10 Improvements You Can Make to Your Resume Right Now
I spent several years behind a desk at an employment agency. The first thing we would ask any client was how recently they had updated their resume. The question’s objective wasn’t really about making sure that every applicant had their most recent job down on paper — instead, we wanted a chance to assess just how bad each resume was. Some people had well-crafted documents ready to send out immediately, but a surprising number had more of a rough draft. When we ‘updated’ a resume, we could address the other errors that we found. Most errors are actually easy fixes: just running down the checklist below could whip the average resume into shape in a matter of minutes.
1. Ditch the funky fonts.
Hard-to-read fonts are a fast way to get your resume on the bottom of any HR manager’s stack. Stick to something simple, like Helvetica or even Times New Roman — and while you don’t need to put it in 72 point, don’t drop down below a 10 point typeface either. I know that the designer in you is crying out, but as emailing a resume becomes common practice, it’s crucial to use fonts everyone has.
2. Put your skills up front.
Most employers care more about your skills than anything else. Sure, they’ll want to know where you learned your skills — past employers or schools — but putting your skills right below your name lets you convince a hiring manager right off the bat. As long as you’ve got the appropriate skills and certifications listed for a job, you’ll at least make it past the initial resume review — the one where all the unqualified applicants are filed in the trash can.
3. Proofread past spell check.
Just about everyone runs a spell check on their resume. But I’ve seen so many typos that a computer can’t catch: misused words, misspelled business names — I’ve even seen a resume with the applicant’s name misspelled! You should always read over documents to double check them, and if you can get a friend to read over your resume, go for it.
4. Make everything match.
If you’re sending references and a cover letter along with your resume, make them match. Print them all on the same kind of paper, use the same fonts, and make your writing sound like it’s all from the same source. At the very least, a prospective employer will be able to keep them all together if they look the same. You’ll also present a more professional front. If you’ve got the opportunity, try to make your portfolio, website and other materials look like a cohesive whole with your resume — most employers will be looking far beyond your resume to decide on your application.
5. Minimize your job descriptions.
In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to describe each position you’ve held. Your title should say it all. But many people wind up with responsibilities above their pay grade: if that’s the case, it’s reasonable to include that information in your resume. But try to limit other descriptions. If your job title was ‘accountant,’ a hiring manager can generally figure out what you did.
6. Put dates at the end.
Most people load the front of their resumes with dates — “2005-2008, McDonald’s, Cashier” — but, to a certain extent, prospective employers don’t actually care about the dates you worked. Move those dates to the end of the sentence, instead, and put the important stuff up front.
7. Don’t leave big gaps in your timeline.
Been out of the workforce for several years? Don’t just leave a big hole in your job history. List your volunteer work, time spent taking care of an elderly relative — anything you did during that time that could be construed as work. Many HR managers assume that there’s always a significant reason for someone to leave the workforce, and they rarely assume anything positive.
8. Keep religious information out of it.
Don’t list anything that could be the basis of discrimination. The issue is not that some HR managers are likely to discriminate against you on the basis of religion or anything else; instead, that sort of information makes a hiring manager cringe because just seeing can open her up to all sorts of accusations. The same goes for including a head shot for any job opportunity that doesn’t actually require it.
9. Align everything.
No matter what you lay out your resume in, you can generally make the alignment pretty simple. It is crucial, though: jagged lines of text look unprofessional and make most resume reviewers more than happy to move on to the next one.
10. Adhere to your industry’s conventions.
Your industry may have a specific style of resume or CV that has become the norm. Try to stick with those conventions. If a prospective employer is looking for an employee in your industry, they’ll be looking for a resume in the conventional style, containing conventional certifications and terminology to prove that you really are familiar with the industry.
Having a polished resume ups your chances of making it through the various levels of the application process. If a hiring manager gets a large number of resumes in response to a job listing — an especially common problem lately — she may use even small problems with a resume as a way to cut the number of prospects down.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Thursday Bram
Thursday Bram blogs about a variety of topics, from personal finance to small business. She is the author of an upcoming book on the tools and tricks you need to build a career you can take with you during long-term travel. More information about Thursday and her book, Working Your Way Around the World, is available on her personal site, ThursdayBram.com.
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Comments
timgray says on December 23rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
What? I though all managers and HR like that I used comic sans for my resume!
