A resume is an advertisement - something to achieve an interview with a prospective employer. It is used to garner the interviewer's attention and set yourself apart from the other stack of resumes.
A typical hiring manager will scan a resume for 10-20 seconds before deciding whether to continue reading or move on. Since you have only a very short period of time to impress them, the top of your resume needs to be attention grabbing.
What can you do to set yourself apart?
1. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes.
What would you look for if you were hiring for your target position? Your resume should sell this manager on how your qualifications meet his/her needs.
2. Start with your objective.
State your objective in a section at the beginning of the resume. Do not make it something general like "Looking for a career" but be more specific "Looking for an information technology career that can utilize my customer service and technical skills."
3. Your resume is not your personal history!
One big mistake candidates make is having their resume as their personal history. A hiring manager doesn't want to know what you did for a high school job if you're thirty years old. Hobbies are nice to know, but it is a section most managers skip over.
4. Sell em quick.
Your resume shouldn't be over one page unless you have a long work history or are at an executive level. A second page can be used for references, but you should be able to fit your resume into a single sheet.
5. Check your grammar & spelling.
I know this is probably the most repeated resume tip, however, it also happens to be the most important. Nothing turns off a hiring manager quicker than spelling & grammar mistakes. I immediately dismiss a resume if I see more than two mistakes on it - if the prospective employee is not willing to spend time checking their resume, how will they perform when I hire them?
Check your resume. Recheck your resume. Have someone else check your resume!
With these tips, you should be able to work on producing an eye catching and effective resume.
