Yesterday, I told you about four quick fixes to make your resume work for you. I focused mainly on tweaking the content of your resume. Tonight, however, I’d like to address a few simpler resume tweaks you can benefit.
Each of these resume tweaks should take you less than 15 minutes. They may not seem like much and you may not notice much of a difference, but employers will!
Remember – your interview isn’t a potential employer’s first impression of you. Your resume is!
Try these simple little resume tweaks for big results!
1. Proofread, Don’t Spellcheck
These days, many people simply run the spellcheck on their documents. While spellcheck is great for catching blatantly mispelled misspelled words and some grammatical errors, it doesn’t catch everything! Take a few minutes to actually proofread your resume and correct any mistakes. It’s also a good idea to have someone else proofread your resume before distributing it.
2. Nix the Objective
The resume objective is usually the hardest part of a resume to write. These days, though, an objective makes a resume seem antiquated and old fashioned. Even the most seasoned resume writers have trouble making their resume objectives read so they aren’t cumbersome, bumbling, boring, or selfish. It’s up to you whether you want to keep it or not, but objectives will usually just increase your chances of ending up in the “thanks, but no thanks” pile, so there’s no harm in omitting it.
3. Change Your Font
You want to choose an easy to read, classic font for a resume. Times New Roman is a classic font, but sans-serif fonts – fonts without projections on the edges of letters – are usually cleaner looking and easier to read. Try using fonts like Arial, Veranda, Franklin Gothic, and Trebuchet. If you’re particularly fond of the classic serif fonts, however, give Garamond a try. It’s classic, elegant, and professional.
4. Craft Unique Specific Headers
Typical resume headers usually include things like “Experience”, “Education”, and “Skills”. Effective, yes, but boring and generic. Instead, try using more specific headers, like “Customer Service Skills”, “Bartending Experience”, or “Managerial Skills”. It makes skimming your resume easier and potential employers can quickly see whether you’re qualified for a position or not.
5. Forego the Fluff
You have just one page to show off just how awesome you are when you write your resume. One page… That’s really not a lot at all, especially if you have a lot to say. Take some time to remove any unnecessary words, phrases, lines, and sections from your resume, unless it’s relevant to the position you’re applying to. You should also remove repetitive words describing duties and skills from your work history. List your accomplishments instead.
I’m not done with the resume tweaking just yet! Stay tuned tomorrow for a few more quick little resume tips to make your resume pop!
