The MOST Important Tip When Writing Your Resume

In today's competitive job market, it's important that you show employers the benefits of hiring you over someone else. Your resume is the first step in presenting yourself to the organization of your choice.

Here are the top 7 things to keep in mind when writing your resume:

1. Work Backwards: This is the most important tip. Decide on the type of job you are interested in, then go to indeed.com to look for job descriptions for that position. Next, write your resume based on the particular responsibilities and requirements in the job description where you have matching skills. What good is it to have a resume that is not descriptive to the requirements for the job?
2. Nix the Objective: This can tie you down to a particular position just because you wrote it in. It’s best to replace it with a strong paragraph summarizing your overall experience. I recommend writing a "Career Summary" or “Summary of Qualifications” that should be a 2-3 sentence paragraph summarizing your overall skills and industry experience. Read the job post closely in order to determine what the employer is really looking for, and customize your "Career Summary" for each individual organization.
3. Style: Use bullet points. This is much easier on the eyes. Remember that the person reading your resume is busy and is reviewing various resumes for the open position. Make the process as easy as possible for them. I also recommend adding a 2nd color to break the monotony, as well as leaving enough white space so the content doesn’t look too busy. Contrary to the 1 page rule, it’s OK to go into a 2nd or 3rd page if the 1 page won’t reflect your experience or will look much too busy.
4. Employment Dates: Include "month/year" for all degrees and "start/finish" of all positions held. Using year alone is not recommended since it does not provide a true scope of your employment at a particular company. If you have time gaps in your resume, prepare to explain why they happened during the interview.
5. Experience/Work History: Include only the most important information about each position. Be specific rather than general in your descriptions using concise and vivid language. Quantify the impact of your actions in your previous positions. Use facts, figures and numbers to help to do this. 
6. Awards and Accomplishments: Be sure to include relevant awards or special recognitions if you have received any. These are “eye-catchers” that will keep the reader interested. These set you apart from the crowd.
7. Keywords: The first level of pre-screening of resumes via the internet is done on a keyword basis. You will increase the chances of your resume being searched and reviewed by potential employers if you incorporate key words and phrases that describe core skills required for the type of job you are looking for.

Interested in learning more resume tips? Check them out in our Career Center under Resume Writing Tips.

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