If you’re here, you want straight facts about resumes. There is so much conflicting information and suggestions online that writing or revising a resume can seem even more daunting after shifting through information on Google. Today, I’ve written and coached a lot of people when it comes to resumes. Whether you have never written a resume or if it has been years since you’ve updated it, I’m here to help you polish your document and make you stand out in a sea of candidates! How? Let’s begin by addressing five common mistakes to avoid as you write or revise your resume.
5 Facts About Resumes: Take your Resume from Average to Exceptional
1. Tailored resumes are key
When hopeful candidates ask me, “What’s wrong with my resume?“, one of the biggest mistakes I see is submitting the same, generic resume to multiple job openings. My first of five facts about resumes is you need to tailor your resume each time you submit it. Do your research on the position and the company, and be sure your resume addresses the company’s needs. It is impossible to list all the duties, skills, and tasks you completed at each previous job. Choose only those relevant to the job you are applying for. Carefully choosing your resume headings will also help ensure that you catch the attention of the hiring managers in the 10 seconds you have to make an impression with your document. I have a special blog that will help you choose your resume sections.
2. Key terms and phrases increase visibility
After you have determined the skills and experience you possess that are relevant to the company, you must edit your resume to include the same language and keywords the company has included in the position description. Why? Because many companies, especially larger organizations, use software to filter through resumes and applications to narrow the applicant pool and save time. If your resume doesn’t include enough relevant keywords, your resume may never make it in front of the hiring manager’s eyes. Additionally, it is important to speak the language of the company to ensure relatability. This is an easy step that can make a big difference!
3. Only the most relevant info for a position should be included
If you are a recent college graduate, your resume should never exceed one page. If you are an established professional with a lot of relevant work experience, you may choose to have a two-page resume, but I suggest only one page. The best rule to follow, concise is always best. You have roughly 10 seconds (or less) to capture the interest of someone reviewing your resume. If you have too much text or information on your resume, it will muddle the “good stuff,” and the hiring manager won’t take the time to look for the relevant information. Less is more! Your resume should be easy to read at a glance to keep hiring managers interested.
One of the hardest facts about resumes for many job seekers to grasp is that the resume does not need to include details on your entire career journey. The job of your resume (and cover letter) is to earn an invite to an interview, not to share your entire career. Sure, we don’t want to leave out jobs or create gaps on our resumes, but we do want to choose the information we highlight carefully and use the space wisely. Some cold, hard facts about resumes are the information on the top half of your resume is going to get the most attention, relevant headings will draw your audience in, and the second page of a resume rarely gets much attention.
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4. Outcomes are more compelling than job duties
Facts about resumes number four: Avoid focusing on only skills or duties on your resume. Outcomes are much more compelling to a hiring manager than a list of job duties. Focusing on what you delivered or accomplished provides tangible evidence of your abilities. If you struggle to determine outcome-based material for your resume, book a free consultation with me. I can help!
If you are early in your career and do not have many outcomes yet to highlight, then you can supplement with duties or skills. When taking this approach, ensure you don’t waste space highlighting the obvious or repeating duties and skills for multiple jobs.
Say you have experience as a Cashier and a Bank Teller. Several duties and skills from those two jobs are likely going to overlap. Customer service and cash handling are two skills that come to mind. Many candidates will list these skills under both jobs. There are a couple of issues with this. First, you use valuable resume space to highlight the same skill twice. This is not a good use of space and will decrease the effectiveness of your resume. The second issue is these duties are somewhat obvious. If you were a Bank Teller, a hiring manager could assume that you acquired cash handling skills. Instead, give specific examples of accomplishments related to these skills (see examples in the next section).
5. Statistics and evidence are key
Ambiguous information is a very common mistake candidates make when writing a resume. Let’s fix this mistake using the same example as above with experience as a Cashier and a Bank Teller. Rather than saying “Provided exceptional customer service,” much better use of the space is highlighting, in a tangible way if possible, how effectively you demonstrated those skills. For example, as a Retail Associate, a bulleted item that says “Earned a secret shopper satisfaction rating of 97 percent” is a much stronger and more tangible description of your skill. Anyone can say they have a skill; however, this statement provides evidence of those skills by stating an outcome. As you write or revise your resume, look for ambiguous or obvious statements, and find ways to make yourself stand out!
Get help implementing these facts about resumes!
A resume is an important document! If you want to land the interview, you must be able to sell yourself on paper in about 10 seconds or less! That’s a lot of pressure, but it can easily be accomplished with the right content. I can help you take your resume from average to exceptional!
Want help with your resume or job search?
As an experienced educator and career coach, I sit down with students and young professionals one-on-one with their career endeavors! Whether you want tailored resume help or assistance finding and landing your dream job, I can help!
