Add Your Contact Information
The first item on your resume should be your first and last name, a phone number and an email address. Consider also including additional contact information so that potential employers have multiple ways to reach you. You may, for example, include your professional networking platform page or an online portfolio link. You can also include your address, whether its the full mailing address or just your city and state. Many companies prefer to hire local employees to reduce relocation time and expenses.
What To Leave Off Your Resume
There are some things that dont belong on a resume for a job. What you exclude is just as important as what you include. Ideally, your resume should reflect experience that is relevant to the job you are applying to, and typically no more than ten to fifteen years in the past. Since your resume should, if possible, be no longer than one or two pages, you may need to nix certain items.
For example, if you took a job and only stayed there for a month or so, you wouldnt want to include that position. If youve been out of college for more than five years, its generally best to remove any internships youve had, assuming you have other professional work experience to fill the gap.
However, this is a case where youll want to use your common sense. If you went to college for marketing and had a marketing internship your senior year, then worked as a server for the next several years, you would want to include your marketing internship.
Ultimately, you want to try to strike a balance between including experience that is both timely and relevant.
Highlight Your Relevant Work Experience
Your work experience section is the most essential part of your resume because its the best representation of your qualifications.
If you lack formal work experience, however, dont worry. Simply title this section Relevant Experience and use it to highlight details about your volunteer work, extracurriculars, or relevant school coursework.
To create a logical and informative work experience section, list your relevant experience from most recent to least recent . For each job, list the following information:
- Your title
- Company location
- Dates of employment
If youre still currently working at a company, you can simply write , present for the employment dates.
A general rule is that each job title includes about 35 bullet points of your main duties and achievements working in that role.
3 parts of a strong bullet point:
- 1st: Action verb
- 2nd: Quantifiable point
- 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty
Example 1:
Trained5+ cashiers, managing their cash limits and guaranteeing quality customer service at all times.
Example 2:
Spearheadedthe development of the first media kit amalgamation for all company projects, increasing national sales by 8%.
One reason the above bullet points are effective is that they use action verbs to grab the attention of hiring managers. Describing your experience using strong action verbs helps illustrate to employers what youve accomplished and what kind of skills you have.
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Do Ask For Editing Do Get A Second Opinion
Before sending your resume to employer job nirvana, do ask a friend to proof read your work. Its so easy to make a typo or spelling error after working so closely with your own wise words. Besides, a proof reader can help identify the points that fail to convey your true ability. Does your resume impress your editor in 15 seconds or less? Perhaps you missed something important only a close friend could mention? Always ask for a second opinion. Editing makes your resume stronger.
Creating a resume like a professional resume writer is easy. It just takes some planning, some research, and a strong desire to land a job interview. Try using these 10 Dos the next time you update your skills, accomplishments, and experiences.
Got any other resume writing tips to offer? Ive been getting lots of email from you guys expressing joy over this series. I feel your joy, now dont fear commenting!
How To Optimize Your Resume For An Ats
Senior Marketing Manager at LinkedIn
May 17, 2021
As a job seeker, you want to create that perfect resume that will help you get noticed by recruiters. But before your resume is even seen by a human, it needs to get past the ATS, or applicant tracking system.
For companies and recruiting agencies, the ATS is a way to efficiently manage and track candidates and make the hiring process more consistent in order to stay in compliance with labor laws.
For job seekers, its a digital gatekeeperone more step of the online application process you need to understand and master.
The more you understand what the applicant tracking system is looking for, the better equipped you’re going to be to structure your resume in a way that has you sail right on through that software and move forward in the process, says Jenny Foss in her course Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems.
Here are four ways to optimize your resume with what the ATS looks for.
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Header & Contact Information
Last but not least, make sure you include a header with your name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile URL, and a portfolio website link . We recommend placing this bar of information toward the top of your resume this allows recruiters to quickly see your name and how to contact you.
Now that youre all caught up on everything you need to create a stellar resume, youre off to the races!
