Looking for a job can be stressful. Trying to put together a resume that
stands out might seem impossible. September is National Resume Month,
and we include four tips that you can keep in mind when organizing your resume.
The Benefits of an Online Resume
An online resume offers a lot of advantages, the most common places being:
- Your site
- Job boards like Monster or Indeed
Recruiters and employers do a lot of searching online these days, so if
your resume is online, they can find you more easily. An online resume
also functions well as a “master resume.” For each job you apply
for, you typically edit your resume down and tailor it for that particular
job. Having an online resume allows potential employers to see a complete
picture of you, and there might be something on there you didn’t choose
to include that sticks out to them that gets you a callback.
How to Organize Your Resume
There are a lot of different ways to organize your resume, and all can
be successful.
– The most shared and popular is a chronologically organized resume that
has your most recent accomplishments at the top and goes back in time
from there.
– Career changers or recent grads without a lot of experience can use the
functional resume format, which emphasizes your abilities over your past
employment.
No matter how you ultimately decide to organize your resume, the bottom
line is: use the same organizational style throughout.
What Not To Write on Your Resume
- It is accepted that including references on your resume is a waste of time
and space – if a potential employer wants references, they’ll ask,
and you can provide them separately. - Objective statements have also fallen out of fashion because they are focused
on what you, the applicant, wants, not what the employer needs, which
is their focus when looking to hire someone. - If you must have a header statement, try using what’s called a personal
statement instead. It sums up who you are and your professional qualifications
in a sentence or two – basically like your Professional Headline on LinkedIn. - Do not list hobbies on your resume, unless they are extremely relevant
to the position to which you’re applying. - Do not list old jobs on your resume that have no relevance to the one for
which you’re applying.
Keep Your Resume Up To Date
Even if you are not currently seeking employment, you have a lot to gain
by periodically updating your resume. Opportunities can arise very quickly,
and even if you are content in your current job, your dream job might
make itself known to you at a moment’s notice. It’s good to be
able to respond immediately when opportunity calls instead of having to
take up precious time to massively update your resume or build another
one from scratch. You also might forget particular accomplishments when
you go to update your resume at a later date.
So give your resume some love this September by picking it up, dusting
it off and looking at it critically. Update it even if you’re currently
happy with your employment situation. You never know when your dream job
will come knocking, or your situation will change.
