Creating a great resume is possible. When you sit down to start your resume, you might not know where to begin but these two tips will be sure to keep you on the right track.
Clean Formatting
A properly formatted resume is very important, because no one wants to spend extra time trying to decipher it. It is important that your resume is easy to navigate and the information included is laid out clearly. If you are not comfortable using a template, then don’t. It is perfectly okay to format your resume on your own, just make sure you are using proper indentation and bullet points when necessary. Along with clean formatting, be sure your spelling is correct and that everything makes sense.
One page resumes are ideal, and you can adjust the margins to help it fit one page. Typically you want to include the last 10 years of job history. However, If there is important information you feel must be included and your resume exceeds one page, that is okay. A good rule of thumb is to put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and read over your resume or ask someone else to review it asking these questions: Is the resume holding your attention? Is it easy to navigate and read? Does this resume mesh nicely with the open position? Are there any red flags?
Relevant Information
Including relevant information on your resume is so important. To be blunt, do not include irrelevant information on your resume that is simply taking up space. Below are some useful tips to do, and some to avoid doing.
- Be sure your objective relates to the job you are hoping to obtain.
- Example: If you are applying for a sales position at a car dealership, your objective should offer the idea that you are working towards obtaining a position in the sales industry.
- Do not include jobs on your resume that you have worked at for a short period of time and then quit.
- Example: If you have consistently worked as a server at a restaurant for the past year but also had three other jobs in the same time period, do not list all of these jobs. List the serving position, as it will show that you do have the ability to hold down a job without quitting. Consider including one of the other jobs, if it has relevance to the job you are applying for. Remember, you do not want to broadcast that you have been hired and then quit three jobs in one year. This will show the recipient that you have no problem quitting a job.
- Do not include every single job you have worked in your life unless you can correlate skills and talents you acquired there to this new position you are applying for.
- If you are applying for a sales position at a car dealership and previously worked as a server at a restaurant, you can still include this job on your resume. Do not focus on listing the responsibilities you had in regards to food and cleaning. Instead, highlight the attributes you obtained such as building a rapport with customers, ensuring the patrons were happy and providing exceptional customer service skills. A serving job and sales position may be totally different but finding similar skills that are practiced in both environments is possible.
Keep these points in mind when developing your resume and you will be on the road to success… or at least an interview, hopefully. For more guidance and advice on landing the job of your dreams be sure to explore our page!
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