As graduation season begins, many college students and soon-to-be graduates are beginning to build their resumes to look for jobs and internships. While this can be a daunting task due to the difficult nature of resume writing, here are a few tips on how to curate a good resume to help you land your dream job.
1) Keep it short
It is important to note that when a hiring manager looks at your resume, they may only look at it for a minute or two thus you should keep it relatively short. This means your resume should only be one page long. To do so you will most likely have to leave out some of your past experiences or skills that may not be relevant to the type of jobs you're applying for.
2) Keep it simple
While it is okay to add some creative elements, such as color and varying fonts to your resume, it is important to limit the amount that's used. Using too many creative elements can distract the reader and take away from the content of your resume. Thus, keeping the resume's color scheme to one to two cool or neutral-toned colors and limiting the fonts to two simple fonts keeps it looking neat while allowing for some creativity without taking away from your accomplishments.
3) Give specifics
Write about the specifics of your past jobs or experiences. It is important to try and write about as many facts, percentages, and numbers as you can about what you accomplished in your past roles. This will help give the hiring manager a better picture of what you did, the level of work you did, and how much you accomplished in your previous roles.
4) Use action words
Action words are simply words that will help catch the hiring manager's eyes and elevate your resume to the next level. They are a more creative and eloquent way of saying simple things. For example, instead of saying "you supported customers" you could say you advised, consulted, or advocated for customers.
5) Use your resources!
After you are finished writing your resume, make sure to use your personal resources by sending it to someone like a mentor or friend for a peer review. They can help you polish it off by pointing out any flaws or improvements that can be made before you apply. Additionally, most universities have career centers that make their services available to both current students and alumni. The resources are there you just have to use them.
Comments