How To Build A Great Resume

You’ve got the education and your first internship under your belt. But so does everyone else. So, how do you get noticed and make yourself stand out from the pack? Well, a great resume´ can go a long way toward getting your first big job. After all, a resume´ is your first point of contact with a recruiter or hiring manager.

So, it behooves you to do everything in your power to make yourself as marketable as possible. With that in mind, I have put together some of my top tips for creating a resume´ that will get you noticed!

Keep it to a Single Page

No one likes to read pages upon pages of text to get to the one piece of information they’re looking for. Hiring managers and recruiters are looking for a resume´ they can quickly scan for relevant information. If you have all of the qualifications but your resume´ is a dizzying mess, you may miss out on a great opportunity solely because people don’t have the time or energy to hunt for what’s pertinent.

A resume´ shouldn’t be a life story. It should just be the highlights. And only those highlights that pertain to the position for which you are applying.

Keep it Professional

If your personal email isn’t professional sounding, I highly recommend setting up a free account with a different username. You want to put your best foot forward and the email address you used in middle school may not show your best side to prospective employers. Don’t give them a reason to close the door in your face before they’ve had a chance to see how great you are!

Match Your Language to the Listing You are Applying

While you don’t want to copy and paste the job requirements from the listing into your resume´, you do want to demonstrate that you possess the experience required for the position. Using similar verbiage to that in the job listing is a great way to demonstrate that.

Provide Solid Examples to Back Up Your Claims

Don’t just tell prospective employers that you have demonstrated mastery of the skills they are seeking. Provide real examples and bring supporting documentation when you go for an interview. If you increased foot traffic by 150% at your last job, include that detail and be very specific. Just saying that you aided in marketing is vague and doesn’t give the recruiter an idea of what you can do or how you did it.

List Your Experience and Education in Order of Importance

Most hiring managers are more concerned with the fact that you have a degree than where that degree is from. Education should be at the bottom of your resume´ and any relevant work experience and or internships in your field should be at the top. You want to lead with the most crucial information and then fill in the gaps after that.

Be Honest

I cannot stress this enough. If you lie on your resume´ there is a high probability that it will come back to haunt you. If you say you are proficient at something, make sure you actually are. Lying may get you in the door but it can easily get you terminated from your position when your embellishments are discovered.

Check for Errors

This should go without saying but make sure you proofread your resume´ before sending it out to prospective employers. If a recruiter thinks you don’t know to use spell check, they aren’t likely to reach out and offer you an interview. Proof reading only takes a moment and it can make a world of difference.

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What tips for you think work best when making a resume?