By: iPadfanzz Editor on April 1, 2013
If you are reinvigorating your job search then cleaning up your resume is a must. Once you have a copy of your resume with you, it’s important to act as a hiring manager. That is the only way that you will be able to really clean up your resume. You need to remember that your employer’s inbox is filled with loads of resumes with hundreds coming every day. There’s no other way to stand out rather your resume speaking it for you. If you’re not getting quality hirers then it’s time to realize that the blind and uneducated use of language is not contributing to your resume. Remember, resumes are the currency of recruiting. Job sites, recruiters, and hiring managers all require them and use them to screen both prospects and candidates in or out. Given that a lot is riding on your resume, it is better to repair the faults, plug the loopholes and re-polish the language. Let’s take a look at few tips that should help you stay at the top of the pile and in the top of the hiring manager's mind.
Highlight your most relevant skills and experience first
Remember that hiring managers don’t have too much time in going through every detail mentioned in your resume. He will probably skim your resume, in 15 to 20 seconds, and will concentrate mainly on the top half. They need to make sure that your experience fits the demands of the job. So, highlight your most relevant skills and experience first and then work your way down to other information.
Give it s a facelift
Do you think that you resume look old and withered? Do you still list your first job after college graduation? Give your resume a facelift by making it concise: like only give your job history of the past 10 years. Summarize the rest of your experience with one general paragraph. Also forget about crafting lofty mission statements or "me-focused" resume objectives. Use the top half of the page to communicate your most recent experience and your most impressive accomplishments. Get the hirer’s attention and he/she will keep on reading.
A just pass-out candidate should restrict his/her resume to just one page. Try to break up your experience into two groups (“Relevant Experience” and “Leadership Experience & Activities”), to showcase your talents better. Your resume should act as a marketing material that shows off why you are qualified for a certain role.
Keep the language simple
Restrict yourself from the temptation of writing flowery language as the truth if that less is more when it comes to resume writing. Large blocks of text and long sentences should be avoided at all costs. Here’s an example of a long-winded sentence to avoid:
Was involved in developing relationships with key market players, which led to generation of $1 million in revenues and thus promoted the growth of the company
Now look at a much better alternative:
Generated $1 million in revenue by receiving new client accounts
The difference is clear as you state specific achievements. Fancy words and popular jargon have no place in a clear and concise resume. Your list of achievements has to be trimmed down as well so that your resume consists only of what is important.
Focus on numbers
While stating a specific achievement give the facts and numbers that are useful, and percentages more because the numbers you achieved while staying there in the job will speak volumes about your caliber.
Here is an example of a generic sentence that holds no value in a resume:
Listened to and allocated customer inquiries to appropriate personnel on a daily basis.
Here is the same sentence with hard numbers:
Processed and allotted 60 customer inquiries on an average daily basis.
Use active voice and first person
The active voice will prove useful in writing powerful resumes since it is more forceful and powerful, and it places you at the center of each sentence. In addition, it cuts the number of words and keeps the resume clean. Similarly, you can also make your resume more powerful by writing statements in first person.
Clean up your grammar
Don’t juggle up with silly grammatical mistakes. The thumb rule is proofread, proofread and proofread again. Don’t just trust spell check! Have a trusted friend or mentor give it a once over as well.
Use white space, bullet points and font consistency to max
A big block of text will not help the employer getting straight to the point, so it is advisable to use white space to split things into sections, so that each looks easier to read. Use bullet points than sentences. Also maintain, consistent with just one or two fonts and sizes, and consistent indentation. Also, use bold and italics consistently.
Consolidate education
Give information regarding your internships, courses, academic honors and extracurricular activities. It is important for recent college graduates.
Be honest
Never, never, never lie on a Resume. If you “conceal the truth” then you’ll be ultimate loser in the long run.
Your Resume is a “living document” that will be edited and updated through the course of your job search and your entire career. So it is important to spring clean you resume this summer, and at the start of every season, will help you get more interviews – and ultimately, better job offers!
