Ask The Expert: Edit This
6 Keys To An
effective resume by Steve Gamel, Owner of Edit This
C
rafting a standout resume is easier said than done. You could be a young person fresh out of college with only a few internships under your belt, or a 30-year veteran with a seemingly unending list of accomplishments. Clearly, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
What do you put on there? What do you resume. I take pride in it because I leave off? What are the keywords I need know what it’s like to be on the job to use to nab this job? The answers to hunt. While there is no one-size-fits-all these questions are different for every job approach, here are 6 tips to keep in mind: hunter in every career field. What’s more is Avoid grammatical errors that I did a quick non-scientific poll of the Just for grins, I went back and found my internet and it appears most employers first resume. It was filled and recruiters only spend with so many punctuation roughly six seconds No employer mistakes and style errors that reviewing a single resume. will take you I wish I could travel back in seriously if Why do we even put in time just to slap my younger your attention the time? self. No employer will take
to detail is that
But it remains important to you seriously if your attention horrible. craft an amazing resume to detail is that horrible. Read and to keep it up to date at through what you have, then all times. The emphasis should not only have someone you trust read over it. be on highlighting your educational and Create a clear header professional achievements, but doing Make sure your header has all the so in a way that makes those six seconds necessary contact information (your count. If an employer really likes you, name and updated phone number, surely they will read deeper. email, address, etc.) and that it’s properly One of the many things I do at Edit This centered all in one easy-to-find and is help business professionals craft their prominent location at the top of the page. No need to get cute; it makes the whole thing harder to read.
Own your summary statement There are recruiters and business professionals who don’t think having a summary statement near the top of your resume is important. I couldn’t disagree more. A summary statement allows you to quickly summarize your qualifications and what your objective is in a way that allows you to speak directly to whomever you are attempting to work for. Stay organized Make sure everything on your resume is clearly organized and includes names of previous employers, positions held, responsibilities, and key dates worked. Start with your most recent job and work back in reverse order. Avoid generalities Highlight your educational and professional achievements, so make sure you are specific when you do that. Instead of saying, “responsible for increasing business,” you should be saying, “Increased sales revenue by 75% over a two-year span.” Force yourself to have a cutoff point A general rule of thumb is to keep your resume to a page to a page and a half, including your education history, any certifications, and references.
469.360.3611 | EditThisLLC.com
50 | LANTANA LIVING
| March 2020
www.LantanaLiving.com
