Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Job Seekers University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Careers Washington State University IOM career gateways International Organization for Migration (IOM) Careers West Virginia Department of Education Careers at FEMA FEMA Jobs and careers | Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs MTA is hiring for jobs with no education requirements or experience PIX11 New York News Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them World Economic Forum UF Health Careers UF Health - University of Florida Health Student Employment St John's University News Careers CrowdStrike MBA applications bounce back in tougher job market Financial Times Texas Job Openings and Labor Turnover — October 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics Current opportunities Turner & Townsend Job Opportunities Bellevue School District Careers KPMG Corporate Job Areas - Global Supply Chain & Logistics Target Corporate Work with us | Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs Careers S&P Global Recorded Video Interviews Target Corporate The Hot Labor Market Has Melted Away. Just Ask New College Grads. The New York Times Explore BCG locations around the world Boston Consulting Group WORK AT LVMH LVMH Careers at Jacobs Jacobs Surging job market could prove costly for households, businesses as odds of quick rate cuts fade The Associated Press Early careers NHS staff increasingly unhappy at work Personnel Today Work with us JPMorgan Chase Department of Public Health City and County of San Francisco Internship Opportunities | BCG Boston Consulting Group Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024 University of North Dakota Careers in A&O Shearman Students and graduates JPMorgan Chase Careers at Discovery Education Discovery Education Careers Turner & Townsend Careers at Sinai Health Sinai Health Employment Opportunities Unity Health Toronto |
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