11 Steps to Your Perfect Resume
There as many right ways to write a resume as there are jobs on the market today. The key is to make your already strong resume stand out in this competitive economy. Remember that you are marketing you, so like any good marketing strategy, you need to research, strategize, create and deliver to achieve the desired results. Create your brand and sell your message to convince employers why you're their perfect fit.
After registering with AlbertaJobCentre.ca, utilize these ten tips to ensure you put your best foot forward:
1. What is the point of a resume?
A lot of people will tell you a resume is meant to get you a job, but that's not true. Your resume is meant to get you an interview. This may sound like splitting hairs, but the truth is that many people include things in their resume that are unnecessary or inappropriate because they are trying to distill their entire character and experience in one professional document. The key to understanding your resume from an employer's perspective is to meet and exceed their skill requirements, show off your understanding of their hiring needs using the tips listed below, and very importantly, leave them wanting more. In most cases, for you to get the job, they have to need to meet you to learn about your passion, your drive, your goals and your wicked sense of humour. These details get lost on the page, so do the hiring manager a favour and leave them out. Focus on the tips below and remember, the only purpose of your resume is to secure an interview.
2. Proper Formatting
Like any good brand, your resume needs to be eye-catching and effective. Choose a professional font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, and ensure the font size is legible, generally 10-12 point, except for your name and headings, which can be larger and bolded. Most hiring managers prefer an at-a-glance format, using bullet points rather than paragraphs, although ensure you keep your sections lined up and consistent throughout the document. Be cognizant of the length -- 1-2 pages for less experienced and non-management roles and 3 pages for senior-level applications. Also, proof read, proof read, proof read. Surveys have shown that as many as three out of four hiring managers will discard a resume with as few as 2 typos. Don't put your faith in spell- check; have others review and try reading from the bottom up to catch any additional errors.
3. Presenting your job history
Most hiring managers prefer a reverse chronological format -- listing the most recent job first with previous jobs following. This gives them a more fluid account of your career progression and typically highlights the most pertinent skills in greatest detail. This may not be the right format, however, if you have any breaks or gaps in employment or if you have a fragmented background with many jobs, professions or industries worked in a short time period. In this case, a functional resume -- summarizing key areas of experience -- may be a better solution. Another option, however, is using a reverse chronological resume and closing the gaps or fragments in employment, sometime referred to as a combination resume. For instance, if you did temporary work or education between permanent roles, list this information. Likewise, if you performed the same job function with several companies in a short time period, group this information together. For instance: Accounts Payable Clerk, Company A, Company B, Company C 2006-2008. This answers some of the questions hiring managers will have about your experience and career progression as well as increase your chances of securing an interview.
4. What should you include?
When looking at levels of experience, how much should be included on a resume? For older job seekers who fear age discrimination, you don't need to include your full career summary. While situations differ based on the number of jobs held, think of including either the last 3-4 jobs or 15 years of experience, whichever is less. For those lacking experience, it is acceptable to include voluntary, unpaid or relevant educational involvement on your resume. If you were a committee member of a student club or volunteered for a non-profit organization, extract those duties and indicate why that experience is relevant in your career progression.
5. What to leave out?
What's appropriate to include in a resume varies by country and culture, and what may be expected in some countries is not required in Canada. When applying for a job in Canada, you should not reference your marital status, age, children, ethnicity or religion and you should not include a photo. An acceptable alternative is a link to your LinkedIn profile, where you may feature a professional headshot.
6. List accomplishments rather than duties
Anyone can do a job but on your resume, you want to prove you did it well.
For example, instead of Responsible for filing and sorting try "Managed the reorganization of the filing system to improve departmental efficiency and provided employees clear instructions of processes and procedures."
Companies need to know you are worth investing in as an employee. Keeping quality employees on staff is the single biggest investment employers make, and the greatest determinate of fiscal success. You therefore need to prove your return on investment. Instead of simply listing your performed duties, try using CAR statements that outline the Challenge, your Actions, and the Result. Most hiring managers know what the basic duties include for most roles. To stand out, you need to demonstrate that you are a valuable employee who goes above and beyond.
7. Use their keywords to get noticed
Many companies, particularly those that are large or are household names receive hundreds, if not thousands of resumes, and therefore use a recruitment program to sort applications. They do so by scanning your resume for keywords that match the requirements for the role. Review a few job postings that interest you and pay attention to certain keywords that stand out. Ensure you include these throughout your resume and cover letter, keeping in mind that they should appear at least three times, preferably near the top. This will increase the chances of your resume passing the initial screening and getting into the hands of the hiring manager.
8. Use powerful words
Reduced, improved, accelerated, launched, identified, eliminated and managed -- these are all power words that may be included in your resume. By starting each bullet point with one of these action words, your CAR statements will have more impact and you will demonstrate to employers that your actions produced results.
9. What are your priorities?
You've identified your CAR statements and used power words to describe them, the next step is ensuring that you are referencing those points that are priorities in your desired job. Similar to including key words, ensure that those duties that are most closely related to the job you are applying for are at the top of your experience for each job function. This will make it easier for hiring managers to match you to the role.
10. Tailor your resume
Just as it is important to customize your cover letter, it is now considered necessary to tailor your resume with each application. This certainly means more time and attention to detail, but if your resume is competing with someone else's, and yours is generic and theirs is tailored to the employer, it should be obvious who will be asked for an interview. To do this effectively, review the job posting and ensure you list the keywords, job priorities and CAR statements that are most pertinent to the role. Consider including a specific career objective or goal that directly relates to the job and if desired, include the company name in the statement.
11. Brand yourself professionally
Still uncertain about how to profile your specific skills and experience to a job within your field? A resume for the hospitality industry naturally differs from that of an accountant or labourer. Review examples online to ensure that you are presenting an accurate depiction of yourself and your experience.
Like all good brands, you need to manage your resume and professional profile. With social media making it easier than ever for employers to check up on you, it is essential that you maintain a consistent and professional image across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and any blogs you may write or participate in. In addition to ensuring that there are no disparaging remarks or unwanted photos that are visible, you also need to ensure your LinkedIn profile supports what you have referenced in your resume.
By creating a strategic personal marketing campaign and brand, you'll enjoy greater success both in your next job and throughout your career.