Display Your Online Presence
Near your name and contact information, list any online accounts you have that can showcase your interests, passions, or previous work. The list could include social media, an online portfolio, or your website.
Be sure to remove anything from your online accounts that you donât want a potential employer to view. Post content that may be relevant to the job youâre applying for or that is your original work.
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How To Write A Resume
The Balance
Do you need to write a resume? While it’s only a page or two in length, a resume is one of the most important parts of a job application. Your resume is your most powerful tool to tell the story of your professional work history to potential employers.
A well-written resume that highlights your most relevant qualifications for the job will help you get selected for an interview. Often, interviewers will consult your resume during the interview, too. Above all, your resume needs to be consistent, concise, and easy to read. If it’s not, your resume and cover letter won’t get a second glance from any hiring manager.
In many cases, your resume is the first document a hiring manager will look at when reviewing your application, and therefore is a true first impression. Accordingly, its important to put time and effort into developing and maintaining an updated, accurate resume.
Here is information on how to write a resume that will get noticed and help you get invited for an interview.
How To Pick The Right Resume Format
There are three types of resume formats: reverse chronological, functional or skills-based, and a combination of the two. The choice depends on the type of job you are applying for and your level of experience.
The 3 resume formats are:
1) Reverse chronological resume format – This is the most popular resume format and is ideal for people with plenty of work experience that is relevant to the position theyre interested in.
2) Functional/skills-based resume format If you lack relevant work experience because you are a student/recent graduate, or you are looking to make a career change, the skills-based format is a better choice.
3) Combination resume format The combination resume is a great choice for job-seekers with a very diverse skill-set. Its useful if youre applying for a role that requires expertise in 3-4 different fields, and you want to show all that in your resume. Say, for example, youre applying for a senior management role, and the requirements are expertise in Management, Sales, and Software Development.
So, which one do you go for?
In 90%+ cases, youd want to stick to the reverse-chronological resume format. This is the most common one, and most HR managers are used to this. Hence, in this guide, were going to focus on this specific format.
If youre a recent graduate, or possess a diverse set of skills & work experience, you might want to pick one of the other 2 formats. Check out our guide to resume formats to learn how to write either.
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Create An Original Resume Template
While it’s helpful to refer to a professional resume template, don’t follow it rigidly, said Claire Bissot, SPHR and managing director of CBIZ HR Services. Employers appreciate originality.
“I often pass over resumes that match Microsoft Office templates,” Bissot said. “The templates are meant to be a guide to get started, but it should be expanded on to make it your own.”
Format your resume in ways that make you look good. For instance, Bissot recommended, if you advanced in a company quickly, draw attention to that growth if you excessively job-hopped, bullet those jobs without providing specifics, and detail more applicable positions. This will play to your assets.
When structuring your resume, make sure the information is presented in a logical order, said Veronica Yao, a former recruiter and current marketing and community manager at #movethedial. “A hiring manager read your resume starting at the top and ending at the bottom. However, if they don’t finish reading the whole thing and they often don’t you still want to ensure your strongest points come across.”
What If You Have Several Skills To Showcase
I feel limited. There are more skills I want to talk about, what should I do?
In that case, to include multiple skills, you should include a subsection for it. Take a look at how Alex did it on his software engineer resume with Enhancv below:
Its very simple, yet highly effective. We can see his technical skills and software proficiency on the toolbox section of his resume. And, we can see his transferable skills in the power skills section. As a reader, its very easy and quick for us to identify his core skills to determine how well hell be able to do his job as a software engineer.
The reason we emphasize having minimal details is that its easier to highlight the key details. Therefore, you can get straight to the point without beating around the bush.
If you have loads of skills that exceed the limit, you may want to consider creating a skill-based resume. When youre creating your resume skills section, you need to decide not only what skills to include, but how youre going to structure and format it.
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Think About The Whole Story
Scan your resume to see if it really does tell the story of your career. Does it show learning and progress? Does it highlight your greatest accomplishments? Your resume should show just how you got to where you are and all of the battles you have fought and won to get there. Then, it needs to show why those amazing feats make you the best possible candidate for the job you want.
