Expert Career Advice for Your Resume
3 min read
Expert Career Advice: 5 Quick Fixes to Make Your Resume Stand Out
Resumes are such a two edge sword; on one side you are holding in your hand the keys to better financial security, maybe better suited hours for work… in short your entire security for you and your family, then the other side is that boring document, that a family member quickly wrote for you a few years back.
Let me tell you that you are not doing yourself any favors if your resume is over 6 months old! Resumes today have a harder time reaching the employer. Updates and formatting for today’s standard is a MUST!
Automated systems now scan your resume looking for relevant keywords, so if you were wondering why you haven’t had a call for an interview, now you know.
So let’s fix this right now.
1. One Page Resumes are not a thing anymore.
Sure 20 years ago you might be able to fit what you need on one sheet, but in today’s job market professional are complex and recruiters know this. One page resumes will actually hurt your interview chance.
Now this doesn’t mean you can now waffle on and create a war and peace novel out of your resume; your resume needs to be laser focused, something I will discuss in the next fix.
2. Resumes with frickin’ laser beams on them.
A focused resume is necessary because gone are the days when sending out the same resume to 100 different jobs worked. Most companies use an ATS system which scans resumes for keywords.. I’ll let that sink in. Your ‘box standard resume fits all’ is being looked at by a machine first and foremost. Now do you see why you need to have your resume laser focused? Whatever the position is you are going for, your resume needs to be tailored to that position- that automated system is searching for exactly what the recruiter is looking for.
3. Market that email.
Use your email as a chance to make it memorable and I don’t [email protected]. Your email can work for you as it appears at the top of your resume (did I mention it HAS to be clickable?)
Consider getting an email for your particular field.
My point here is to get an email to market your particular skills and it shows an employer how serious you are about your field.
4. Professional Experience.
Look at the what the job you are applying for is asking for in a candidate, then ensure you tailor your professional experience section to use those same keywords.
5. Target acquired.
Your resume has to have a target job title. This will appear at the top of your resume and I strongly advise you to tailor that job title target to whatever the job is that you are applying for. This will give the resume automated scanners a great chance of picking your resume up over others.
If there is a resume issue you would like me to write about, let me know by contacting me on my website.
