Top Tips For How to Improve Your Resume
All the tips you need to make your resume stand out.
The job market is constantly changing, and that means your resume should be changing right along with it to keep up. It’s important to keep your resume up to date, but it’s also important to improve your resume, too. You want the best chance of landing an interview and hopefully the job, right?
Here’s everything you need to know about writing a resume, how to improve it, what employers are looking for, and the common mistakes to avoid. Whether it’s an internship or your first job after graduation, you’ll be set. Time to get hired!
How to Write a Resume
Creating a professional resume might seem like a daunting task, but it’s not bad once you know what to do.
- Choose the right format: Chronological, reverse chronological, functional, more design-savvy, etc.
- Include your name and contact information: Employers need to know how to get ahold of you!
- Tailor your resume for each position: If you have various roles your applying for, such as marketing and social media, have a resume for each.
- Add a summary or objective: This gives a brief snapshot of who you are, what your goals are, and why you’d make a good hire.
- List soft and hard skills: Soft skills are interpersonal things (i.e., detail-oriented, strong communication), while hard skills are technical (i.e., software expertise, specialized certifications). Include both!
- Detail professional history: Let potential employers know where you worked, your role there, how long you were there, and any key takeaways they should know about the job.
- Include your education: This could be relevant coursework, your GPA (if above 3.5), clubs and organizations, leadership positions, etc.
Why You Should Improve Your Resume
Improving your resume gives you the highest chance of grabbing the attention of the hiring managers at your potential employer. Writing a clear and concise, not to mention a well-organized resume showcases your professionalism and will hopefully lead to at least an interview.
You want to present the most relevant information to the job you’re applying for in an easy-to-understand format. Showcasing your skills will help hiring managers see why you stand out from the rest of the candidates they’re screening.
Ways to Improve Your Resume
Applying for jobs is a job in and of itself, so it’s easy to get lazy and keep sending in the same tired resume over and over again. Reviewing everything from the content you include to the font you use can really improve your resume and help it stand out above the rest.
Reverse Chronological Format
Employers prefer a reverse chronological format when they (or applicant tracking systems) look at your resume. Creating a timeline that’s easy to understand will help you stand out from other candidates. List your most recent experience or current position first and go backward from there.
Only List Relevant Qualifications
It can be easy to bog down your resume with every single job you’ve ever had. And while this might seem like a good idea, employers are really only looking for relevant experience and how it pertains to the job you’re applying for. Look at the job posting and see how you can highlight your qualifications in regard to what the employer is looking for.
Call Back to the Job Description
Does the job posting list any specific phrases that seem important? Think about how they relate back to your own skillset and find a way to emphasize that on your resume. Most employers use an applicant tracking system, so calling back to the keywords can help move your application to the top.
List Specific Achievements
Instead of just giving a generalized summary of your job, add detail by including numbers and percentages. Let’s say you were in charge of managing a social media page. Instead of saying, “Increased followers,” go back and find the concrete data to back up your claim. Listing, “Increased followers by 20%” gives your potential employer a better metric to measure your success by.
Make Sure You’re Optimized for Digital Formatting
The way of hard copy resumes is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Many employers will view your resume digitally on various devices (computers, tablets, phones, etc.), so ensuring your digital resume is formatted for each of them is key.
Include a Summary Statement
Instead of an objective as an introduction to your resume, swap it out for a summary statement. While an objective on your resume explains what your career goals are, a summary on your resume outlines what makes you a good fit and what unique skill set you would bring to the role. It’s basically a TLDR for the rest of your resume.
Proofread
Employers definitely won’t like it if your resume has typos on it. By proofreading it before you send it in, it shows that you’re educated and have a high attention to detail, two skills all employers are looking for when filling roles.
Mistakes to Avoid on Your Resume
Aside from the obvious mistakes (like typos and grammatical errors), there are a few other things you should avoid doing on your resume.
- Including irrelevant experience: Only include experience relevant to the role you’re applying for!
- Highlighting job duties instead of accomplishments: Showcase what you gained from your previous roles and what you could bring to your potential future employer.
- Making your resume too long: Keep your resume to a single page. Most recruiters barely skim the first page—anything longer than that and they lose attention.
- Not backing up your claims with data: Don’t just throw out random accomplishments. Have tangible evidence for the things you’re claiming on your resume.
