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Your resume is likely something you don’t think about until you need a new job—even though it’s your first chance to impress a recruiter and stand out from other applicants. Updating your job materials can be daunting, especially because it sometimes seems like a game of psychology. It’s boring, tiring, and time-consuming. Maybe the pressure of getting it right the first time and the challenge of promoting yourself make it easy to procrastinate. Whether you need or want to update your resume, here are five tactics to give you a kickstart.
Limit your resume to a page or two. While it might be challenging, especially if you have an extensive work history, remember that employers often receive many, many resumes for each job opening. Recruiters and hiring managers have limited time and often prioritize their core job duties. If you need to include more than two pages, consider a “skills” or “additional experience” section to shorten things up. If you have decades of experience, it’s okay to use two pages. In fact, you might be better off.
Here are a few examples and ideas to help you decide how to get started if you have a multi-page resume:
Prioritize relevant experience: Tailor your resume to highlight the most relevant and recent work experience related to the job you’re applying for. Focus on showcasing your accomplishments and skills that align with the position, and try to let yourself be a little boastful.
Condense older roles: If you have extensive work experience, condense older roles into concise summaries. Instead of providing detailed descriptions for each position, focus on highlighting key achievements and responsibilities in a brief manner.
Use bullet points: Present information using bullet points rather than lengthy paragraphs. Bullets help you organize your thoughts and make your resume more readable. When you use bullets:
Create a skills or additional experience section: Dedicate a section specifically to your relevant skills, and list key competencies that directly relate to the job requirements. This allows you to showcase your qualifications without taking up loads of space in the main body of the resume. And if you have additional experience that you want to include but can’t fit within one page, create a separate section titled “additional experience” or “projects” where you can provide a brief overview (or bullet points) to summarize the extra information.
Leverage the concept of the cover letter: If you want to include more context to your application, consider doing so in your cover letter. A cover letter can add a great personal touch and allows you to communicate your personality, tell a story, and keep the details on your resume concise, clean, and impactful.
Enhance your application with an alternative resume. There are plenty of alternative resume ideas out there. While you should always have the brief, to-the-point version of your resume, building some other options can allow you to give more insight into your background, be creative, and demonstrate your talents like web and document design, video work, and creative writing.
White space plays a big role in creating an effective resume design. By strategically incorporating white space, you can enhance readability and make content more appealing. Here are some ideas:
Break up text: Use white space to separate different sections of your resume, such as the header, summary, work experience, and skills. This division helps readers focus on each section individually, making the information easier to digest.
Allow for spacing: Ensure that there is enough space between paragraphs, bullet points, and lines of text. Ample space enhances readability and prevents the resume from looking cluttered.
Embrace minimalist design: In the same vein, adopt a minimalist approach to your resume layout, leaving white space around the text and avoiding overcrowding for a clean and professional look.
Incorporate proper document design principles: Learn about key principles of design like contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. You can achieve contrast with bold headings or different font sizes that distinguish sections. Repetition involves using consistent formatting throughout the resume so readers don’t find the document disjointed. Alignment ensures that elements are positioned uniformly, providing a sense of order. Proximity refers to grouping related information together, making it easier to comprehend.
When choosing a font, select one that’s professional and easy to read. Some good options include Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri. On the same note, avoid using fancy or decorative fonts that can have poor readability and might not convey the level of professionalism you need in this context. If you’re bored to death of Times New Roman and Arial, by all means, use another professional, easy-to-read font that speaks to you more.
Before sending your resume to potential employers, proofread it carefully for spelling or grammatical errors. Even small mistakes can look careless or unprofessional, so pause and polish your resume until it’s error-free. In fact, you should consider asking a friend or family member to read through it once or twice before you submit it. If no one’s available (or you’re stubbornly independent), a free tool like Grammarly can improve your content while teaching you to be a better writer.
To improve your chances of being seen as a suitable candidate (and getting through applicant tracking systems), research job descriptions for roles that align with your interests. Look for keywords and phrases in those descriptions and aim to incorporate them into your resume. This strategy serves a dual purpose: it not only helps applicant tracking systems identify you as a relevant candidate but also showcases your familiarity with industry-specific terminology. Here are some examples and ideas to guide you:
Identify common skills: Pay attention to the skills that keep popping up in job descriptions for your target roles. For instance, if project management is a sought-after skill, ensure you include relevant keywords such as “project management,” “planning,” “coordination,” or specific methodologies like “Agile” or “Scrum.”
Highlight desired qualifications: Take note of the qualifications or certifications in high demand for your target roles. If you have any of these qualifications, include them in your resume. For example, if a job listing specifies a preference for candidates with a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, be sure to mention it if you have it.
Incorporate industry-specific terminology: Familiarize yourself with the specific language used in your target industry. Use these terms appropriately and naturally throughout your resume to demonstrate your understanding of the field. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position, include keywords like “digital marketing,” “SEO,” “social media management,” or “content strategy” if they are relevant to your experience.
Emphasize key responsibilities: Take note of the primary responsibilities mentioned in job descriptions and highlight similar responsibilities in your own work experience. If a job description emphasizes “client relationship management,” ensure that you showcase relevant experiences and achievements in that area.
Job Title: Digital Marketing Specialist
Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Keyword ideas:
Taking the time to study the job ad and pull out keywords can help you communicate your position as the perfect candidate to the recruiter or hiring manager even before they meet you or read your other materials.
Your resume is a first impression. It should pull in your audience and be easy to read and, once you have their attention, it should be easy to understand. So, make good use of the elements of design and keep it concise. Try to put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. If they have to spend extra time extracting key details from your resume, they might wonder if they’ll face the same challenge with your emails or other work-related communication in the future.
Even small changes to your resume can make a big difference in how it performs and what it says about you to potential employers. Take the time to get it right, and you’ll be more likely to land a job you love. Future updates will then be a breeze, relieving any stress. Remember, your resume is a powerful tool in your job search. By ensuring it’s effective and clear, you increase your chances of landing a role.