April 5, 2016    |    By

The facts don’t lie. In 2014, there were 11.8 million unemployed people and 3 million open jobs. What’s the disconnect? The problem starts with your resume. Recruiters only spend 5 – 7 seconds glancing over a resume. So you have very little time to convince them to put you in their “yes” or “maybe” pile and stay out of the “no” pile. Have an unprofessional email address? 76% of resumes are thrown out because of that alone!

Knowing how to write a convincing resume is crucial to you getting in the door for an interview. It’s more than knowing how to write one and what is included in a resume. There’s a skill involved in putting you on one piece of paper, and it isn’t easy. It’s your elevator pitch without them getting to see you, hear your voice, your tone, or see your body language.

Here Are 3 Resume Tips To Keep In Mind:

1. Your Resume Needs To Convince The Employer To Call You

Do you know the goal of your resume? It’s not what you think. It isn’t just to showcase your work history and education. A resume is meant to convince an employer to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. If you keep this in mind, you will write your resume with a completely different tone than if you were to just write a summary of your experience. Remember, this person is probably reading through tens or hundreds of resumes. You need to make sure yours stands out.

2. Write A Resume For The Job You Are Applying For


If you use the same resume for every job application, that’s your first mistake. For example, say you are applying for an office job. You need to write a resume that showcases that particular set of skills and knowledge. You don’t want to write about your expertise in flipping burgers with a perfect 3 point flip. That has nothing to do with working in an office. However, what you can do is find the skills that you learned while at that job that would apply to an office job and highlight those skills. That might include, how to work as a team, taking command and leading, time management, etc. You can’t change your work history but you can change you present it.

3. Use The Best Resume Format

Formatting your resume is what can take up the majority of your time. Just when you think you got it all on one page, a line jumps to the next page. This can be the most frustrating part of resume writing. There is more than one way to format your resume, but there are some guidelines you should follow.

Resume Format Guidelines

  • Resume Length: Keep it to 1 page (no more than 2 max)
  • Font Size: Use size 10 – 12pt font. Use a heading with a larger font size for your name. Include your email address, phone number and address.
  • Margins: Use margins of 1 inch on top and bottom. Side margins are based on how you want the look at and feel to be. Don’t go past .6 inches or you might lose some design aspects.
  • Font Style: Use a font that’s easy to read. Also note that some fonts are larger than others even though they both say size 12. If you need to save room, just choose a different font that runs a bit smaller.
  • Spacing: Use single spacing to save yourself some room.

Using these guidelines will help you write a resume that is easy to read in the 5-7 seconds a recruiter may spend looking at your resume. Keep in mind the tone, what job you are applying for, and these simple guidelines and you will craft your best resume so far. Remember to update your resume every 6 months to a year. You are always learning new things, acquiring new skills and you want to make sure those things are added. Don’t forget to add a little design to your resume. After all, the goal is to get your resume to stand out enough that they call you for an interview.

Sources:
https://workplacelit4adults.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/interesting-statistics-about-resumes/


https://www.business2community.com/human-resources/25-fun-facts-resumes-interviews-social-recruitment-0975676#myeYTGBCmX2XxrWP.97


https://resumegenius.com/how-to-write-a-resume/skills-section-writing-guide

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This blog post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created between the author and reader of this blog post, and its content should not be relied upon as legal advice. Readers are urged to consult legal counsel when seeking legal advice.