One of the most asked questions I receive before, after and sometimes even during an interview is, what do you think of my resume and what suggestions do you have for making it more effective?
There are many different thoughts on this, different styles suggested, and overall different advice on how to write and format the perfect resume. There are lots of websites or career counseling centres out there that can offer you step by step advice.
Here are a few points I’ve noticed over the years that can help make your resume stand out from the rest of the pack. Most I’m sure are common sense, but a friendly reminder is never a bad thing;
- Keep your resume ideally within 2 – 3 pages. Anything beyond that 3 mark and you’re in dangerous territory of over-selling yourself.
- Now that your resume is 2 to 3 pages, this shouldn’t mean that the font is smaller! Font should be at about size 10 to 12pts, and should be in a clean type – Arial, Times New Roman are usually your best choices.
- There is a lot of debate about types of resumes – Functional vs Chronological. I would have to say that we would prefer most resumes in chronological order, with duties and details beneath each position.
- When writing the details of your previous positions, write them from most important skills or tasks (eg. Prepared reports for year end audits) to least important (other clerical duties such as filing, data entry)
- If you are writing an executive style resume, detail your job duties, and at the bottom of your duties, give 1 – 2 achievements within that role.
- Cover letter? It’s more impressive to find out the person’s name if you can, rather than writing “Dear Sir or Madam”.
- Can’t find out the person’s full name, but have their last name? Don’t assume what gender that person is! Mr. so-and-so to a woman, and Mrs. So-and-so to a man doesn’t always go over so well! Stick to ‘Dear Hiring Manager’, or their title if that’s all you’ve got.
- Don’t forget a section to highlight your key skills, eg. MS Word & Excel, handling multi-line reception board, 10 years overall experience in sales
- When listing your education, make sure to include the schools you attended. You worked hard at that school so show it off.
- Check, check and check! Check spelling and grammar, check format – are all headers highlighted or underlined, does everything look consistent, margins and tabs all aligned? Last check – did I miss anything?
All of these steps will help you create a workable, useable resume, and make a great first impression!
Good luck!
