Whether you've drafted your resume before or don't even know where to begin, it's extremely important to always have a relevant and enticing resume on hand. Your resume is an essential component of personal marketing that gives employers a first impression of you, your experiences, and the reasons why they should interview you! It's one thing to have a correct format, but does your resume stand out from all the others for a specific job or internship application? Even if you feel you've perfected your resume, it should cater to each specific application, emphasizing how your skills and experiences will contribute to that specific company's organizational goals and values. This means doing research on the company beforehand, evaluating what that company is looking for in a candidate and communicating this in a clear and visually appealing way. Drafting a resume is a process, not a one time assignment! We've compiled a list of tips that will help you build your resume to it's maximum potential!
The use of action verbs and strong adjectives are important when describing your work experience. However, did you know that the nouns that you choose to use in your resume are growing increasingly important? This is because companies are implementing technology that scans resumes for keywords. This system identifies keywords that companies want to see within resumes for a specific position. Some systems even place weights on the importance of different words. While there is no sure way of discovering what the desired words are, there are techniques and guidelines to enhance your resume with the strongest choice of keywords.
When it comes to formatting there are three basic styles of resumes: chronological, functional, and a combination/hybrid of the two. In a chronological resume, education and work experience are listed in, you guessed it, chronological order, but starting with your most recent experiences. This format emphasizes the organizations you've participated, positions you've held, achievements, and what you were responsible for. It draws attention to your career progress you have made and is effective when your experiences and education line up with the position you are targeting. On the other hand, a functional resume focuses on the achievements you've made and skills you possess rather than titles, organizations, etc. However, this resume will most likely not be appropriate for your use as it is helpful when applying to positions which your education and work experience are not relevant to. This type of resume is categorized by skills such as communication, leadership, etc. that target the position you're applying to. A combination or hybrid resume focuses on functional areas highlighting skills and capabilities, but contains chronological work experiences including positions, dates, and organizations.
There are many ways to format a resume and some are more appropriate for different positions or levels of experience. However, in general, your resume should always be a single sided page, an easy to read font (11-12 pt), and contain a clear white space of separation between sections to make for easy scanning. You can bold, underline, or use bullets to stress the importance of an accomplishment. Make sure to demonstrate how you personally completed objectives that furthered the organization's overall strategy and goals. Cite numbers when possible; tell the size of the team you managed or the amount of revenue you generated, etc. Only include relevant information that markets yourself effectively. Choose topic headings that are enticing and inviting. Communicate the desirable personality traits you possess, but don't get too personal! Listing your age, gender, martial status, and religious or political views is completely unnecessary and should be left out. Also, don't state the obvious-employers know that you will be able to produce references or attend an interview! Make sure that you understand (and demonstrate your understanding of) that company's needs, priorities, what they seek in a candidate, and relevant vocabuary (those keywords again!). Don't use "I" or other pronouns and avoid unnecessary extra or repetitive wording.
After you're all done, proof read it several times and seek feedback from multiple friends and professionals (make an appt. with CCD!). You want to be fully confident that your resume effectively communicates the value you will add to a company personally and your individual qualifications for that position. If your resume stands out, it will earn you the chance to interview, the chance to really sell yourself.
This article from Daily Writing Tips contains 44 invaluable tips for resume design. It's definitely worth taking the time to read and consider. Get working on your resume today and good luck!
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