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Use these tips to build the perfect resume:
- When you haven’t updated your resume in a while, it can be hard to know where to start; what is current and what updates are needed. What experiences and accomplishments should you include for the jobs you’ve got your eye on? What new resume rules and trends should you be following? And seriously, one page or two?
- On average, most employers only take 3 minutes to read over a resume. Why? Because time is valuable, and hours of time to read resumes isn’t doable for most employers.
- One page or two? One page is better than two. Why? Again, if an employer decides to take a few minutes to read a resume, it must be short, sweet and to the point.
- What is a successful resume? More than one? Yes, resumes are to be tweaked according to the job position, therefore, you may have more than one. Employment experience is not needed over 10 years unless it is relevant to the position you are applying for.
- Clean and simple. No pictures, no icons, no diagrams. This isn’t professional, and after all, your resume needs to mirror your professionalism.
Tips to keep your resume simple:
Unless you’re applying for a design role, a clean, simple layout is best, much simpler to read.
Use clear section headings and make them stand out with bold type, capital letters, and/or a different color.
Make sure there’s plenty of white space—an overstuffed resume is hard to read.
Skip the fancy graphics, pie charts, and illustrations, which don’t play well with resume-scanning software.
Profile Summary
Use a Profile Summary Statement Instead of an Objective
A resume objective “Seeking a senior-level product management role” tells the recruiter what you want. A profile summary statement, on the other hand, explains what value you can bring to them and what you have to offer.
Profile Summary Example
The profile summary replaced the old objective section on a resume. It is a given that the “objective” for a resume is to secure an interview ( and a job), but what does the employer need to know about you in an instance.
Professional Summary:
Over ten years of professional administrative assistant experience in a high-volume animal clinic. Currently hold a payroll certificate for Midnight payroll program. Current board member for the Adopt-A-Dog shelter, and over one hundred hours of volunteer time at the local SPCA animal clinic.
Spotlight Key Skills:
Whether you put your skills section at the top of your resume or at the bottom, after your work experience, make sure the skills you list match the requirements for the job you’re applying to. Not sure what those are? Read the job description carefully to see which skills, programs, and keywords are mentioned. If there’s a requirement or responsibility listed in the job description that you’ve performed in a current or previous role here’s where you highlight your skills.
Sample Skills:
- Type 45 wpm
- Multi phone line system
- Interpersonal and customer service skills
- Pneumatic nail driver
- Zero radius turn mower
Put your Latest Experience First
Recruiters still prefer the traditional reverse chronological format, where you list your current or most recent job first. List your current or last employer. List employment 10 years and younger, unless it is relevant to the position you are apply for.
Bullet Points High Skills and Experience
- Monitor compliance with health and fire regulations regarding food preparation and serving, and building maintenance in lodging and dining facilities.
- Reconciliate monetary cash funds for daily deposits.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.
- Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
Break It Down
For each job, list out your responsibilities and accomplishments in easy-to-skim bullets, not in paragraphs, which look denser and harder to read. Catch the eye quickly; make sure you start each of these bullets with a strong action verb.
Consider Adding Volunteer or Other Experience
Here is something most people don’t think about putting on a resume, volunteer experience. What if your volunteer experience translate into “real” work, transferring skills learned outside of the workplace. Listing volunteer work or other interests can add personality to your resume and help you seem more three-dimensional.
Do list professional organizational membership ONLY if it applies to the job position.
Quantify Your Bullets
Numbers speak volume. Wherever possible, add numbers and results to your bullet points to show the impact you had in a role. You can do this even if you’re not in a numbers- or dollars-oriented role: How frequently did you do a task? How big was your team? How many people used your product?
Example:
- Increased retirement participation from 10% to 90%
- Increased sales volume by 25%
And Don’t forget your education
List your most recent post-secondary education. If you have acquired a degree beyond high school, there is no need to list your high school information.
Keep your accolades at a minimum, such as GPA and / or degree status.