A great resume can set you apart from other candidates and let your skills and experience shine. Have you started crafting a resume or updating your current one and realized you’re not sure where to start? Resume work leaves a lot of folks scratching their heads but don’t stress, you can do it! Here are five tips to crafting a resume:
- Contact information – Make sure your name and contact information is at the top of your resume. Contact information should include your phone number and email address at a minimum. You should also include your address and the URL of your LinkedIn profile (if you have one). Double check to ensure your contact information is up to date if you are updating an old resume.
- Focus on your experience – the bulk of your resume should be focused on your work experience and how you made an impact in your prior jobs. Use action verbs and whenever possible, display results. Take the time to think through what your greatest accomplishments were and showcase them on your resume as the first points for each job you’ve held.
- Order is important – Your resume should have a good flow and that means including key sections in an organized order:
- Contact information – name, phone, email, address, website links
- Profile – a resume objective or introduction/career summary
- Work Experience – list in chronological order, with the most recent position at the top
- Qualifications (optional) – list any certifications, awards, or achievements (focusing on those that pertain to the job you are applying for)
- Education –any formal training and degrees
- Skills – list 5-10 relevant skills
- Tailor your resume to the role – read the job description of the job you’re applying for and tailor your resume to suit the employer and the role
- Simplify and standardize – Your work history does not need to include every detail, keep it succinct. If you have a long work history only include the relevant experience and skills. Make sure you have a consistent font and clean format throughout your resume.
These are just a few tips to get you started on crafting your resume, but you should do some research on the best type of resume for your industry and the type of job you are applying for.
Our career counselors at the Center 4 Hope help people develop a resume and cover letter, prepare for interviews, and provide guidance on career direction and obtaining employment. If you need help with these services, you can contact us here.