Make it Specific
One of the most common mistakes job seekers make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings they can find. It may save time, but it will decrease the chance of landing an interview. Take a few minutes to tailor your resume for each employer. This will increase your visibility to a prospective employer and show how your experience can benefit their company.
Make Your Resume the Key to Your Success
Include vital keywords that employers look for, that are relevant to your experience. Your resume should include the same keywords that appear in job descriptions. That way, you will increase your chances of your resume matching available positions - and of you being selected for an interview. If you are applying for a specific position, target your resume for that position, highlighting what qualifies you.
Be Positive and Highlight Your Strengths
Above all in your resume and interview - be positive. Leave out negatives and irrelevant points. Highlight your strengths and what is most relevant to the potential employer. If you feel your graduation date will subject you to age discrimination, leave it out of your resume. If you do some duties in your current job that don't support your job search objective, don't include them. Focus on the duties that do support your objective, and leave off irrelevant personal information.
Correctly Identify & Market Your Skills
Make sure when writing your resume that you list key technologies and skills that you have used and have experience with. By listing these directly in your resume for each position where you have utilized them, you will be more likely to come up in an employer's search for the perfect candidate.
Keep it Classic, Simple, and in a Standard Format
Keep your resume in a simple format using a single font. The best fonts to use are Times New Roman or Arial; just make sure it is easy to read. Make sure not to use any font lower than 10 points. Remember white space is important. Don’t try to fill up the page with just text; white space or open areas help attract the eye. Submit in a Microsoft Word or PDF format.
Keep It Professional, Relevant and in 3rd Person
When creating a resume, only include relevant information. Do not include hobbies, personal information, or use personal pronouns such as “I, we or us.” Steer clear of clichés or vague wording, such as “excellent communication skills” or “goal-oriented individual.” While these phrases may be true, focus on concrete descriptives that make you stand out in your field: experience, credentials, and accomplishments.
Make Sure It’s Perfect
All the hard work you put into creating your resume can be rendered meaningless if you make grammatical errors and misspellings. Whether you're just out of college or gunning for an executive desk, these little mistakes show that you don't pay enough attention to detail and don't put enough thought into how you present yourself. So take the time to proofread your resume several times before submitting it to potential employers.
Ask for Feedback
Ask friends and colleagues to review your resume and provide constructive feedback. Often you spend so much time working on your resume that you can miss little errors or not realize that a description is not clear. Feedback will help keep you balanced.
Do Not List Your References
References should always appear on a separate page, and should only be produced when asked for. Also, be sure to delete the "References: Available Upon Request" line. It's understood that you will, so save space and your potential employer's time.
Make it Easy to Contact You
Make sure to list a daytime and evening phone number, or a number where you can be reached at all times. In the world of job hunting, great opportunities can open and close in a blink of an eye. Not being able to get a hold of you can cost you a job. Also, make sure to have a professional email address on your resume and avoid using your current work email address on your resume unless you are self-employed. Check your email often so you can respond quickly to an opportunity.
