Résumés normally get less than a 15-second glance at the first screening. Make sure yours has what it takes to capture the reader’s interest and invite them to read further. Listed below are some helpful tips.
- Keep it to one page if at all possible, two at the most.
- Leave off the “Objective Statement” or keep it very simple and tailored to the job you are applying for. An objective statement is not always necessary and will often take up space best used for something else.
- When current or former employment is in an obscure industry or company, include a brief (one-line) summary about the company does or its website link, which is the best option.
- Avoid lengthy project descriptions and long job duty lists.
- Spell-check, spell-check, spell-check! Typos give a very bad impression. Go beyond your software’s spell-check function. Sometimes it can be the cause of your error such as to, too, two, etc. Using the wrong word for the context is as bad as a misspelled word.
- Do not use all caps, overly large or colored font. It’s hard to read and annoys the reader.
- Finally yet importantly, take a break and then come back and critique your finished product with fresh eyes.
- Is the résumé inviting to read with clear sections and ample white space?
- Does the design look professional rather than like a simple typing job?
- Does the résumé provide a visually pleasing, polished presentation?
- Are there design elements such as bullets, bolding and lines to guide readers' eyes through the document and highlight important content?
- Is there a good balance between text and white space?
- Are margins even on all sides?
- Are design elements like spacing and font size used consistently throughout the document?
- Is the content flow logical and easy to understand?
- Are all résumé sections clearly labeled?
- Is the work history listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first)?
- Is the résumé as perfect as possible, with no careless typos or grammatical errors?
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