1. Consider Switching The Font

 

Less is always more when it comes to resume font. Often times the "Prettiest" design is not the most reader friendly. Use something nice and safe like Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman.

​

2. Run It Through Spell Check

 

Everyone has access to spell check. Use it! There isn't a hiring manager in the world that won't notice spelling errors and in this day and age there's just no good excuse for it.

​

3. Save It As A PDF

 

Sending your resume as a word document increases the chance that the formatting will be lost when someone opens it. Save it as a PDF file and eliminate this possibility. Simply hit "Print" and change the printer option to "Print To PDF". You can then name your filename and save your resume to the best possible format. Voila!

​

4. Move The Education Section To The Bottom

 

Unless you're a recent graduate, employers and recruiters are going to be most concerned with your most recent and relevant experience. Education is necessary on your resume but not by any means the most prominent aspect of your appeal to an employer. You can also leave high school behind. There's not much value in naming your high school these days.

​

5. Explain Your Acronyms

 

Certifications, titles, and organizations are great to have in your resume but make sure you include the full title and acronym. For example a person with a CFP designation should list this as Certified Financial Planner (CFP). With the widespread use of Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI) used in recruiting methods the more you treat your resume as a keyword friendly document the more likely you are to show up in searches that automatically match your qualifications to a job posting or search.

​

6. Simplify Your Bullet Points

 

Make sure you have no more than 6 bullet points per position and make them simple. This isn't the space to use every highly educated term you know. Keep them concise and cut straight to the point in a comprehensive manner. Hiring managers and recruiters like an easy read.

​

7. Make Your Benefit Clear

 

If you can demonstrate what your benefit was in your previous roles you help paint a picture of how you can solve current and potential voids in the companies structure. This clearly communicates what you're capable of , but also the direct benefit the employer will receive by hiring you.

​

8. Consider Deleting The Career Objectives Section

 

There's nothing wrong with aspirations, however having a career objectives statement may be doing more to narrow your options than you intend. If a hiring manager sees your statement as not in line with the career path their job offers they may view this as a statement of potential discontent when in reality you were open to many different paths. Consider replacing this with a concise achievements, major skills, and important experiences statement that is bullet pointed.

​

9. Ask For Feedback

 

Send your updated resume to some previous co-workers, friends, and family. You'll find that others have a valuable "outside looking in" perspective on your strengths and will likely point out instances and character traits that you may not notice about yourself that will lend valuable perspective to who you are as a person. Hiring managers love it when they feel that they can get to know you a bit within the lines of your qualifications.

​

10. Make Sure Your Linkedin Profile Is Updated

 

Like it or not your digital presense is important. Aside from your job board profile Linkedin is an essential source for validating people's qualifications. Make sure your online profile matches your paper profile and gain valuable networking points in the process. If you don't have a Linkedin profile we advise you make one. It's free and despite the common belief Linkedin is not reserved for more traditional office-type personnel. We recommend you make a profile if you're in General Labor, Skilled Labor, all the way through to construction. It can't hurt and often times helps when a hiring manager is doing due diligence on their potential hire.

​