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Resume Tips

Salary Guide


How to Stand Out with Your Resume?

It only takes a couple seconds for an employer to toss a poor resume. Follow these tips to increase your odds of staying in the applicant pool.

Resume Tips

Have you ever seen an advertisement or flyer which really caught your attention? Did it provide key information? Design your resume as an advertisement that makes the employer want to learn more about you.

  • Emphasize your work–related skills.
  • Focus on selling only the qualifications, skills, and occupational goals that are relevant to the position to which you’re applying. Create several versions of your resume to emphasize your qualifications for different types of jobs.
  • Describe your qualifications using measurable outcomes and specific accomplishments.
  • Do not make statements that you cannot prove.
  • Use “I” to refer to yourself. Avoid any mention of salary expectations or wage history.
  • Keep it brief (1-2 pages). Your resume is an overview of your qualifications, not your life story.
  • Correct all typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors.
  • Maintain an eye–appealing visual appearance.
  • Keep it neat, well organized, and professional.
  • Always include a cover letter when mailing your resume. It makes your application more personal and demonstrates to employers that you are seriously interested in the job.

Companies rarely have the resources to review all the resumes they receive. Many larger employers use electronic resume scanning systems that look for specific keywords or phrases which match the minimum requirements for the position. Your resume will have more chances of being read in its entirety if you follow these tips:

  • Give priority to the skills on your resume. Scannable resume systems are designed to look for skills.
  • Use keywords for skills and occupation-specific requirements.
  • Use generous margins and plenty of white space.
  • Use 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper.
  • Do not use a font size smaller than 10 or larger than 14.
  • Do not use italic, bold, or underlined text, graphics, or shading.
  • Do not staple or fold your resume. Send it in a flat white envelope.

 

Contact Information

Include your name and address, e-mail address (avoid using unprofessional e-mail address such as hotmama101 or sexystuff), and phone numbers. Be sure that everything is current! Remember to check your outgoing voice mail message for loud background music, slang, or improper language.

Objective

Be sure to customize your objective for each job that you are applying. Your objective should show the employer that you know what you want out. For example:

To obtain a management position that will challenge my creativity, utilize my education and experience and give me the opportunity to acquire new skills.

Body

Go back about 10 years listing your positions in reverse chronological order. Include your job title, your employer’s name, the city and state in which it is located, and the starting and ending dates of your employment (month and year).

Use Titles or Headings that Match the Job you Are Applying for

Employers receive hundreds of resumes; you want a resume that catches the employer’s attention within a glance. By using titles or headings that relate to the job you are applying for you are definitely getting the employers attention.

Use a Format that Will Grab Attention (Be an Easy Read)

Employers do not have the time to read through each of your jobs, your responsibilities and your accomplishments to determine whether or not you are the ideal fit for them. You need to format your resume so that you can do this for the employer. Highlight the pertinent information about your skills, education and experience.

Use Power Words

Use power words or verbs that match the position that you are applying for. For example:
Instead of: “Gave assignments to staff of entry level administrators”

Use: “Directed workflow, supervised and trained entry level administration projects”.

Use Bullet Points

Use short sentences and bullets to configure the body of your resume. Specifics can be discussed during the interview

Be Positive

Leave out irrelevant information. If you think that putting your graduation date subjects you to age discrimination, don’t include them. If some of the responsibilities that you have had at a previous job do not relate to your current search, leave them out.

Education

You should include the name and the location of the institution as well as the degree you have obtained. If including your grade point average, a GPA of 3.0 or above is worth mentioning.

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