When was the last time you really scrutinized your resume? I mean objectively reviewed it based on the job you’re seeking? This may be stating the obvious, but a job seeker’s resume is the single most important document when job hunting. It’s you on a piece of paper, and it’s typically the first introduction an employer has about you. That said, often when hiring managers or recruiters review resumes, they find common mistakes such as important information missing, overstated job descriptions and/or unclear job details. Before you apply for that next job, take a moment to review and improve your resume with these essential tips.
– Clarify Your Objective: Your resume’s objective is an opening statement about you. If it’s too broad or cluttered, you may lose the potential employer’s interest after the first few words. An objective should be clear, concise and specify what you’re looking for in your job search.
– Stick to Relevancy & Facts: Within your job details, focus on relevant details and facts about your work history. Be specific about jobs and duties. Remove excessive content that doesn’t offer valuable insight about the job you preformed.
– Remove Irrelevant Duties: This may be a bit redundant from the point above, but it needs to be repeated. Leave off the job details that do not matter. This is an ongoing mistake that job seekers’ make on their resumes. Stick to relevant duties only and don’t clutter up your resume with nonsensical information.
– Review Your Resume’s Length: Professionals with over ten years’ experience can have two or more pages, and the content of the resume should be relevant to the job posting. We notice far too often that candidates with less than five years’ experience provide a two page resume. Simple rules apply here for candidates with minimal experience. Describe the job, duties and details applicable to the job posting and refine the resume to one page.
– Keep Opinions to Yourself: A resume should be fact-based, not filled with opinions. This is error we see frequently on resumes. If you have an opinion you’d like to voice, save it for the interview. Having blatant opinions written in your resume, deludes the important information job seekers need to convey, and it may be off-putting to a potential employer.
Remember, your resume is your first introduction. It must be up-to-date, professional and relevant to the job you’re applying for. If you’re not getting the response from employers and know you have the experience, it could be your resume. Take the time to review and revise using our guidelines before posting your next job.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Ingrid Moore
Ingrid Moore is the Founder and CEO of Corporate Resources of Illinois, an employment & staffing agency with over20+ years’ experience located in Schaumburg, IL. Ingrid and her team assist employers with finding the right hirefor their business. For more info, follow us on our LinkedIn Company Page, or follow us Corporate Resources ofIllinois‘s Google+ page.
