What are the best ways to declutter your resume?

Here are 10 tips for decluttering a resume with strategic edits and white space: 1. Prioritize relevance and tailor each resume 2. Simplify contact info 3. Trim down profile summary to a max of 5-6 lines 4. List roles in reverse order, spotlighting relevant achievements 5. Remove unnecessary details 6. Limit education to only relevant degrees and certifications 7. Condense skills 8. Cut redundancy 9. Quantify achievements 10. Update language using concise, action-oriented verbiage in bullet points A streamlined, focused resume improves readability and increases your chances of making an impact. Tailor it for each application, emphasizing what's most relevant to the target role.

Try to map out your work experience highlighting your most significant achievements and see how your key strengths emerge in these to achieve your utmost performance. It's proven that one performs better in a job when they leverage their strengths effectively and make the most of them. That's why the process of recognition and defining your personal brand are crucial to convey a distinctive resume

Here are my thoughts on decluttering a resume or CV: 1. No more than 2 pages 2. Focus the Profile on the company and role applied for. Suggest 3 sentences max. for this section. 3. Under degree put modules and other academic areas relevant to the job applied for. 4. Work experience should be bullet point achievements. Always ask "so what" when refining these achievements. 5. Make sure you have a last section on activities and interests. 6. Remove the references as not needed.

In order to declutter your resume, first take stop using outdated information or non relevant to the field or positions that you want. You don't need to state everything or every single detail in your resume. If the information is relevant to the posting then keep what aligns with the descriptions in a posting. Resumes should be evaluated periodically to ensure that you're not using information that will not help you get your document moved forward in a job search process.

Focus your work experience bullet points as successes rather than a job description-style narrative. The formula = action verb + success + outcome. For example, "Implemented patient protocol to decrease HgA1C by 2% across patient population resulting in 50% reduction in medication cost." This tells a really different story about your value and how you can shine at your next opportunity!

Un currículum efectivo debe comenzar con tus datos personales, seguido por un breve resumen o perfil profesional que destaque tus habilidades clave. La sección de experiencia laboral debe organizarse en orden cronológico inverso, detallando tus roles más recientes, seguido por tu historial educativo. Una sección de habilidades temáticas, certificaciones relevantes, proyectos o logros, idiomas y competencias técnicas puede mejorar la presentación.

After removing irrelevant or unnecessary data from your resume (which doesn't help you highlight the fact that you're a great match for your target jobs), adding keyword is indeed what you can do to make it look and sound more in tune with the requirements of specific job postings. For example, as a machine learning engineer you might assume that your resume naturally implies your expertise in data science as well. However, not many recruiters have the same understanding of your field as you. Therefore, highlighting your relevant experience and adding the "data science" keywords will make the selection process easier for everyone and increase your chances to communicate how well you fit for the role.

Enjoy the process and make it much easier! Here you go…… Input the job description into ChatGPT online along with both your draft targeted cover letter and resume created with the guidelines suggested, Add info -tone, audience, style your personality etc so it comes across as the real “you” with an authentic brand. Then ask Chat to provide 2 (or more) different versions for each. I almost fell off my chair with disbelief and amazement when I first started using it! Also good got Now it’s my true best friend, amazing savior of time and source of greater confidence. Good luck and warm wishes -Janet Spadola, MA, CLC

As a recruiter, when I have a specific role to fill, I try to find the perfect match for the job. While nothing is perfect in this world, I search for as many common points as possible between the job description and the candidate's CV. It's essential to target your resume for every job. Though it takes more time than creating a general resume for all roles, it's worth the effort. Quality is more important than quantity. Respond directly to the job description and explain why you're the candidate for the role. The recruiter will see and appreciate the effort.

"Optimize your resume with relevant industry keywords found in job descriptions and on company websites. Use these keywords strategically in headings and bullet points to showcase your qualifications and align with the employer's needs."

"Optimize resume readability by using a clean font, size 10-12, and simple formatting like bold or italics for emphasis. Utilize white space and organized layout for clarity. Employ bullet points or categories like education and skills, adapting the format to align with your career goals and strengths."

Focus your resume on results, impact, and accomplishments you have delivered for employers. Don't just give a laundry list of duties and responsibilities. It doesn't tell a potential employer if you were actually any good at your job. Also, add in numbers and metrics to verify/solidify your accomplishments. I don't think you should waste valuable real estate on the page talking about personal interests and hobbies. I prefer to read how you will add value to my organization. Finally, keep the executive summary brief. It uses up space and doesn't show true accomplishments and results.