Remember, an employer with an opening may be facing a stack full of resumes and, yes, you’re just one of the many. But if they have a job opening that means they want one of those resumes to jump up and make them take notice. In the humdrum of dozens of resumes littered with phrases like Partnered with manager to improve team efficiency, that could put them to sleep, a resume that uses great action verbs and tells a vivid story of who you are as an employee will make them perk right up and reach for their phone.
Your resume is your story and you’re the hero. Make sure your story has plenty of action through your resume wording.
Click on the following link for more resume advice.
Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our free critique today!
Resumes With Impact: Creating Strong Bullet Points
How can you make your resume stand out to an employer?
- Use an easy-to-read format and structure that highlights your relevant education and experience.
- Develop bullet points or statements to show relevant skills and qualities. Be specific about what you did and how you did it.
- Start your bullet points or statements with strong action verbs.
- Provide contextual details to inform the reader about the purpose of your work, the scope of the project, and what you produced or accomplished.
- Quantify your work and achievements where possible.
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List Your Professional History With Keywords
Write your professional history section in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most recent job and provide a short description including the company name, time period in which you were employed, your job title and a few key achievements during your time at the company. You might also include relevant learnings or growth opportunities you experienced while employed there.
When listing your professional history, you should keep a few best practices in mind:
-
Use numbers to measure your impact, when possible. Including specific numerical achievements can help employers understand your direct potential value to their company.
Example: Developed new process for requesting supplies, reducing fulfillment time by 10%.
-
Use keywords from the job description. Similar to your skills section, you should also include information from the job description in your job history bullets. For example, if the job description mentions the importance of meeting sales quotas, you could include information about how youve met or exceeded quotas in past roles.
Example: Achieved goal of reaching 250% annual sales quota, winning sales MVP two quarters in a row.
Follow the same process for other work experiences. If you do not have extensive professional history, you should also include internships and volunteer opportunities following the same format.
Explain Your Achievements And Awards
Employers may be more impressed if you can prove that your abilities have been tested and that you have found success despite challenges. You can emphasize your victories by including a brief section in your resume that outlines your relevant achievements and awards. Maybe you received Employee of the Month three times in your previous job, or maybe you received an award for generating the most sales on your team in one quarter. These awards can set you apart from other candidates with similar experience.
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Only Include Subheadings And Sections You Need
Whether youre using a resume template or creating your own, you may find there are some recommended sections you do not need.
For example, you may need a resume summary or a resume objective, but you should not include both. If you are just graduating from college or high school and have not yet held a professional position, do not include an empty work history section. Instead, you might replace the experience section with relevant coursework, academic achievements and other experiences like internships or extracurricular projects.
You may also find it useful to combine sections if you are having trouble filling a section with more than two bullet points.
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I Came Up With Or Was In Charge Of A Project
Regardless of the position youre applying for, you likely want to demonstrate that you can think critically and come up with solutions to the types of problems your potential company might face. These are great words to show that youre a responsible leader and a thoughtful problem solver.
- Developed
- Organized
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Seven Ways To Make Your Resume Stronger
Yes, you heard it correct your resume is your first introduction to a new company, so its a must to make a great resume. Looking for a job change means you need to revamp your resume. Your resume is your promotional advertisement that gives sufficient information to sell your skills and experience. Your resume is the first contact that decides your potential employers would like to contact you for the position or not. Make your resume so attractive that it kills your first impression. In this competitive market, your resume and cover letter bring an explicit opportunity to your door. In this article, we will discuss how to make a more robust resume using these seven steps.
The headline and the summary section should make the first move to catch the clear picture and the value you would bring to an employer. Emphasize outstanding success, experience, expertise, and professional qualities you have. Lets give you an example of a creative headline and summary section:
Headline: Marketing manager with expertise in Marketing and PR
Summary: 7 Years of experience in advertising, Public relations, and Marketing for multinational brands.
Creating A Resume Skills Section
The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.
Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:
Example 1
If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:
If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:
Example 2
Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.
This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management:
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