Resume writing is an essential part of job hunting. If you want your job search to be successful in as little time as possible, you must invest in a good resume. The quality of your resume might be the deciding factor when it comes to getting called for an interview.
We know a lot of you are on the job hunt right now and have a ton of questions about resume writing. So, we got our career experts to put together a list of 30 resume tips to help you out. Without further ado, let’s dive in:
- Never send a resume without a cover letter. Write a catchy cover letter that emphasizes your qualifications.
- Lead with a strong education section if you are writing a resume without work experience.
- Quantify your results using numbers, percentages, and metrics whenever possible.
- Hire a Certified Professional Resume Writer to write your resume for you for the best results.
- Use transferable skills to add value to your resume where you lack work experience.
- Name your resume file appropriately using your name and the job title for which you are applying.
- If you are creating a recent college grad resume, emphasize your coursework.
- Use strong action verbs when writing the bullet points of your career summary.
- Always update your resume regularly without waiting for the end of the year or the start of a job search.
- Remove the phrase, “References Available Upon Request” from your resume to save space.
- Save a copy of your resume in PDF format so that the content would not change when an employer opens it.
- Streamline the work experience section of your resume by removing unrelated jobs.
- Never leave a career gap unexplained on your resume.
- Add a link to your digital portfolio in the contact information of your resume.
- Highlight your continuing education and online learning on the resume to show how you upskill yourself constantly.
- Don’t forget to send a follow-up email after each job application to ensure that your resume is read.
- Highlight your promotions in the work experience section of your resume to impress recruiters.
- Create a separate “Accomplishments” section for your resume.
- Add a Hobbies and Interests Section to your resume to show how you would fit right in with the company culture.
- Remove buzzwords and jargon from your resume to attract more recruiters.
- Go for a reverse-chronological resume format for maximum impact if you have a lot of experience.
- Trim unnecessary word count from your resume by using concise language and sticking only to relevant info for the job.
- Run your resume and job description through a cloud generator to check if it is appropriately tailored.
- Use the job titles of your career summary to show your career advancement through the years.
- Avoid wasting resume space for generic job duty descriptions.
- Create additional resume sections such as Certifications, Memberships, Licenses, Awards, Volunteering, and Languages to add more value.
- Align your online presence and optimize your LinkedIn profile to align with the information on your resume.
- Create a tailored key skills section for your resume for each job you apply for.
- Proofread your resume using a spell and grammar checker as well as manually to avoid any typos or grammatical errors.
- Don’t overlook your non-traditional work experiences such as your volunteering jobs and projects you’ve completed for non-profits.