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by Emy Goldsmith
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goal of a résumé is to get an interview.
It is important to use effective formatting, keep
the content succinct, and make an impact on a perspective
employer.
Keep in mind that a résumé is not a life history!
You only need to give the most important highlights of
your skills and experience. Think of it like an advertisement
or brochure for selling yourself. The goal of a résumé
is to get you an interview. No one has ever gotten a job
based entirely on a résumé.
Remember the "20 Second Rule." Most employers
spend 20 seconds looking at your résumé. In that time
you need to convince them that you deserve an interview.
Make sure your goal stands out and your most important
skills are at the top of your résumé. The most recent
information is the most relevant and important to your
audience. They want to know what you’ve done lately, so
make sure that you get your most important messages in
the first job.
Notice where your eyes are drawn to when you look at your
résumé. Make sure you see the most important information
first. Develop a visual hierarchy so that your résumé
is easy to read. Don’t make the reader spend time
searching for the information they want.
- Use Bullets. Bullets separate a block of
text into an easy to read list. They can be read more
quickly and give the writer more opportunities to
market themselves to the employer.
- Use the Whole Page. Don’t use a format
that leaves large amounts of white space on your résumé.
This is space you could be using to sell yourself.
- Be Consistent. Express similar pieces of
information the same way. For example, if you worked
at your most recent job from “3/2000 – 3/2001”, then
don’t write the dates for your previous job as “June,
1995 - March, 2000.”
Use verbs when describing your previous work experience.
When writing about your job, don’t list a job description,
write what you did. Begin your bullets with verbs, and
don’t write about your job in the first person. This will
make a bigger impact on the reader!
For example, instead of:
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I was responsible for
answering phones and filing data. |
rephrase as
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Managed a 24 line phone
system, including greeting callers and making appropriate
transfers. |
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Maintained company file room, filed
data daily, removed obsolete data files as necessary. |
A résumé that is customized for a specific
job is more likely to get you an interview. A tailored
résumé highlights those qualifications a
particular employer most wants to see. If you use the
same key words and phrases found in the description of
the job you are applying for, in your résumé
and cover letter, you will have a better chance of getting
an interview. To customize your résumé effectively,
make sure to:
- Read the description of the job you are applying
for carefully. Highlight the most important skill
requirements.
- Compare the skills you highlighted to the language
in your résumé. Is there information
lost in your résumé that should be at
the top?
- If your résumé doesn’t showcase the
skills you highlighted then reword or reformat your
résumé so that it does. It’s your job
to draw the connections between your skills and the
positions requirements. Don’t leave this to the employer’s
interpretation.
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