You know how important a solid resume is to your job search. It’s often the driving force behind landing an interview with a hiring manager. But, how often do you actually update your resume? Probably not as often as you’d like (or should).
Update your resume in 10 minutes by following these steps:
First and foremost, check your contact information. You’d be surprised at how many job candidates turn in a resume with outdated or incorrect contact information. How can a hiring manager contact you if your phone number has changed or your email is wrong? Update as necessary and double-check to make sure each letter and number is correct.
Get rid of the objective statement. Instead, write a professional profile or summary statement to clearly show the employer how your experience and qualifications align with the job description. Bullets or paragraph style are both acceptable.
Give your formatting a face-lift. Look at examples of great resumes on the Internet to determine the best layout for your document. Consider using pre-made templates or tables to organize the information in the best way possible. Don’t make the text too small or too large – stick to 10- to 12-point font for easy readability.
Focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities. If your resume currently consists of duties, change those bullet points to accomplishments at each position. When possible, qualify your accomplishments with numbers.
Include additional job experience. If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your resume, you likely have additional positions to add onto your existing document. Again, include accomplishments at each position. If you have several previous jobs that you’d like to include, consider eliminating the bullet points of older (or less relevant) positions to keep your resume succinct.
As always, you should have someone else look over your resume before submitting it to a potential employer to catch any typos or mistakes you may have missed.
Of course, there are many other aspects of a job seeker’s resume that should be looked at and updated. What else would you suggest?
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