Blog Post: Write the Right Resume

There’s no second chance to make a first impression. As a potential employee, your resume serves as that initial impression. You want to make sure that your resume stands out from the crowd – but in a GOOD way. Think of it like meeting “the parents” for the first time. You want to put your best foot forward, but on paper.

The first thing to be mindful of is format. And when I say “format,” I’m not referring to the now defunct local band that I’m still mourning the loss over. If you’re not familiar, feel free to google them. While you’re at it, you can also google the word “resume.” You can find a plethora of examples and tips. This is especially helpful if you are just starting out in your job search and are not sure where to begin. As a Human Resources professional, I come across hundreds of resumes a month and there are several common formatting mistakes I see. First of all, you want everything to align properly. You don’t want your potential employer having to skip around the page trying to figure out your job history. Second, you want to try your best to fit it onto one page, two maximum if you have a lengthy work history. This may require you adjusting your margins, which is absolutely fine as long as you don’t have things running off the page. If you are still having difficulties, you may have to draw out an outline and bullet-point the three most important things you did at each job. If your job duties require further explanation, that is where the cover letter comes in handy.

The cover page is just as important as the actual resume itself. It serves as an introduction to what you are providing as a candidate for employment. Now don’t be intimidated by this piece, as there are no hard and fast rules, just a few simple ones. You’ll want to make sure that your font matches the font on the resume and that it is something legible. Those fancy fonts are great for personal letters but not so great for professional ones. A best practice is to tailor each cover letter individually to address the contact or to put in the name of the company. However, in today’s technology-driven world and with time constraints, this may not always be possible if you are sending out multiple resumes at one time. The classic, “To Whom It May Concern” is better than “Dear Sir,” because after all, it may not be a “Sir” that is looking at your resume! If you are interested in a variety of things, you may want to draft up a few cover letters. For example, if you are interested in sales position, you may want to highlight your experience and success in that area, but if you are also applying to an unrelated field, you may want to take out any specifics and just talk up how you are goal-oriented and a team-player. This is easier than ever now that popular job-search sites, like Jobing.com, allow you to save multiple resumes and customize cover letters. One last thing to remember, it’s OK for your cover letter to be brief and concise, or longer and informative; just make sure that it communicates the RIGHT message to your potential new employer.

You’re almost there! Just a few more simple strategies will get you in good shape. Always include your e-mail address on your resume. If you don’t have one, you can set one up free of charge using google, hotmail, yahoo, etc. Make sure it’s a work-appropriate e-mail address as well. If you are using a headline, make sure that is also professional. While it might be a fun fact that you were head of the class or that you have excellent etiquette, these are things best left off of a resume! You’ll also want to make sure that your name doesn’t take up the first half of the page. Big and bold is one thing, but obnoxious is quite another. Lastly, and this seems like a simple one, but please run spell-check and proof-read for grammatical errors. Print it out and look at it; reading it on paper helps you visually see things you may not have noticed on the computer screen. Also show it to a peer and have someone review it. Oftentimes a second pair of eyes will notice things that escape us because we are so immersed with the content.

By following a few guidelines, you’ll have the perfect resume in no time. Remember if you get stuck, you can always search the internet for examples. Microsoft Word even has templates that can help you get the information into the right format. Many times, the resume acts as your application, so make sure the information is accurate and easy to read. I hope that these suggestions will lead you on a path of successful resume writing!

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