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Your resume is the most crucial document you’ll submit in your job search. It’s your “frontline fighter,” as it’s your first chance to present yourself to a potential employer. Hiring managers and recruiters only spend six to seven seconds on average reviewing resume, so make every second count. A strong resume will help you stand out from the crowd, but a weak resume will eliminate you from consideration. According to Essay For All research, professionally Resume Writing Services Reddit not only increase your chances of getting an interview, but they can also increase your earning potential.
Your Story to Tell – Resume Writing Services Reddit
Do not include everything.
Your resume should not include a list of every job you’ve ever had. Consider your resume a marketing document that sells you as the best candidate for the job, rather than a comprehensive list of your work history. You should highlight only the accomplishments and skills most relevant to the position on each resume you send out (even if that means not including all of your experience).
Position the best items “Above the Fold.”
In resume speak, your best experiences and accomplishments should be visible on the top of your resume. This top section is what the hiring manager will see first—and what will entice someone to continue reading. So prioritize your most relevant experiences, and then check out these five other marketing tricks to get your resume noticed.
Eliminate the Objective Statement
The only time an objective section makes sense is when you’re making a significant career change and need to explain why your experience doesn’t match the position you’re applying for right away. In all other cases? Consider whether a summary statement is appropriate for you—or leave it out entirely to save space and focus on making the rest of your resume shine.
Maintain (Reverse) Chronological Order
There are numerous ways to organize the information on your resume, such as the functional or the combination resume, but the good old reverse chronological (with your most recent experience listed first) is still your best bet. Skip the skills-based summary unless necessary in your situation—hiring managers may wonder what you’re hiding.
Could you keep it to a Single Page?
The two- (or more!) page resume is a contentious topic, but the bottom line is that you want the information here to be concise, and keeping it to one page is an excellent way to force yourself to do so. Go for it if you truly have enough relevant and meaningful experience, training, and credentials to highlight on more than one page of your resume. But what if you could tell the same story in less time?
Think about an online supplement.
Can’t seem to fit your entire story on one page, or want to include some visual examples of your work? Instead of attempting to cover everything on your resume, focus on the essential details and include a link to your website, where you can go into greater detail about what makes you the ideal candidate.
Formatting
Could you keep it simple?
In a moment, we’ll talk about being creative to stand out. But what is the most fundamental principle of good resume formatting and design? Maintain simplicity. Use a simple but contemporary font, such as Helvetica, Arial, or Century Gothic. Make it easy for hiring managers to read your resume using a font size of 10 to 12 and leaving plenty of white space on the page.
Use a different font or typeface for your name, resume headers, and the companies you’ve worked for, but keep it simple and consistent. Whatever resume format you choose, the hiring manager’s readability should be your primary concern.
Make Your Contact Information Visible
You no longer need to include your address on your resume (really! ). Still, you should have a phone number and a professional email address (not your work address!) as well as other websites where the hiring manager can find you, such as your LinkedIn profile and Twitter handle (This implies that you keep these social media profiles appropriate for prospective employers.)
Keep it Current and Relevant.
As a general rule, only include the most recent 10-15 years of your career history and only have the experience relevant to the positions for which you are applying. Remember to divide the space on your resume according to its importance. If you can have one more college internship or go into greater detail about your current role, always go with the latter (unless a previous job was more relevant to the one you’re applying for).
Insufficient Relevant Experience? Not to worry!
Don’t be concerned if you don’t have any relevant experience. Instead, we suggest focusing your resume on your practical and transferrable skills, as well as any related side or academic projects, and then pairing it with a strong cover letter that tells the story of why you’re ideal for the job.
Select Your Bullet Points
No matter how long you’ve been at a job or how much you’ve accomplished there, no section should have more than five or six bullets. The recruiter will not be able to get through your shots, no matter how good they are.
Give the Facts
Include as many facts, figures, and numbers in your bullet points. How many people have been influenced by your work? How much did you exceed your targets? By quantifying your achievements, you allow the hiring manager to visualize the job or responsibility required to achieve them.
Go One Step Further
People hire performers, so you should demonstrate that you didn’t just do things but got things done! Consider how you can expand on each statement and include what the benefit was to your boss or your company as you review your bullet points. This communicates not only what you’re capable of but also the direct benefit to the employer of hiring you.
