8/13/2019 Job Help - 25 Tips for Better Resumes

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25 Tips For A

Better Resume

atResume.com - Vol. 1, Number

Are you suffering from resume-writers block? Does everyone elsesresume seem more professional and

better worded than yours? The follow-ing are some guidelines to help youcreate a better electronic resume:

Dictionary is theonly place thatsuccess comesbefore work.

- Vince Lombardi

1. Be neat and error free. Catch all typos and grammar errors. Make

sure to have someone proofread your resume, preferably someone atten-tive to details. Even the smallest error could land your resume in the elec-tronic recycle bin.

2. State speci c objectives.. Form a solid, clear objective that will helpyou carry a focused message throughout the resume. The objective sum -marizes your skills and emphasizes your strengths.

3. Why does the employer need you? Focus on highlighting accom -plishments that will arouse the interest of employers who read resumes ask -ing themselves: What can this candidate do for me? Remember that thegoal is to get the interview.

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Make a good rst impression. On average, employers spend less than0 seconds scanning each resume. Most employers are more concerned aboutareer achievements than education. Place the most interesting and compellingacts about yourself at the beginning, such as a list of accomplishments in orderf relevance.

Emphasize your skills. Use a skill-based resume format that is organizedround the main talents you have to offer. Prioritize everything.

Use keywords. Include speci c key words and phrases that describe yourkills and experience, such as Product Launch, Income Statement, Balanceheet, Sales, Account Management, C++, Visual Basic, Word Processing, MSxcel, Adobe Illustrator, Graphic Design, and Advertising.

Use buzzwords. Use industry jargon and acronyms to re ect your familiar -y with the employers business, but not to the point where it makes your resumeard to read or understand. Spell out acronyms in parentheses if they are notbvious, such as TQM (Total Quality Management).

Use action verbs. Portray yourself as active, accomplished, intelligent,nd capable of making a contribution. Examples: Managed, Launched, Created,irected, Established, Organized, and Supervised.

Avoid Personal Pronouns. Never use personal pronouns such as I or meyour resume. Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phras -

s: Coordinated and published a weekly newsletter concerning local community

vents.

0. Highlight key points. Although most formatting such as bold, italics andnderlining is lost in an electronic resume, you may use capital letters, quotation

marks, even asterisks, to emphasize important words or section titles.

1. Summarize information. While electronic resumes may exceed the tradi-onal one to two page limit of paper resumes, in most cases, it should not ex -eed three pages.

2. List only recent information. The general rule of thumb is to show yourork experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.

3. Quantify your experience. Numbers are a powerful tool. Instead of sayingResponsible for increasing sales in my territory, use Increased sales in my ter -tory 150% in 6 months. Managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M.

4. Be organized, logical and concise. In addition to reviewing your experi -nce, employers also use the resume to get a sense of whether you are orga -

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atResume.com - Vol. 1, Number 5

ized, logical and concise.

5. Just communicate. Abandon the utilization of exorbitant, exquisite vocabu-ry. In other words, dont try to impress employers with the depth of your vocabu -ry. Use words everyone can understand.

6. Omit salary information. Never make reference to salary in your resume.

7. Avoid questionable subjects. Never make references to personal informationuch as race, religion, marital status, age, political party, or even personal views. Inl but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues.lso, avoid the use of humor and cliches in most resumes.

8. Be honest. Lying or exaggerating your abilities will always come back toaunt you. Since employers usually check into serious candidates, you will wantvery detail to check out.

9. Sell yourself. Do not under-emphasize your strengths and experience. Por -ay yourself in the best possible light. Skills that come naturally to you, others mayever grasp.

0. Write your own resume. Be personal, yet professional. Create a resume thatpersonalized to re ect you.

1. Personal traits. If you decide to include personal traits, such as Dependable,ighly-Organized, Self-Motivated, and Responsible, make sure they are applicable

o the position desired. Will the employer consider them valuable?2. Show consistency. To de-emphasize glaring gaps in your work history, con -der using a Functional resume, which focuses on your skills and accomplishmentsther than a Chronological format, which emphasizes the progression of your expe -ence.

3. Be balanced and neat. The effective resume is balanced, neat, visually ap-ealing and ows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize sectiontles. Leave suf cient blank space between sections for easy reading.

4. Stick with common section headings. Use common section headings. Exam -es: Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Skills, Summary, Summary

f Quali cations, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Professional Af liations,ublications, Licenses and Certi cations, Honors, Personal, Additional, and Refer -nces.

5. Be positive. Remove any negative comments or feelings conveyed in yoursume, especially when it comes to previous employment experiences. Emphasizepositive, can-do attitude.