Career Tip: Resumes
Summer is a great time for you to brush up your resume. The following are some tips that will help your resume get noticed…in a good way!
- THINK LIKE A BUSY EXECUTIVE! - The people looking at your resume are very busy and will spend approx 1.5-2 minutes reading it. Since we read left to right, top to bottom, your goal should be to get the most important information as close to the top as possible. A logical way to do this is to create 2 separate “experience” categories on your resume – 1. Related Experience 2. Other Work Experience. Under the 1st, list chronologically all the jobs that you have had that are directly related to the position that you are applying for. Under the 2nd, use your discretion as to what other jobs to list. This gets the most important information closer to the top of the page in a logical fashion.
- BULLETS – NOT JUST FOR GUNS! When describing the skills that you gained/used in your job, be sure to use bullet points instead of paragraphs. This formatting technique really draws the employer’s eye to each statement as opposed to it getting lost in a sea of words.
- WATCH YOUR VERBS! – Using strong action verbs to describe your previous jobs is a great idea, but make sure that your verb tense is correct. Verbs used to describe positions previously held should be in past tense, while current positions should use present tense…(bet you are wishing you had paid more attention in English class!)
- PROFESSIONL IMAGE BEGINS ON PAPER! – I was in an office supply store the other day and was floored to see the range of prices for resume paper. Don’t get caught in a “more expensive = better” trap. A nice, high quality cotton or linen paper in white, grey, or ivory will work just fine. Avoid pinks, purples, prints, highlytextured, or scented papers (these worked for Elle Woods in Legally Blond, but probably not for you.) Many times the only person to see your original resume is an HR director – who then makes photo copies for the hiring authority. Don’t waste your money!
- CALL YOURSELF! – Seriously, call yourself and let your voice mail pick up. How does your away message sound? Funny messages or even song lyrics are great for friends to hear, but if you gave an employer your phone number, clean it up! Go simple and professional: “Hi. I’m sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I will call you back soon.” When you finish this task, take a look at your email address. Hotlips2004 or LuvMeLongTime00 were funny in high school or college, but don’t project the most professional image in the business world.
These are just a few things to improve your resume. Feel free to drop by the
Source: Jason Umfress, 2006