As some of you know, in addition to blogging here at Dresses and Blazers, I also have a career transition service where I help professionals land roles in their targeted industries and companies. I started my company, Conquering Corporate to help frustrated and overlooked professionals get connected with recruiters and hiring managers so they can land interviews. Included in these are my Resume Renovation services. Resume help is one of the main pain points most professionals face. In most cases, professionals are unsure of how to accurately display their worth and work experience to effectively communicate their value to the companies and positions they’re targeting. To help my readers on this journey, I’ve prepared a list of Resume’s Do’s and Don’ts. Check it out below!
Resume Do’s:
- Tailor each resume you submit to the specific role you are applying for. There is no such thing as a “one size
fits all” when it comes to submitting your resume for job roles. You have a wide array of skillsets – your resume only captures some of them at a given point. Accentuate the ones that matter to the particular role you are applying for. Reuse key words and similar language that are used in the original job posting. - Focus on the content over the formatting. While formatting can be important for aesthetic reasons, content
will always reign more supreme. There is nothing worse that an awesome looking resume that is ultimately empty – revealing nothing important about the applicant and stuffed with a bunch of fillers to take up space. - Begin each section with your most impressive, important skillsets. You only have so much time to capture the attention of the person reviewing your resume. You want to get them intrigued and motivate them to keep reading to the next section.
- Focus on the impact you left. You were only hired or employed for a certain position because you solved a problem for that company. Most people think they need to be in a management role to show how they impacted an organization and that is not true.
- Avoid words or phrases that display basic competencies. For example: “Accurately processed 150 invoices daily.” This verbiage should be avoided. Why? Because if you are hired for a position its EXPECTED that you complete your daily tasks with accuracy. You do not get bonus points for showing up to work and doing your job correctly. That is expected of you in any industry or field.
- Avoid overly detailed, word fluff. You do not want to waste a person’s time with superfluous wording that makes what you’re saying hard to process or comprehend. Make your bullet points concise – in other words, get to the point.
Resume Don’ts:
- Include a photo on your resume. There are some resume templates online that allow a photo in the upper right or left hand corner. Avoid these. Although we live in the age of LinkedIn, (and if a manager wanted to see what you looked like physically, he or she could visit your LinkedIn profile) it is best not to set yourself up for any potential biases that may come with your appearance (race, gender, hair style, type, facial features).
- Include old volunteer and leadership roles that date more than 5 years back. Leadership and volunteerism is only beneficial when it speaks to the person you are TODAY. Including your secretary position in an on-campus organization that you graduated from 7 years ago does not display any current competencies and can be seen as resume fluff (information you put on your resume to take up space).
- Upload your resume to your LinkedIn profile. Instead, optimize your LinkedIn profile to match the material that is shown on your resume. Your resume includes personal details like your home address, phone number and email. Any random person visiting your LinkedIn can have access to this personal information and everyone does not have the best intentions.
- Go over 1 page in length. Unless you’re applying to a high level executive position, no one makes it past the first page. And if you are not a high-level executive, whatever experience you have is not enough to warrant someone reading two pages of material. Cut content if it does not apply to the role you are specifically applying for. Be concise!
Apply these strategies and start making immediate and impactful changes to your resume TODAY! If you’re interested in my Resume Renovation services, click here. Let’s get the ball rolling in your favor!!
