Ready To Go Resumes stays well-informed with the latest and greatest tips and advice from hiring authorities. From what I have gathered in 2020; it is still an applicant’s mistake not to update/edit their resume – focusing on the position of interest. A “one resume fits all” doesn’t work. Taking the time to edit your resume to add relevant information pertaining to the specific position will put you at the top of qualifiers. I will assist by providing 3 tips to make your resume stand out and populate in ATS systems:
1. Include relevant or transitional work experience – of course you know your accomplishments and work experience better than anyone; but it’s important to include the relevant information in your resume. Make it clear to the hiring authority that you in fact have the capability to accomplish the responsibilities in the job announcement.
2. Show numbers or key accomplishments separate from your experience – for example, develop 4-6 lines of content in paragraph form; annotating your experience in the specific position. Then, include 3 bullets showing numbers or key accomplishments. “Completed project tasks within budget/schedule or processed 10 administrative actions per month or saved the organization $20k by recovering supply items or managed over 20 pieces of rolling stock with zero accidents/incidents. Any key accomplishment that shows the recruiters you can accomplish project tasks successfully.
3. Include a section for job training – this is often overlooked. All training received at your workplace and prior workplaces should be known. This can give the company of interest an idea of the amount of money or time they need to spend training you up. The job training can include: sexual harassment training, equal opportunity training, first aid/AED, training on automated systems or training with software applications. In the job training section, you should also include: security clearance, certifications, and membership affiliation. If you were the recruiter and can save the company $10K because the candidate already has a secret clearance or $2K because the candidate has a certain training certificate, would you develop interest or seek a candidate you have to pay for?
Other advice received include: formatting resume correctly and the length of your resume. General formatting rules are – demographic information, skills summary section, work experience section, education section and job training section. The rule of thumb for resume length is 1-3 pages for the civilian/private sector and for the federal sector, the length should be however many pages necessary show all knowledge, skills and abilities (federal resumes require more detail – read to hire). Your resume should display the last 10 years of your career (summarize prior experience in a separate section; 3-5 sentences). Good luck to you and Get Yours Today!
