The Dos and Don'ts of Resume Writing: A Guide to Landing Your Dream Job

In today’s highly competitive job market, having a well-written resume is more important than ever. Your resume is often the first impression you make on a potential employer, and it can make or break your chances of landing your dream job. But with so much conflicting advice out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the dos and don’ts of resume writing.

Whether you’re a recent graduate just starting out in your career or a seasoned professional looking to make a change, this guide will provide you with the tools and insights you need to create a standout resume that will help you stand out from the competition. From crafting a compelling summary statement to tailoring your experience to the job you’re applying for, we’ll cover everything you need to know to land your dream job.

So, let’s dive in and get started! (Read the original article here)

The Importance of a Well-Written Resume

Your resume is your first chance to make a strong impression on a potential employer. It’s a snapshot of your professional experience, education, and qualifications, and it’s the tool that hiring managers use to determine whether or not you’re a good fit for the job. In today’s job market, where competition is fierce, having a well-written resume is more important than ever.

A well-written resume can help you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of landing an interview. It can also help you demonstrate your value to potential employers and showcase your skills and experience in a way that highlights your strengths. A poorly written resume, on the other hand, can hurt your chances of getting hired and make it difficult for you to stand out in a sea of applicants.

To ensure that your resume is well-written, it’s important to avoid common mistakes and follow best practices for formatting, content, and style. In the following sections, we’ll cover the dos and don’ts of resume writing to help you create a standout resume that will help you land your dream job.

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

There are several common resume mistakes that can hurt your chances of landing a job. These include:

• Spelling and grammatical errors: This is one of the most common mistakes that job seekers make. Spelling and grammatical errors can make you look unprofessional and careless, and they can hurt your chances of getting hired.
• Using too many buzzwords: While it’s important to use keywords that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, using too many buzzwords can make your resume sound generic and unoriginal.
• Including irrelevant information: Your resume should focus on your professional experience, education, and qualifications. Including irrelevant information, such as your hobbies or personal interests, can make you look unprofessional and distract from your qualifications.
• Using an inappropriate email address: Your email address should be professional and easy to remember. Avoid using email addresses that are unprofessional or difficult to remember.
• Failing to customize your resume: Your resume should be customized to the job you’re applying for. Failing to customize your resume can make you look like you’re not serious about the job or that you don’t have the necessary qualifications.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can increase your chances of landing a job and creating a standout resume that showcases your skills and experience.

Resume Formatting Dos and Don’ts

In addition to avoiding common mistakes, it’s important to follow best practices for resume formatting. Here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

Dos:

• Use a clean, easy-to-read font, such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
• Use bullet points to highlight your qualifications and accomplishments.
• Use bold and italic formatting sparingly to draw attention to important information.
• Keep your resume to no more than two pages.
• Use white space to make your resume easy to read.

Don’ts:

• Use a font that is difficult to read, such as Comic Sans or Papyrus.
• Use large blocks of text without any white space.
• Use too many colors or graphics.
• Use a font size smaller than 11pt.
• Use abbreviations or acronyms that are not commonly understood.

By following these dos and don’ts, you can create a resume that is easy to read and visually appealing, which can help you stand out from the competition.

Essential Resume Sections and What to Include in Each

There are several essential sections that should be included in your resume. These include:

• Contact information: This should include your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address.
• Summary statement: This should be a brief statement that highlights your qualifications and experience.
• Professional experience: This should include your work history, including your job title, company name, dates of employment, and a brief description of your responsibilities and accomplishments.
• Education: This should include your degree(s), the name of the institution(s) you attended, and your graduation date(s).
• Skills: This should include any relevant skills that you have that are not covered in your professional experience or education sections.

When filling out these sections, it’s important to keep in mind the job you’re applying for and to tailor your resume to that job. For example, if you’re applying for a job in marketing, you should highlight your marketing experience and skills in your professional experience and skills sections.

Writing Impactful Bullet Points

When writing your professional experience section, it’s important to use bullet points to highlight your accomplishments and responsibilities. Here are some tips for writing impactful bullet points:

• Start each bullet point with an action verb, such as “managed,” “created,” or “developed.”
• Focus on your accomplishments, not just your responsibilities. For example, instead of saying “managed a team of 10 people,” say “managed a team of 10 people that increased sales by 20%.”
• Use numbers and statistics to quantify your accomplishments. For example, “increased sales by 20%” is more impactful than “increased sales.”
• Use bullet points sparingly. Too many bullet points can make your resume difficult to read.

Tailoring Your Resume to the Job Description

One of the most important things you can do when writing your resume is to tailor it to the job description. This means highlighting the skills and experience that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Here are some tips for tailoring your resume:

• Read the job description carefully and make note of the skills and experience that are required.
• Highlight your relevant skills and experience in your summary statement, professional experience section, and skills section.
• Use keywords from the job description throughout your resume.
• Be specific about your accomplishments and responsibilities, and how they relate to the job you’re applying for.

Choosing the Right Resume Keywords

In addition to tailoring your resume to the job description, it’s important to use the right keywords. Keywords are the words and phrases that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Here are some tips for choosing the right resume keywords:

• Use keywords from the job description throughout your resume.
• Use industry-specific keywords that are relevant to your profession.
• Use action verbs that demonstrate your skills and experience.
• Don’t use buzzwords or overused phrases that are not specific to your experience.

Proofreading and Editing Your Resume

Once you’ve written your resume, it’s important to proofread and edit it carefully. Here are some tips for proofreading and editing your resume:

• Read your resume out loud to catch errors.
• Use spell check and grammar check tools to catch errors.
• Have someone else read your resume to catch errors and provide feedback.
• Ensure that your formatting is consistent throughout your resume.
• Check that your contact information is accurate.

Additional Tips for Success

Here are some additional tips for creating a standout resume:

• Keep your resume up-to-date and tailor it to each job you apply for.
• Use a professional email address.
• Use a professional-sounding voicemail message.
• Be honest about your qualifications and experience.
• Don’t include personal information, such as your age, marital status, or religious affiliation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having a well-written resume is essential for landing your dream job in today’s competitive job market. By avoiding common mistakes, following best practices for formatting, and tailoring your resume to the job description, you can create a standout resume that showcases your skills and experience. By using keywords and proofreading and editing your resume carefully, you can increase your chances of getting hired. By following these dos and don’ts of resume writing, you can create a resume that helps you stand out from the competition and land your dream job.

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More about Bernie…

Senior Director, Consumer Media Group at Confluent Health – Growth marketing focus on brand awareness, interest and new patient acquisition to our 44+ partner brands and 530+ locations across the US. Accountable for driving yearly business results supported by our consumer strategy and direct-to-consumer roadmaps. The Media team is responsible for owned and paid media as it relates to performance marketing, campaign management, partnerships, website development & support, search engine optimization, relationship marketing, Yext (Google My Business) support, recruiting, email marketing and supporting our partners at the local level.

Chief Cheese – Strategy & Engagement at B2The7 – Helping brands Reach, Retain & Regain customers with Omni-Channel data-driven strategies and tactics that focus on increasing sales, transactions, comps and customer engagement.

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Helping job seekers & recruiters daily…Founder of Careerbarn.com – Bringing jobseekers and employers together since 2000.