Five Quick Tips For Writing Your Resume

1. Identify a clear job goal.

Don’t use a generic resume to apply at multiple companies. Every resume should be relevant to what each individual employer is looking for in a new employee. When you send out something generic, it shows apathy and lack of motivation. This is not the impression to give if you want to be considered as a serious candidate.

2. Resist the urge to use creative fonts on your resume.

Even if your choice looks easy to read on your screen, it may not be on another screen. For example, if I use Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, or Georgia, nearly everyone can view these fonts. If I use my cool Futurama Alien Font, it would most likely look all jumbled up on someone else’s system. Resume screeners review countless resumes and this type of creativity is just annoying. The reader should not have to try to troubleshoot why the document looks bad to add to their workload.

3. Quantify your experience wherever possible.

Cite numerical figures, such as funds saved, time improvements, numbers of machines fixed, etc., which demonstrate progress or accomplishments due directly to your specific contributions.

4. Omit needless items from your resume.

Leave all of these things off your resume: social security number, marital status, health history, citizenship status, age/birth date, irrelevant memberships, recreational activities, salary history, and previous supervisor names. You should also keep in mind that a resume is not an autobiography and a part time, entry-level job from 1989 is not considered noteworthy. Your resume is intended to be a preview that generates interest, so if you find yourself getting into a third or fourth page, take a few moments to evaluate if what you are writing is significant.

5. “References Available Upon Request” is unnecessary.

An employer already assumes that you will offer professional references when asked. Additionally, your references should never be on the resume. They should be in a separate document with a similar layout and the same font as the resume for consistency.