Crafting the perfect resume
is a task that never seems to be completed. It just never seems to look right…
That’s because you haven’t learned my five secrets that will help you write the
best resume ever!
1. Mix it up
As easy as it is to send one and be done, it’s
that easy for your resume to be thrown in the trash. Employers are crunched for
time and only want to read about your experiences that are relevant to not only
the position, but the field. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing
internship, leave your experience working at your school newspaper off the page
(or at least further down.) Including only relevant experience makes you appear
nichely qualified, even if it takes up less space on the page.
Writing multiple resumes sounds like a lot of
work, doesn’t it? Try creating a master resume of all your experience in every
field do all your have to do is copy and past you most relevant experience to a
new resume. Easy peasy!
2. Simplicity is key
Everyone has the same old resume format. Black
and white and boring. So, wouldn’t it be a great idea to add some color and
fancy fonts? No! Even if your resume (aesthetically) looks the same as everyone
else’s, the most important factor is that it is clean and readable. Let your
accomplishments do the standing out.
3. The one page rule
The golden rule of resumes: one page, and one
page only! Employers are busy people
who don’t have the time to read pages and pages about everything you’ve
accomplished. Keep it relevant and concise.
4. Fragments are your friend
Scratch everything you’ve learned in every
English class you’ve ever taken and flaunt those fragments! Employers are busy
bees and don’t want to spend time reading complete sentences. Bullet pointing
your accomplishments using fragments is easier and quicker to read.
5. Don’t tell it; show it!
If an employer wanted to know the tasks
associated with your previous job, they would just read the job description.
Sure, tasks show what you did, but what makes you stand out is showing what you
ACCOMPLISHED. Everyone lists the tasks they completed because, not only is it
easier, it’s thought that’s what employers want to know. The space on your
resume is much better used telling how you did something instead of what you
did.
Now, get to editing!
-Yen
