When you’re looking for a job, you want to present yourself as the best version of yourself. Resumes are one of the first ways you can show off your experience and personal highlights to potential employers.
When you’re looking for a job, you want to present yourself as the best version of yourself. Resumes are one of the first ways you can show off your experience and personal highlights to potential employers. Whether you’re recently unemployed or simply looking for a different opportunity, keeping your resume updated and appealing to employers is the best way to secure a job interview.
Resume Basics
There are some basics that every resume should have. These will cover all your bases to ensure that you are providing all the necessary information – but don’t forget to check the application guidelines to make sure you’re meeting their specific qualifications (if they have any).
Your resume should only be one page long. Two pages is okay if you have extensive experience. You should have different sections in a resume: your personal and contact information, your work experience, your education, your achievements, and your skills. Make sure you are providing your most up to date contact information! This should include your name, email address, phone number, and address.
Focus on certain sections to present yourself as a strong candidate for the job you are applying for. Put your most recent experiences first, making your oldest experiences at the end of each section.
Make sure you use a professional font. Calibri, Helvetica, and Times New Roman are good. Do not use Comic Sans. Size 12 font is standard, you can use smaller font sizes to fit your resume on one sheet. However, you don’t want to go smaller than size 10.
Common Mistakes
Resumes are tricky—don’t worry if it seems overwhelming! Here are some common mistakes broken down and how to fix/avoid them.
Misspelling Your Name
This sounds ridiculous but, if you have an uncommon (or uncommonly spelled) name, spell check probably won’t help you.
Lying on Your Resume
If you get the interview or they catch you in a lie, you will make a much worse impression. If you lack experience in this industry—spin it! Make that work for you.
Ignoring Application Instructions
Make sure you read what the job application is asking you for.
Creating a One-Size-Fits-All Application
This might work if you’re applying for similar jobs but you should still edit your resume to tailor each job application.
Details
When you feel like you’ve tackled everything else—it’s time to look at the details. These will go beyond providing basic information, and hopefully impress your potential employer!
- Use periods consistently. It’s up to you whether you want to put periods at the end of a bullet point, but make sure it’s consistent throughout your resume.
- Don’t list unnecessary skills or information. Make sure you prioritize information that’s applicable to the job/position you’re applying for.
- Use ALL CAPS HEADING sparingly.
- Utilize numbers so it is easier for employers to see the positive impact you accomplished.
- Include a few keywords from the job posting. This will help make you seem like a good fit for the position.
Hopefully, this blog post answered at least some of the questions you may have! Of course, there is almost always more you can do to improve your resume, and the team at Mary Rigg would love to help you out!
If you’d like to learn more about the resources Mary Rigg may have to help you, connect with someone on our Employment Enrichment Services team by calling 317-639-6106 or filling out this inquiry form.