Is your resume looking a little stale? If you’re considering making some changes, keep these three items in mind to make sure that it will make an impact on employers.
1. Keep it Relevant
Especially in the top third of a resume, you want the most relevant, most essential parts of your professional history and focus to come through. A recruiter or hiring professional will first do a quick scan through resumes to eliminate any candidates that don’t fit. This means that your opening objective statement or profile statement needs to brand you clearly. The top statement on your resume is almost like a handshake and introduction; you need to quickly and clearly articulate what it is you do. Include the title of the job you are applying to and highlight the skills, traits, or experience that make you uniquely qualified for the role. In this top third of the resume, be sure to include some highlighted skills or accomplishments that will help the recruiter establish that you are right for further consideration and help you feature keywords that they might be searching for.
Throughout your resume, consider removing bullet points that don’t relate to the job you are applying to. If the point needs some context to show the value for the recruiter, be sure to provide the necessary information to show what’s in it for them. Also consider removing any older job experience that doesn’t relay important knowledge, skills, or abilities—especially if they are covered in other sections already. Strive to make every part of your resume meaningful to the recruiter that will be reviewing it and you’ll increase your odds of getting a phone call.
2. Be Specific
When it comes to resumes, being specific is the key. Details will help flesh out a picture of who you are as a candidate. As you review your resume, look for sections that seem vague or fail to create a clear picture for the reader. If you find sections that don’t make sense or need a little more information, take the time to clarify. Along the same lines, check your resume for jargon or acronyms that might not be commonly known throughout your target field or industry. This is especially important if you are changing careers or making a major transition such as from military to civilian employment.
3. Make it Achievement or Results-Focused
Every bullet point should begin with a descriptive action verb and then lead to a reason for the action, and an outcome or result. Better still, quantify your results if you can. Important opportunities to relate results can include any savings of time, manpower, money and any increase in revenue. By relating your contributions to the profitability of your employer, you demonstrate that you are a results-focused worker and that you will be a worthwhile contributor for them as well. The important thing here is to show and not tell. In fact, it isn’t advisable to say that you are achievement or results-focused, it is much better to demonstrate it through relaying your actions and positive results.
Ready to show off your updated resume? Make sure to upload it to your Jobing.com profile!