Some of the tips are great for younger people who have a tiny 5 year employment history. but someone like me that has over 25 years of experience, I leave off HUGE GAPS. Like the first 10 years are left off simply because you cant fit it on a 2 page resume without resorting to 8pt font. If I listed it all and everything I did I would be handing them a novel.. Which get’s promptly dropped in the trash.
Finally make sure your resume is clean and readable in a .txt format without any formatting. Many places have resume bots that read in and categorize the applicants. if a raw txt file is not easy and concise to read, it will get thrown away by the bot. Finally, if you are in the tech field be SURE the resume has all the buzzwords that the job description has. If the HR department cant match up the description with your resume, it get’s tossed.
If they ask for 15 years Java experience, you be sure that is listed in there., If they ask for experience with AfztRas systems, you better have that word in there.
Thursday Bram says on December 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
You joke — but I’ve actually seen professional resumes written in Comic Sans. I once reviewed a resume for a woman who had been teaching longer than I’ve been alive, who thought Comic Sans made her resume look ‘cute’!
Worse in my mind, though, are those script fonts that it seems like every teenage girl wants to write her resume in. Sure, they’re pretty — but they’re also entirely unreadable.
Brandon Rowe says on December 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
“If I listed it all and everything I did I would be handing them a novel”
In my case if I listed everything I did, I’d be handing them a footnote, lol.
Thanks Bram for the good tips!
Matsuma says on December 23rd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
A funky font is a no but using a better font than times new roman can really spice up a resume. I’d suggest using something simple like Helvetica, Myriad Pro or even Arial. The adventurous can work in Futura or Palatino if they’ve got it.
Unless you can come up with a good objective, I’d say skip it and opt for a summary of qualifications/skills. I’d also make sure that you’re not just listing off job duties in your resume, but rather focusing on achievements (i.e. successfully managed a major marketing campaign or improved productivity through strong inventory management techniques etc etc.) use action words where possible.
Richard says on December 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I understand about keeping religious information out of your resume (or other things that could be the basis of discrimination), but what if a large part of your relevant work was at a religious organization? How does one present that on your resume?
Adam Snider says on December 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
@Tim: That’s not leaving a gap, so much as it’s leaving out irrelevant details. A gap, in your case, would be listing jobs from, for example, 1990-1999, and then nothing after that except for one job in 2005 (assuming you had changed jobs more than once between ‘99 and ‘05).
@Richard: I’d say, in that case, you’d be better off listing the experience and taking your chances than leaving out a large portion of your relevant work experience.
Sarah says on December 24th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Ahem, as an “accountant” I feel I must defend my profession by stating that a job title as simple as “accountant” is broad and generic and does not at all convey necessary details such as the type of accounting or the types of clients served.
:)
Great article.
Recruiting Animal says on December 24th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Don’t use a “functional” resume that separates the specific experience from the company you got it in and the chronology.
It’s a sign that you want to hide the fact that your experience is very slim or ancient.
Recruiting Animal says on December 24th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Dates are really important. Don’t bury them.
A hiring manager can figure out what you do because she’s doing the same thing. But the hiring manager isn’t necessarily the person to see the resume first.
It could be a junior person in HR or recruiting who doesn’t understand your job unless you hit all the right keywords
Rebecca says on December 25th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Thanks for the tips! I am just finishing up my resume to start applying for post-graduation jobs.
dmk says on January 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
some good advice there. i always insist that a CV/resume should look styled without it looking like it has been styled. if that makes any sense. clean, clear, together and with lots of white space.
Kblrm says on January 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 am
I think a simple font should look more elegant and easy to follow, although it might be mundane. And for religion, i do not understand why people have troubles about saying simply about their religious beliefs in front of others. They talk about the brotherhood of the religions, but in fact people are unconsciously forced to keep their religions as secret. Interesting. But you are right, you got the right point, Thursday.
Seattle Interview Coach says on March 8th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Great post, but tips #6 and 7 appear to conflict with one another. Since resume gaps are important to recruiters and hiring managers, the dates should be visible and easy to find.
- Lewis, AKA Seattle Interview Coach
Bristol Dental Implants says on December 29th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Most employers care more about your skills than anything else. Sure, they’ll want to know where you learned your skills.
Dental Implants Bristol
Bristol Dental Implants says on December 29th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
We should keep our resume updated, i always insist that a CV/resume should look styled without it looking like it has been styled.
http://www.lifehack.org/articl.....t-now.html
ankara oto kiralama says on March 16th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Good balanced post, if you don’t mind me saying.