Do Not Ignore Non-Traditional Work
No rule states that you must only list full-time or paid work on your resume. So, have you done a lot of volunteering, worked part-time, been hired as a temp or contract worker, freelanced, or blogged? Include these activities as separate “jobs” in your career timeline.
Vary Your Word Choice
Readers will become bored quickly if every bullet in your resume begins with “Responsible for.” To spice things up, use our handy list of better verbs!
Make Use of Keywords
Use keywords in your resume: Scan the job description to see the most frequently used words, and ensure you include them in your bullet points. This is not only a self-check to ensure that your resume is job-specific, but it will also ensure that you are noticed in applicant tracking systems.
Avoid Using Vague Phrases
What words should you avoid using? Detail-oriented, team player and hard worker are just a few vague terms that recruiters say are overused. We’re sure there’s a better way to express how fantastic you are.
Education
Experience comes first, followed by education.
Put your education after your experience unless you’re a recent graduate. Your most recent jobs are probably more meaningful and relevant to you getting the job than where you went to college.
Also, could you keep it in reverse chronological order?
Generally, you should list your educational background in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent or advanced degree. However, if older coursework is more relevant to the job, list it first to catch the reviewer’s attention.
But Ignore the Dates
Do not include your graduation dates. The reviewer is more concerned with whether or not you have the degree than when you obtained it.
Incorporate Continuing or Online Education
Include continuing education, professional development coursework, or online courses in your education section if it appears to be lacking. “Online courses are a more-than-accepted norm nowadays, and participating in them can show your determination and motivation to get the skills you need for your career.”
Competencies, Honors, and Interests
List Your Qualifications
Include a section that lists all relevant skills you have for a position, such as HTML and Adobe Creative Suite, and any industry-related certifications. Avoid including skills everyone is expected to have, such as email or Microsoft Word. This will make you appear less technologically savvy.
Divide and Conquer
If you have a lot of skills related to a position, such as a foreign language, software, and leadership abilities, try separating one of those sections and listing it separately. Add another section below your “Skills” section titled “Language Skills” or “Software Skills,” and detail your experience there. Again, we’re aiming for immobility here!
Display Some Personality
Include a “Interests” section on your resume if you want, but only include those relevant to the job. Do you want to work for a music company as a guitarist? Include it without a doubt. But scrapbooking as a hobby for a tech job at a healthcare company? Don’t even consider it.
Show Off Your Stuff
Include any awards or accolades you’ve received, even if they are company-specific. State what you received them for, for example, “Earned Gold Award for having the company’s top sales record four quarters in a row.” What about personal accomplishments, such as marathon running, that aren’t entirely relevant but demonstrate you’re a motivated, hard worker?
Gaps and Other Perplexing Resume Situations
Get Rid of Short-Term Jobs
Consider removing a (non-temporary) job from your resume if you only worked there for a few months. Leaving an exceptionally short-lived job or two off your work history shouldn’t hurt, as long as you’re honest about your experience if asked in an interview.
Address the Gaps
If your work history contains gaps of several months, do not list the typical start and end dates for each position. Use only the years (2010-2012) or the years or months you worked at your previous jobs.
Describe Serial Job Hopping
If you’ve changed jobs frequently, include a reason for leaving next to each position, such as “company closed,” “layoff due to downsizing,” or “relocated to a new city.” By filling the gaps, you’ll proactively demonstrate the reason for your erratic job movement and make it less of an issue.
Describe a Long Job Break
Returning to work after a long absence? This is an excellent opportunity to include a summary statement at the top that highlights your best skills and accomplishments. Then, begin your career chronology without hesitation, including any part-time or volunteer work.
Do Not Attempt to Be Cute
Don’t try to fill in gaps on your resume creatively. For example, if you took time off from work to raise children, don’t list it on your resume as “adeptly managed the growing pile of laundry” (we’ve seen it). While parenting is a demanding and intense job, most corporate decision-makers will not take this section of your resume seriously.
Lasting Details
Remove the phrase “References Available Upon Request.”
If a hiring manager is interested in you, they will ask for references and assume you have them. There’s no need to address the obvious (and doing so may make you appear arrogant!).
Proofread
It should go without saying, but make sure your resume is error-free. And don’t rely solely on spell and grammar checks—ask family or friends to look it over for you (or get tips from an editor on perfecting your work).
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