Tips for Spicing Up Your Resume
Developing an effective and eye-catching resume is one of the first steps to landing the job you want. Your resume and application are often the first things an employer sees during their job candidate search. You want to make a good first impression. It’s also a good idea to be creative enough to stand out. You also want to include all relevant contact information, job history, education details, and accomplishments.
The following are tips and advice for making this happen:
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Delete Irrelevant Information
Be sure to tailor your resume for each new job you apply for. If you are searching for work in two different fields, some of the information you’re using won’t be relevant to both fields. Begin by reading your resume aloud. Delete any irrelevant or extraneous information. For instance, if you’re looking for a job as a vet’s assistant, then any previous experience working with animals might be relevant. However, that same animal info probably won’t be relevant to a job in business or customer support.
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List Awards and Nominations
A resume is always a good place to brag. List any awards you’ve won. For instance, if you were a product design awards finalist in 2017, then include it on your resume. Some people think they should only list awards won. However, you should also list any awards for which you earned an honorable mention status or finalist status. A list of awards and honors shows the employer that you’re hardworking and accomplished.
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Use Bolded Titles
Bold the titles of different sections of your resume. This helps guide your reader through the key sections: Employment history, education, awards, honors, etc. You could also make the bolded titles one font size larger than the rest of the text so that the titles stand out even more.
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Refer Readers to Your Website
Most professionals have their own website to showcase their work. However, you don’t have to be a professional artist to showcase. For instance, if you have your own lawn services business, you could start a site to showcase pictures and testimonials from your clients. If you want a job in the business world, you could design a website to showcase the important projects you’ve completed. Somewhere on your resume, list your web address so that readers can go to the web to find more info about you. Remember that a website can go into much further detail than a resume. You can list multiple pages of information about yourself.
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Avoid Vague Language by Using Specific Examples
So many resumes use vague terms, such as “improved sales.” This isn’t specific enough. It’s best to tell exactly what you did to improve sales. A better way to say this is to use more descriptive and specific language. For instance, you could write, “Supervised a group of twelve workers in a team who improved shoe sales by 15%.” Giving specific numbers and details will help your reader understand how relevant your accomplishments are.
Resume writing can be stressful. However, if you follow the above tips you increase your chances of standing out from the crowd. Once you’ve completed your resume, remember to have a trusted friend review it for you. You could also consult with a resume writing service for extra help, if necessary.
