Without question, you’ve heard all about the importance of resumes over the years. Teachers, parents, professors, academic advisors, coworkers or employers might have given you resume writing tips here and there. Unfortunately, nobody gave you a definitive guide for how to write a great resume.
Although that go-to collection of professional resume tips might not exist, these tips should get you started.
Using Resume Writing Tips
Pick and choose the professional resume tips you come across. On your quest to build a powerful resume, you’ll find endless advice on the subject. If you ever come across tips that you don’t agree with, consider asking a mentor, hiring manager or employer what they think.
1. Don’t Blindly Use the Same Resume Everywhere You Apply
Despite only being one page long, resumes take a long time to create. After spending so much time honing your resume, you’ll probably feel confident enough to send it to dozens — if not hundreds — of employers.
Never use the same resume or cover letter for every job you apply to.
Every employer, job posting and hiring manager has different mission statements, qualifications and preferences. Although you’ll never be able to predict the perfect application for any given job, you can always make an educated guess.
In general, you can find tons of actionable information on job postings and employers’ public mission statements.
2. Use a One-Page Format
When screening resumes and cover letters, employers don’t spend much time on any single resume. According to one 2018 study, recruiters spend just 7.4 seconds browsing through each application.
Even if you have a stellar resume with plenty of highlights, don’t expect hiring managers to look past the first page.
If you’ve already made a multiple-page resume, condense that resume down into one page instead of starting from scratch. It’ll save time and help you decide which information is most relevant.
3. Take Advantage of Relevant Keywords
As mentioned above, recruiters don’t spend much time looking at resumes. To save time, many employers or human resources agencies initially weed through applications by searching for relevant words and phrases.
Employers often put tons of information in job postings. After carefully reading through each job posting, take notes on which qualities they emphasize.
For example, if a job opening lists “five years experience of managerial experience preferred,” include “managerial experience” and “five years” in your resume. When adapting your resume to each employment opportunity, make sure to include relevant keywords.
4. This Phrase Takes Up Too Much Space
Even for entry-level jobs with low pay, employers expect applicants to provide references. Traditionally, candidates withhold their references’ contact information until the interview phase.
There’s no reason to include the phrase “references available upon request.” Use this room to include relevant, valuable information. If your resume already lacks substantive content, you should still leave this phrase out.
5. Leave Photographs Out of the Picture
A 2012 Columbus State University study found that attractive real estate brokers notched higher sales prices and earned better commissions than their less attractive counterparts. Another paper found that attractive people make up to 14% more than not-so-attractive people.
Despite these well-researched findings, you should never include a photograph with your resume. In today’s world, employers often try to anonymize applications to protect themselves from unfair hiring practice lawsuits. Also, including a photograph of yourself may demonstrate to employers that you lack knowledge about formal employment.
6. Always, Always, Always Use This Format
Even though most people use Word or Pages to make resumes, you shouldn’t submit resumes in .docx or .pages files. When opened on different computers, these file extensions don’t always hold their format.
Unlike .docx or .pages, PDF files always hold true regardless of what devices employers use to open them with.
If you haven’t already reviewed your resume in PDF form, do so immediately. Not proofreading your resume after conversion could result in sending an unfinished resume or a previous version.
7. Describe Your Duties and Abilities With Action
When listing job duties or work-related abilities, many job seekers use unappealing language to describe themselves. The number-one culprit of bland resume language is the passive verb.
We’ll skip the full-blown grammar lesson on passive verbs and get straight to the point. If you can insert “by zombies” in a sentence, it uses passive voice. For added assistance, find a passive voice detector online.
For example, the following sentence uses passive voice: “Was promoted to manager after six months of employment.” Here’s a better alternative that uses active voice: “Received promotion to management after six months of service.”
Although you shouldn’t use overly colorful language, always use active voice when crafting your resume.
8. Always Be Consistent
Feel free to consider this piece of advice as the ABCs of professional resume tips.
You don’t need to be a well-seasoned writer or grammar fanatic to be consistent in your resume. Think about consistency as a stylistic measure, not a grammatical one.
For example, if you put a period behind an accomplishment or job duty under your previous employment positions, put periods behind every bullet point. In the professional world, employers don’t require you to build resumes around a certain style guide.
The only style guide you should use is this one — being consistent.
9. Reconsider Adding Social Media Links
When applying for digital marketing or social media marketing positions, for example, a rock-solid Twitter account or Instagram feed could win over a potential employer. Otherwise, be careful when disclosing your social media profiles to employers.
Employers love using LinkedIn as a way to browse talent and verify candidates’ information. As such, proactively including your LinkedIn profile is a good idea.
So far, the working world doesn’t consider most other social media platforms as professional. In general, avoid sharing links to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook accounts.
Building a high-quality resume is a powerful career tool that every working adult should strive for. Don’t end your resume-building journey here. By treating your resume as a living document, you’ll have a major advantage over fellow job seekers.