If you are reinvigorating your job search then cleaning up your resume is a must. Once you have a copy of your resume with you, it’s important to act as a hiring manager. That is the only way that you will be able to really clean up your resume. You need to remember that your employer’s inbox is filled with loads of resumes with hundreds coming every day. There’s no other way to stand out rather your resume speaking it for you. If you’re not getting quality hirers then it’s time to realize that the blind and uneducated use of language is not contributing to your resume. Remember, resumes are the currency of recruiting. Job sites, recruiters, and hiring managers all require them and use them to screen both prospects and candidates in or out. Given that a lot is riding on your resume, it is better to repair the faults, plug the loopholes and re-polish the language. Let’s take a look at few tips that should help you stay at the top of the pile and in the top of the hiring manager's mind.
Highlight your most relevant skills and experience first
Remember that hiring managers don’t have too much time in going through every detail mentioned in your resume. He will probably skim your resume, in 15 to 20 seconds, and will concentrate mainly on the top half. They need to make sure that your experience fits the demands of the job. So, highlight your most relevant skills and experience first and then work your way down to other information.
Give it s a facelift
Do you think that you resume look old and withered? Do you still list your first job after college graduation? Give your resume a facelift by making it concise: like only give your job history of the past 10 years. Summarize the rest of your experience with one general paragraph. Also forget about crafting lofty mission statements or "me-focused" resume objectives. Use the top half of the page to communicate your most recent experience and your most impressive accomplishments. Get the hirer’s attention and he/she will keep on reading.
A just pass-out candidate should restrict his/her resume to just one page. Try to break up your experience into two groups (“Relevant Experience” and “Leadership Experience & Activities”), to showcase your talents better. Your resume should act as a marketing material that shows off why you are qualified for a certain role.
Keep the language simple
Restrict yourself from the temptation of writing flowery language as the truth if that less is more when it comes to resume writing. Large blocks of text and long sentences should be avoided at all costs. Here’s an example of a long-winded sentence to avoid:
Was involved in developing relationships with key market players, which led to generation of $1 million in revenues and thus promoted the growth of the company
Now look at a much better alternative:
Generated $1 million in revenue by receiving new client accounts
The difference is clear as you state specific achievements. Fancy words and popular jargon have no place in a clear and concise resume. Your list of achievements has to be trimmed down as well so that your resume consists only of what is important.
Focus on numbers
While stating a specific achievement give the facts and numbers that are useful, and percentages more because the numbers you achieved while staying there in the job will speak volumes about your caliber.
Here is an example of a generic sentence that holds no value in a resume:
Listened to and allocated customer inquiries to appropriate personnel on a daily basis.
Here is the same sentence with hard numbers:
Processed and allotted 60 customer inquiries on an average daily basis.
Use active voice and first person
The active voice will prove useful in writing powerful resumes since it is more forceful and powerful, and it places you at the center of each sentence. In addition, it cuts the number of words and keeps the resume clean. Similarly, you can also make your resume more powerful by writing statements in first person.
Clean up your grammar
Don’t juggle up with silly grammatical mistakes. The thumb rule is proofread, proofread and proofread again. Don’t just trust spell check! Have a trusted friend or mentor give it a once over as well.
Use white space, bullet points and font consistency to max
A big block of text will not help the employer getting straight to the point, so it is advisable to use white space to split things into sections, so that each looks easier to read. Use bullet points than sentences. Also maintain, consistent with just one or two fonts and sizes, and consistent indentation. Also, use bold and italics consistently.
Consolidate education
Give information regarding your internships, courses, academic honors and extracurricular activities. It is important for recent college graduates.
Be honest
Never, never, never lie on a Resume. If you “conceal the truth” then you’ll be ultimate loser in the long run.
Your Resume is a “living document” that will be edited and updated through the course of your job search and your entire career. So it is important to spring clean you resume this summer, and at the start of every season, will help you get more interviews – and ultimately, better job offers!
