Making your resume the best.
When you're looking for a job in a tight market, making your resume stand out is crucial for any job seeker, Even if you aren't looking for an executive level job, having a really polished resume makes a great impression. A great resume isn't as difficult as you'd think and once you have one started, keeping it up to date is easy.
Here are 5 steps to making yours a winner:
- Keep it simple but elegant - Decide at the beginning what sort of format you want. Have a clear idea of how your cover letter and resume should look. Pass over any designs that are too fancy or that might detract from the end product. Make sure that your documents are simple but elegant. Choose a font that is standard and don't use anything smaller than 10pt. Unusual fonts and small type facing make it difficult for the reader. Also, if you use a non-standard font, it may not display correctly on the hiring manager's software.
- Plan your categories - Even if you are using a template, decide what categories you want rather than trying to fit your information into the pre-formatted categories. Think about how you want to present your information and customize the template to fit your needs. You will probably want to have a category for contact information, education, work history and awards. Also, be sure that the email address you give is professional and not a shared email. If you don't have one, there are many places where you can get one for free.
- Get all the information and double check - Write down all of your education history, work history and so on, then double check all of the dates with your records. Be sure that the information you're giving is correct. It's very easy for employers to verify the information, so making an honest mistake could make you appear to be lying on your resume. Also, be sure that you have accurate contact information for any previous employers. If there is no way to contact them, because they have gone out of business or some other reason, make a note of that in the listing.
- Ask for references - Before using anyone as a reference, call them and ask if they would be willing to give you a reference. If they seem hesitant, consider asking someone else. I know it might feel uncomfortable, but you really need to ask them what type of reference they would provide. Remember that your previous co-worker might not feel that they are able to give you a good reference and it's better to know ahead of time than be surprised when they don't give you the glowing recommendation you had expected.
- Keep updating - Once you have your resume done, save it and keep updating it any time your information changes.This way, you can be ready to jump on any opportunity that comes your way. A great idea is to use a cloud storage program to store your document so that you can have access to it no matter where you are. This makes it less likely that your copy will be accidentally deleted. Also, it's a good idea to keep your resume in a PDF format so that you can be sure that it will print out the way you planned rather than worry about what program the hiring manager is using.
What other tips can you share about making your resume the best? Do you agree or disagree with any of these? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for ManufacturingWorkersBlog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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