Applying for a job can be like standing in a crowded room with elbow-to-elbow traffic while trying to gain the attention of a person who’s out of reach. So, what do you do? You make yourself stand out. When applying for a job, a way to do this is through a strong, effective resume. It may be your first and only impression on a prospective employer.
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A resume needs to grab their attention and hold it through multiple reviews. According to an RUReady.ND.gov resource, employers take 10 seconds to review a resume before determining the applicant’s strengths or weaknesses, and a hiring manager may reject all but the top candidates after completing 30-second reviews of their resumes.
This makes it critical for you to sell yourself through your resume. It must demonstrate why you are the right person for the position and be well-written, typo-free and organized. Your resume should summarize your work experience, education and skills in such a way that employers can easily glance through it and determine how you could contribute to the company if given the opportunity.
Basic items you’ll want to include on your resume:
- Name and contact information
- When it comes to your resume design or layout, this information is your page header. It should include your full name, mailing address, email address and phone number. Your email address should reflect professionalism. If your personal email is not appropriate, you may want to create a new one.
- Work and volunteer experience
- A reverse chronological list works well for this information. Use bullet points to list accomplishments and relevant job tasks.
- Education
- This could include postsecondary education, certifications or trainings.
- Skills
- List the skills you have and will bring with you in your new position. Also include any computer skills and list programs you know how to use.
Quick tips when drafting your resume:
- Use a clean, well-organized layout.
- There are various templates and resume builders available online, but a simple layout with a proper heading, subtitles and bullets may suffice depending on the type of job you’re applying for. One of the most important things is that it needs to be easy to read and follow. Remember that you only have a few seconds to catch an employer’s attention. You don’t want them using that precious time trying to find information.
- Keep it consistent.
- Use the same tone of voice and styles of font and bullets.
- Avoid hard-to-read or unprofessional fonts.
- In most cases, common fonts like Calibri or Arial are solid choices since they’re easy to read and professional looking.
- Be honest and specific.
- Yes, you want to stand out but exaggerating your experience or skills is not recommended. You also don’t want to underrepresent yourself either, so be specific on the skills you do have.
- Include keywords from the job posting.
- Some companies may use a system that electronically sorts through resumes. Using keywords from the job posting could help match your resume to it. Using keywords and phrases also helps when someone is skimming through your resume for qualifications.
- Use subheadings.
- Subheadings help to break up the text, make it easier to find information and prevent your resume from looking like a wall of words. These are often accented through the use of bold font or lines underneath.
- Use action words to show your skills and abilities.
- Action words help tighten up your content, allowing you to present the same idea in fewer words. Here’s an example:
- Maintained the database for employee communication.
- Action words help tighten up your content, allowing you to present the same idea in fewer words. Here’s an example:
- Proofread your resume.
- Check for typos, missing punctuation, grammatical errors, inconsistencies and misspellings. These are distractions and can make it hard for employers to understand your qualifications.
- Have someone review your resume before you submit it.
- We’re all human, which means we make mistakes, and spellcheck can’t be relied on to catch simple errors like two, too and to. Having someone review your resume is an important step to ensure it is legible and free of errors. Ask them to read it as if they are the employer.
Your resume is a tool to help you stand out in the crowd. It’s worth the extra time investment to get it right. For more information on building your resume, visit RUReady.ND.gov and North Dakota Job Service.
