Five Tips for a Stronger Resume

Posted on Oct 19th 2009, 02:13 am, under Career Advice

If you're a new graduate, you probably don't have the credentials or experience to fill up an entire resume. If you're a veteran, on the other hand, you may have so much work experience that your resume stretches to multiple pages, and yet hardly any of it may be related to the job you're applying for.

You need to make a killer resume that will showcase all your skills and grab the attention of potential employers. Here’s how to do it:

1. Keep it short.

Most employers receive dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes. Nobody will have the patience to sit and leaf through a resume that's a dozen pages long, searching for relevant skills and experience. This is why it's important to keep your resume concise, one to two pages at most. Still, it must be contain all the information that employers need. Put the most relevant information where it's easily visible. If you're having trouble fitting everything onto one page, have someone family or friends look it over and decide what's irrelevant.

2. Functional, not chronological.

You probably don't want your employer to see any long gaps in your employment history, when you were between jobs or otherwise occupied. You have two choices: list your past job duties in order of relevance to the job you're applying for, or list them in order of your accomplishments. 

In addition, remember to list any volunteer work that you did. Even if you weren’t paid, it’s still a valuable addition to your resume. However, just put everything under your "Work Experience" to save space.

3. Simple and clean is the way to go.

Use fonts that are easy to read, preferably without serifs, such as Arial or Tahoma (don't use Times New Roman). Generally, avoid using colored paper for your resumes. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with the classic look: black ink on white paper. If it's important that you show potential employers your creativity, however, include a link to your blog or online portfolio in your contact information, or bring your portfolio with you to the interview.

4. Create a custom resume for each job.

The experience and skills you list should only be those which are relevant to the position you're applying for. If you see one that's not, simply take it out. Add, subtract, and edit as needed to match the keywords in the job description. 

5. Give them the specifics.

When citing your previous work experience, don't just list the positions you held. Whenever possible, always give your interviewers quantifiable, measurable results. How much money did you make for your company? How much time did you save while doing that critical project? How many clients did you interact with? How many deals did you seal? This gives employers a much better picture of your accomplishments and helps them decide if you're the right one for the job.