Maintaining a current resume is important if you are a career oriented individual; situations, responsibilities, departments, personnel, and projects change consistently which must be reflected on your resume. If you were asked today to submit your resume to a greater position, is your resume ready to go? I would almost guarantee the majority of the workforce would have to go back and update their resume, allowing time for the requestor to find another candidate or view you as a procrastinator. Although writing a resume can be intimidating and present itself as a “job” it should always be done. The biggest secret is, it doesn’t require you to be a master resume writer to show your experience effectively, you just have to take it step-by-step (demographic information, present work experience with action, education section, job training section, and other information section) and remember what recruiters/HR reps look for. Sometimes we don’t have time or we forget who we really are and what we have accomplished, so consequently – we miss a lot of important information; my recommendation is: seek a professional resume writer to develop your resume and from there, tweak it as you progress. I will offer resume tips for 2019 you can use to ensure your resume is on-point.
1. Optimize for ATS – since organizations receive 100s of resume per job announcement, they cut time by using an ATS system that pre-scans your resume before a human reads it. If your resume matches a percentage of the keywords within the announcement or job field, your resume will be picked up for consideration. If your resume is not matching the industry or keywords, it won’t populate and will be thrown in the software’s trash can! They use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to save time reading resumes. Organizations figure if they read, might as well be a qualified applicant’s resume. Utilizing keywords is one method to get picked up in the ATS, but also, the format. The format should be simple, applying only common special characters If necessary (#, (, ), $, %, &, *, /, ;, “. :), single column layouts, no special fonts, and clear headers.
2. Effective Header and Accomplishment bullets – include a highly noticeable header to your resume. For example, Logistics Management Specialist with experience in Administration -OR- Systems Administrator with experience in Network Segments and Intranet Development. You want the reader to know who you are and what you can do – immediately! Accomplishment bullets need to be results driven; include numbers, accountables, and accomplishments that stand out above all duties completed while performing in the particular position. If you were praised by leadership for a job well done or awarded; it should be included in the accomplishment bullets.
3. Utilize action verbs – don’t just list skills or tell the employer what you were responsible for; use action verbs to show your accomplishments, express what you are capable of, and demonstrate your experience. Simply listing “customer service” is useless to recruiters. Rather, they would like to see you show, express, and demonstrate your customer service skills through the use of action verbs, Ex: analyzed, communicated, facilitated, solved, influenced, planned, performed, etc.
Good luck to you all, 2019 is literally around the corner. Optimize your resume for ATS systems, tailor your resume to the job/industry, utilize effective headers and accomplishment bullets, and utilize action verbs throughout your resume. Stay focused and motivated for the next move. The next move should be your best move!
