Did your dream job just get posted online or did you bump into an old friend that told you about an opening in their office?  Are you now panicking because your resume hasn’t been updated in forever but the application is due tomorrow?  We’ve all been there and that’s ok.  With 30 minutes or less and these 10 tips, you can make an updated resume.

 

 

Change your font. 

According the Creative Group,  a font size of 11 in the following fonts result in more job interviews versus other fonts in smaller or larger sizes: Times, Georgia, Bell MT, Goudy Old Style, Garamond, Arial, Tahoma, Century Gothic or Lucida Sans.

Move your education to the bottom.

It’s as simple as that.  Your professional experience should be at the top of the page and your education at the bottom.

Remove your objective.

Take out that boring statement that talks about how awesome you are.  Use the other space to enhance the language versus that long starting paragraph.  According to US News, the statement actually does more harm than good.

Add key descriptive words.

Does your job title not fully explain your position?  According to Life Hacker, you can add your years of experience to the title or your certifications.  This trick will help your resume stand out in the crowd.

Remove “references upon request”. 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this isn’t a thing.  Of course, you will supply them with your references when they request it.  Don’t waste the space and pull it off right now.

 

 

Change the tense.

Make sure your current position is in present tense while your previous position is in past tense.  That’s it!

Add data.  

Think about your current and previous positions and what data you can add to enhance the role.  Did you increase sales by a certain percentage?  How many hours did you cut out of a project? 

Spell check.

Double check your spelling and grammar.  If that’s not a strength, ask a friend to take another glance at it.

Remove your address.

According to Life Hacker, when you have your address on your resume employers take into consideration your commute time.  Instead change it to the broad metropolitan area you work.

Condense your bullets.

You should have no more than 6 bullets per position so make sure the content you have is key.  According to the Muse you should ask yourself three things before including it:

  • Is it a big deal?
  • Did you make an impact?
  • Is it common sense to include?

 

Now, bust out that resume and make these changes to ensure it stands out in the pile!

If you want to avoid the crazy panic, in the future try to make occasional updates to your resume each month.  Just set aside 30 minutes to reflect on your successes, projects and potential new roles.  This will help you save time in the future.

What are some resume updates that you’ve noticed made a huge difference in landing interviews?

Alissa Carpenter
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