11 Suggestions to Improve Your Resume
One of the best tools a professional can maintain is an updated resume highlighting relevant experience, contributions, and value. A quality resume starts with compelling content.
1. Don’t include every career detail in a resume. The purpose of a resume is to entice a hiring manager to want to interview you, not to overwhelm a reader with information. The interview is the time to expand on skills, knowledge, and contribution sharing additional career details.
2. Customize the resume to align with the organization. When applying to a conservative employer, use a traditional resume format. When applying to an unconventional employer, consider unique fonts, colors, charts, images, and other design elements.
3. Make it easy to be contacted. Your name, number, email, and other information should be easy to read and within the body of the document. Do not put contact information in a header section because many applicant tracking software (ATS) can’t read text within a document’s header section.
4. Start with a powerful first impression. The introduction section of the resume, located after the contact information, is vital because it can inspire the reader to want to learn more. Highlight a few impressive career achievements to show your value and contributions. Avoid a generic paragraph of statements such as “improve productivity” or “drive wins.”
5. Engaging resume experience is not a job description. The experience section within a resume should provide an overview of responsibilities, accomplishments, and contributions that helped an organization achieve positive outcomes.
6. Quantifiable contributions can prove talents. Including details such as “Increased revenue $20 million annually by recruiting, hiring, and training 15 sales representatives” provides helpful information to drive engaging interview conversations.
7. Job-specific keywords are essential. Be sure to include keywords within the resume.
8. Applicant tracking software (ATS) can create barriers. ATS may remove resume formats, transforming the content into plain text. When applying to jobs online, there is no need to spend extensive time creating eye-popping graphics. Instead, focus on concise statements, action words, and metrics to communicate your value.
9. Include relevant education, certifications, and training.
10. Do not write false information (lie) on a cover letter, resume, LinkedIn profile, or application.
11. Employment gaps are common. Use resume writing techniques to address any unemployment concerns.
Most employers only need a resume to show 10–15 years of experience. A resume page is not the focus—the document should provide relevant content that matches a job need.
If you’ve been applying to jobs, but not getting interviews, the resume could be the issue. Ask a trusted resource to review the resume to understand if your value and contributions are effectively communicated.
Ruth Pankratz is an award-winning, nationally certified résumé writer. To learn more, visit GabbyCommunications.com/about