Many people use fancy templates for their resumes with logos, columns, and graphics. But these designs can cause problems when you try to upload your resume to an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). A simple and clean resume is easier for both people and automated systems to read. Also, it's important to have an editable format for your resume that you can easily change to match the job you're applying for or update with new information.

Keep it short and to the point. Remember, recruiters have a lot of other CVs to go through. One or two pages is more than enough. If you have more than 15 years of experience, you could potentially use a maximum of three pages, but I would still advise you to keep it short and sweet. My personal preference is two pages. Normally, I wouldn't go through a seven-pager. If I want to know more details about your professional experience, I will invite you for an interview.

I did this recently on recomdation from a client. She pointed out that there was a lot of duplication of info on the roles and it wasn't necessary. As at 25 years experience it was a given I had done the relevant tasks and I just summarized them briefly in the cover note at the top. Went from 4 pages which is to much to 2 pages which is much better.

After you have put your resume together, one of the best ways to polish it is to make the final grammar and formatting edits. In addition to using online tools to check grammar and syntax, you can ask someone to look at it too, keeping in mind that besides automatic scanning, in most cases your resume is also reviewed by humans. If you have a recruiter or a hiring manager among your acquaintances, that will be the best way to ensure you're on the right track with your resume. If not, ask a relative or a friend. Because some mistakes may be overlooked, getting an extra pair of eyeballs for some feedback and suggestions for improvement will never hurt.

A good way to declutter your resume is by editing down your bullet points - if your bullets are big chunks of text, make them more concise. Do your best so they are no longer than 2 lines. Also, if you have an intro statement at the top of your resume make sure is no longer than 4 lines and make sure it includes your UVP and that it clearly illustrates the impact you make to your industry or the job in question. If your intro statement is lengthy and full of fluff, no one will read it - people will lose interest in your document quickly.

Get someone else to proof read your CV do not rely on spell checking or online grammar tools. If you have to proof-read it yourself, for whatever reason, read the CV backwards. The eye will skim the text and the brain will often auto-correct as it reads a sentence or statement. Don't loose the ideal opportunity over a typo.

"Perfecting your resume involves thorough proofreading and editing. Tools like Grammarly aid in catching errors, but seeking feedback from peers or professionals adds another layer of accuracy. Reading aloud and printing the document can reveal overlooked mistakes. Clear, polished resumes spotlight your abilities effectively."

Proofreading is so important within this process. Your resume is a representation of who you want to be seen as as a professional. If it has spelling errors or grammatical mistakes, you are demonstrating that is who you are as a professional (someone who does not have the attention to detail needed or who is not willing to take the time/effort to make sure there are no mistakes).

It's best to have a boring-looking resume with enough white space on the page, making it easier for the recruiter and hiring manager to read, than a document stuffed with irrelevant content: too many bullet points that say nothing about your skills and experience. Consider adding 3-5 bullet points from previous jobs with activities you enjoyed that are relevant to the job description. For your current job, around 5-8 bullet points with relevant content, impact, and tasks you enjoyed that are relevant to the job. Of course, you perform tasks you dislike, so don't over-focus on the ones you don't like if your goal is to avoid them in a new job. If you had multiple jobs, only add the ones around 10-15 years.

Send your draft resume to a colleague in the industry and ask for their feedback. Would they call this person into an interview?

- Remove "References Available Upon Request" ...or names of people with their contact numbers. It's great that you can provide references, but be careful whose personal data you share in your CV; it's a sensitive topic. If I need your reference, I will ask for them separately! Use the extra space to add details about your abilities or accomplishments instead. - Don't forget to add your contact details. Make sure you include your correct name, phone number with the country code, and email in your resume. You can also add a hyperlink to your LinkedIn page.

Focus and clarity. Let the reader easily see what your value proposition is and quantify what you’ve done to support that proposition.

Additionally - don't assume, explain. Just because anyone with 5 years of experience in your profession would obviously know you know a particular technology or process, don't assume the recruiter or hiring manager will know - be explicit. It's one of the fastest ways to disqualify yourself from further consideration. Also don't 'struggle' for the right words to explain your experience or forget key skills. instead, search on popular job boards for 5 ideal job postings for your profession and scan them for skills and experiences you may have forgotten or diminished. If it shows up in more than one posting, it's important to call out on your resume. Bonus! you get examples of how to phrase it as well!