Your resume is the perfect opportunity to stand out from the crowd and demonstrate that you have what they are looking for. No matter what kind of job you are looking for, these tips will help you approach, design and put the finishing touches on your resume.
YOUR APPROACH
1. It's not about you
Don't tell an employer what you want, and don't tell them your life story. tell them how you can add value to their company. Any skill or experience you include on your resume should be relevant. If it's not relevant, leave it off. What skills and characteristics is the employer looking for? Make a list, circle the ones you can offer, and create a resume that shows off those traits and experiences.
2. Be outside the box
Does a job call for "outside the box thinking?" Simply saying you fit that description doesn't demonstrate your ability to be creative. Use your resume as an opportunity to show how creatively you can approach challenges.
3. Pick your tools
Everyone knows Microsoft Word, and most people use it to create their resumes. But what if the job requires you to know Adobe Suite or Power Point? Then why not use one of these soft-wares to design your resume?
4. Portfolios aren't just for artists
If you have relevant work experience and the documentation to prove it. Package it up nicely and send it in along with your resume. It will demonstrate your skills in a way that a resume never can. It will also make the interview go more smoothly because you will have something to look at together.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
5. Your font
Your font sets the tone and says something about who you are. If this position requires lots of number crunching. You should probably choose a San Serif Font. If it involves research and writing, an elegant serif font is probably best. Whatever the case may be, there is probably a preferable alternative to Times New Roman, which is by far the most common resume font.
6. Practice gun control
This is a resume and not a machine gun. Take it easy with the bullet points. The human brain can only process tow or three bullet point at a time. Don't use a bulleted list to describe a job. Instead try a tow or three sentence paragraph explaining how it developed your skills. If you want to add success stories or metrics, then add a couple bullet points.
7. Use space effectively
Potential employers don't spend much time on each resume. Don't waste space, or your potential employer's attention, on things like your street address or hobbies. Also, truly effective communicators sould be albe to get the point across in one page.
FINISHING TOUCHES
8. Remove the hyper-link from your email address
If you don't, it's going to look weird when it's printed out.
9. Convert your resume file to a PDF before emailing it
Make sure your resume looks the same to everyone that opens it by converting it to a PDF or something like a JPG or PNG where appropriate.
10. Remember, there are no rules
The more that everyone else abides by the same resume format, the more opportunity there is to stand out by doing something creative.
Great resume tips! Why not try to create job applications?
