December 3, 2014

Professional Development

Resume Tips

By: Aynsley Harrison

Aynsley Harrison

With the elections over and the 2016 race to the White House ramping up, many of you are currently dusting off the ole’ resume and restarting your job search. As you do, don’t forget these basic guidelines.

Keep it to one page! The rule of thumb here is that if you have under 10 years of paid work experience, your resume should be only one page. I have actually seen recruiters throw away 2 page resumes for entry-level positions.

List accomplishments, not job descriptions! Accomplishments matter more to the recruiter than describing every menial task you completed. Instead of saying you made calls in a campaign office, tell me how many you made. Job descriptions can be re-arranged to make them accomplishments. Also, quantifying your accomplishments is also a great way to stand out.

Make sure everything is relevant to the job for which you’re applying! If you’re applying for a position, analyze the job description carefully to make sure that every position and accomplishment shows that you are the best person for the job.  Don’t be afraid to leave things off your resume to keep it to the one page mentioned earlier. If you need to later, you can always address it in the interview.

Remember, your resume is your face without a face so make sure to put the best one forward in your job search! If you need more help, click here to schedule a free resume consultation!

 

Aynsley Harrison is Career Services Coordinator at the Leadership Institute.