10 Crucial Tips For a Stellar Resume That Will Land You The Interview

A professional resume is your calling card to the business world when you begin applying for career-level jobs. This simple but important document introduces you and all that you can offer to prospective employers. Take time to thoughtfully decide the best ways of showcasing your credentials in a couple of pages. Companies often receive dozens or hundreds of resumes for a job opening, so make yours stand out and lead to an invitation for an interview. Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting your resume.

Essential Facts

Be specific in listing the most important achievements that fit the job for which you are applying. You don’t necessarily have to include every job you have held or all your academic accomplishments, but match those that are most relevant to the job opening.

Organization

Arrange your resume in a traditional, readable format. Most resumes start with the person’s name and contact information at the top, along with a current professional job title or status if applicable. Recent graduates should list the degree earned first, along with the major area of study and a GPA if it is above a C average. Below that comes work experience, followed by special skills or interests, languages you are proficient in beyond English, and the names, professional positions, and contact information of three to five references.

Clean Typescript

Use a basic, solid, sanserif print style and 12-point font. Check to see that the ink is legible and not smeared. The printing should be clear and easy to read. You can use either complete sentences or descriptive phrases to list your achievements.

Generous Whitespace

Don’t overcrowd the resume with too much information on each page. Use 1-1/2 to 2-inch margins all around and double-space between information sections of the resume to make it inviting and readable.

Orchestrated Headings

List the resume headings in an organized style as indicated above in Organization. If you have extra headings, such as volunteer work, an internship, or military service to include, add it in the area that is most closely related. For example, internships should be placed after education or as a subset of that category while military service would be appropriately placed before or after employment, depending on when it occurred.

Complete Information

Provide adequate information without excessive detail. For a college degree, include the major field of study, degree received and when, and the institution where it was earned. Employment should include your job title, years of service, company name and contact information of your supervisor if you wish to make that available. You can describe your work duties briefly if they will be helpful in applying for the current position.

Positivity and Accuracy

Avoid complaining about your previous education or work experiences. Maintain an upbeat tone, which can be subtly conveyed in the details of your job descriptions or professional experiences. Also, proofread for grammatical and punctuation accuracy.

Standard Diction

Although it may be tempting to use elevated diction that makes you sound educated and accomplished, a resume should reflect common or standard English usage. Instead of saying you “attained” a college degree, simply say you “earned” it. Employers want to hire people who are accessible and equitable in their self-image and their dealings with others.

Special Skills

Some people include technology skills or experience in this section, especially if they used it for personal reasons or community support rather than for a paid job. Distance learning, workplace training in safety or sexual harassment, and business communication courses or workshops could be mentioned here. Hiking, travel, or reading are less vital to your resume.

Updated References

If you have been using the same resume for more than a year, contact the references listed to see if they still want to be contacted by prospective companies who are considering interviewing you. Always be polite and appreciative, even if they no longer feel they can provide a reference. If they are still willing, confirm their current job position and contact information.

Employers scan resumes to remove several in order to shrink the pool to five or ten. Make your resume shine, as companies will determine by this document if you qualify for an interview.