Resume, cover letter, application, and interview advice from someone who has spent the last 3 months doing nothing but looking at resume, cover letters, applications, and interviewing job candidates.
Please, I’m begging you, if you’re in college or out of college, or have been out of high school for more than a few years, do not list things you did in high school. I don’t care if you were the president of 7 clubs and saved a puppy from drowning, if it happened more than 4 years go, it does not need to be listed.
Don’t lie, but massage the wording
For example, did you reorganize the filing system for your internship? Try created a more effective filing system.
Were you a server or bartender? Include something about engaging with guests and having to problem solve in a fast paced environment.
List your most recent job/school/whatever first. People want to know what you’re doing now first, not what you did 8 years ago.
Please for the love of all things holy, don’t list your SAT or ACT scores. I’ve seen multiple resumes for college grads where they list these.
I really don’t care that you got a 1350 on the SAT, that doesn’t matter for this job.
Don’t list your GPA, but do list if you graduated with honors.
Have a master resume that has all your work experience
Have one for each field you’re applying for
Have one that lists your work history before your education if you’ve been in the workforce for over a year
Have one that lists your education first if you’re a recent grad
Have one that lists your jobs by field
If you worked in customer service and in marketing have two sections so that people can find your relevant experience
Don’t be afraid to take job experiences off of your resume
I know, I know, you want people to know all of your experience, but some jobs just don’t matter when it comes down to hiring.
That might mean not listing your part time job from college, that’s okay.
When talking about your skills:
Do not list that your proficient in Office or email
DO list that you can code in HTML, java, or that you’re proficient in Adobe Creative Suite
Have subsections within your skills so that it flows
Speak multiple languages? Awesome - put a languages section and under that heading list what you speak and your skill level.
Be careful with putting special interests down
Maybe don’t list that you fund raised for your church or a political candidate because you don’t know who’s reading your resume. It could be someone who doesn’t like that candidate or isn’t religious.
If you don’t have work experience that’s OK. Instead talk about how your school work or volunteering experience can be transferred to a job.
There are great resources for that here and here.
If your resume is more than a page, make sure all the important stuff is on the first page.
I only look on the second page of a resume if the first page is good.
In this same vein. If you’re resume is more than two pages please stop.
List what you accomplished, not just what you did.
Look I don’t give a single shit about how many emails you sent or how many newsletters you wrote.
I do care about how many people engaged with that newsletter or how you increased the readership.
Highlighting your accomplishments over your duties will get you more attention.
IF you list an objective on your resume, make sure it isn’t generic.
PLEASE DON’T PUT SEEKING A CHALLENGING JOB WITH ROOM FOR GROWTH. That won’t make me read further, I honestly might just stop.
Don’t use a bunch of industry specific language. I’m serious. There have been so many resumes that use medical terms that I just don’t understand.
Often, the first people who see your resume are recruiters, HR personnel, or assistants who don’t know what that jargon means.
Make it pretty. Use one font. Use bullet points to break up blocks of text. Don’t feel like you need to use a standard template, just make sure it’s readable and formats correctly on all platforms.
SEND YOUR RESUME AS A PDF!!!! This will guarantee that your resume looks the same to everyone who gets it.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR NAME IN THE FILE NAME.
Do you know how many times I’ve gotten a resume just named ‘resume’? The answer is a lot and it’s fucking annoying.
This might seem like a given, but GRAMMAR IS FUCKING IMPORTANT. Check your spelling and grammar before you send it out.
Have someone else look over your resume, they might catch something you missed.
Show me how you’re a good leader or a strong communicator - don’t tell me.
It’s like this - people who have to tell you they’re a good person usually aren’t good people. You know they are by what they do, not what they say.
And this might be the most important part MAKE SURE YOUR CONTACT INFO IS UP-TO-DATE.
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve looked over a great resume and then had the email bounce back.
I’ll be doing separate posts about cover letters, and interviews.
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