Rev Up Your Resume

Updated 3:30 PM EST, Fri, Oct 9, 2009

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10 Resume Tips to Consider

During these difficult economic times, jobs are scarce. People are looking for a way to stand out among the masses of job applicants. Kristin Kane, from Kane Partners, a Philadelphia based full service staffing firm, stresses that your is your most essential tool. “Your resume is the vehicle that gets you the interview, and your interview is what will get you the offer.”

“People are in panic mode and are either putting too much or too little on their resumes,” Kane says, “Your resume is your billboard. The most important thing to do is to ‘quality and quantify’ your bullet points.”

Below Kristin has provided “10 Resume Tips to Consider”, to help you make your resume shine.

Font and Size -- Keep it consistent. 10-12 point size, Arial and Times New Roman are most common.
Details -- Do not re-write your job description. Instead, incorporate your accomplishments and what value you added to the job description. Examples: cost savings of $x, meeting deadlines on time or ahead of schedule, implementing processes or procedures etc. What makes you different or unique?
Dates -- Double check your dates to be sure they are accurate on your resume. Do not lie or misrepresent this in any way. It will cost you the job or offer. Using months and years are preferred.
Education -- Clarify if you are degreed or ‘in process’ taking classes, note your major/minor and if you have a strong GPA consider including that as well.
Objective -- Consider omitting the objective and replacing it with a summary or overview that sums up your experience and value added. Remember to keep this objective and factual, written in third person.
Customizing -- Always review your resume before sending it to a company. If you know you are a fit for the role, your resume has to read that you can do the job. You may have to edit your resume to fit a job and ensure a call. Do not assume the person reading your resume knows what you do because of your job title. Remember an employer is looking to see what you can do for them!
Industry Terms/Acronyms -- Each company/industry has terms/acronyms that are unique. Spell out the acronym first and define it if needed. For example if you are running a proprietary software database write that vs. just INLEX CRM. Do not miss an opportunity to link your skills and experience to the job description. Do not get lost in translation!
Approach -- Write your resume for the job you want not the job you have. The resume is the vehicle to get you the interview the interview is what will get you the job.
Style -- In today’s market the competition is fierce, making a well crafted resume is even more important. It should be easy to read locate skills, catch the attention of the reader and say “Pick Me.” Consider Bullets that begin with Action Verbs that explain your experience, most important/significant at the top. Add a skills section that pulls out keywords explaining your industry skills/exposure.
Spelling/Grammar -- This is your first impression to potential employer. Grammatical errors, spacing, word use, spelling all are the most common mistakes on a resume. If you want to stand out don’t rely of spell/grammar check, get a second person’s opinion!