Give Your Resume a Makeover

Summary: Your resume is something that constantly needs to be updated and tailored to specific jobs—even the layout.

When was the last time you updated your resume? This includes the layout and design of your resume. If it has been over two years or even a year, it is time to pull it up and give it some much needed attention.

While the design helps catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers, the text of your resume is ultimately what needs to be catching the right attention. Here are six tips to help you give your resume a little update.

1. Story- Start out reading your resume. Did you fall asleep or really want to take a nap now? You want your resume to inspire and energize the reader in a professional way that is clear and concise. Explain who you are without just boringly stating facts.
2. Keywords- Follow job listings to see what kind of words regularly show up in the job description. Use these words in your resume to connect your abilities to the job.
3. Cut- There is a very good chance that there is stuff on your resume that is not helping you in any way. Put things on your resume that pertain to the job instead of putting your skills down for every job you have ever held.
4. Categorize- The layout of your resume can make or break it. You want the layout to be simple so that the reader can quickly see that parts that they are interested in without having to search through all your other resume notes. Keep like categories together and list your experiences in descending order so the most recent and relevant are at the top.
5. Language– Keep it interesting and professional. Use action verbs and remove all first-case pronouns, they should be implied. Include measurable results when possible and watch for run-on sentences.
6. Big picture- Keep the big picture of what you want the employer to understand about you when putting the resume together. Management skills and operating at a high level are themes to work towards. List the big ways that you contributed to your last job with more complex descriptions such as “I facilitated the collaboration of cross-functional teams…” instead of “I developed teams and partnerships.”

Photo: cupofjo.co.