5 Resume Tips
If you speak to 10 different resume writers, you will discover 10 different approaches to writing a resume, but numerous commonalities exist: experience, accomplishments, knowledge, skills, and ability. A marketable resume:
-Snatches the attention of employers and recruiters
-Helps you take the next step in your career
-Sells your strongest skills and accomplishments
-Shows why you are the right candidate for the position
-Communicates your ability and future potential
-And ultimately, gets you to the interview
5 Resume tips to keep in mind:
- Updating your resume should be a part of your job for professional growth. The experiences and accomplishments need to be recorded throughout your career; lend yourself an ear! Pay attention to comments made by supervisors and other leaders. “That was a good job recovering warehouse equipment for the ICU department, it prevented us from ordering more equipment; saved the department $125,000”. There goes an accomplishment bullet: “Successfully identified, recovered, and returned ICU equipment into the automated supply system; saving the ICU department $125,000”. At the same time, keep in mind your resume should only have relevant information. You may have taken out the trash at your desk or within the facility, but if you are applying for a Logistics Specialist position, it is irrelevant.
- Please highlight the OBJECTIVE section of your resume and press backspace or delete! The only circumstance an objective section makes sense is when you are making a complete career change and your experience may not match up. The objective section will explain, from the beginning, why your experience does not match up with the position you are applying for. For example, seeking a Logistics Specialist position that will effectively maximize my experience in personnel management”. Besides that, consider a Values section or a Summary of Qualifications section.
- Keep the information concise, one-three pages (excluding Federal Resumes). Employers and recruiters in the civilian world scan your resume and the goal is to read to get you in for an interview and discover further information. Think about it, if you had to read over 100 resumes per day outside your other duties, would you read 4 pages of information 100 times? The Federal resume is different. The Federal Government HR department has dedicated readers to read all information. The goal of the Federal Government is to read and make a decision on hiring you. The interview in the Federal Government is more of a personality/verification check. Contact us for help organizing your content or developing your Professional (civilian) and Federal resume.
- Keyword optimization is important. Most employers utilize an Automated Tracking System (ATS) to handle initial recruitment needs. The idea for the system is to weave through the hundreds of resumes and only forward qualifying personnel to actual human beings. The system saves time and money during the recruitment process. If your resume does not have keywords from the job announcement and job field, your resume will not populate. Job boards like monster.com, hotjobs.com, careerbuilder.com, and indeed.com are notorious for using the ATS system to migrate resumes with employers.
- Get help from a friend or Professional. If you want your resume to look attractive and sell your experience, have a friend or professional read over the development of your resume. Have no shame in getting help; your financial health and ability to support your responsibilities depend on it. Out of all the documentation required to submit to employers or recruiters, your resume is arguably the most important document, so it’s worth getting it right!
