resume tips Archives - Page 2 of 2

Make a Good First Impression

In the job market, a first impression can be the biggest factor standing between you and that dream job. Be mindful of how you come across to potential employers, because their view of you may be the tiny make-it-or-break-it factor that gets you the job – or doesn’t. Here are a few things to consider when preparing yourself to jump into the job search, feet first.

1. Your Resume and Cover Letter

99.99% of the time, your resume and cover letter will be your potential employer’s first impression of you. Even though they are simply written documents on paper, you need to make them count! Make sure both are formatted properly, flow well, have no grammatical or spelling errors, are specifically tailored to the company of interest, and display your best achievements and most relevant experience. Check out our other blogs for a more in-depth look at resume do’s and dont’s.

2. Your Correspondence

If a potential employer takes the time to reach out to you for any reason (be it to thank you for the submission of your resume or to request an interview), be sure to respond in a timely manner! Even a short email with a “Thank you” will suffice and show the potential employer that you can be counted on.

3. Your Appearance

If you make it far enough to be invited in for an interview, make sure you dress the part! Though dress codes can vary dramatically nowadays based on company culture, it is always better to show up overdressed than underdressed. A good pair of slacks and a collared shirt (for men) or a conservative blouse (for women) are great choices to consider. Likewise, make sure that your personal hygiene is in check – clean hair and nails, and trimmed or shaved facial hair for men – and consider skipping the excessive perfume before an interview. Some overpowering scents can have an aversive effect on people, and it’s better to skip the fragrance than to risk giving your interviewer a headache.

4. Your Timeliness

Your physical appearance is not the only factor that you should consider before an interview. Timeliness is also incredibly pivotal – especially in our culture, where “time is money.” Most hiring managers will meet with multiple job prospects in a day – you don’t want to be that one person that throws off their entire schedule because you are late. In fact, a good rule-of-thumb to follow when showing up for interviews is to get to the site fifteen minutes early. Spend the extra time rehearsing your “self-pitch” in your head, or use it to catch up on world news in the paper. Do not however, take that time to check your phone and text your best friends. Some employers – particularly if they have a secretary that sits in the lobby with you while you wait to be called in – make note of the behavior of their prospective employees before interviews.

Remember, first impressions make a big impact. Next time you apply for a job, wow your prospective employer with how incredible you are – right off the bat!

How To Make Your Resume Stand Out

It’s no mystery that the job market these days is flooded with quality candidates. So when an employer has a stack of resumes handed to them, how can you be sure that yours will get more than just a passing glance?

Be organized.
First and foremost, having a well organized resume will encourage an employer to want to read on. No one wants to read a jumbled mess, so make sure your margins and bullet points are used correctly and consistently for easy reading
Make sure the text on your resume is legible. It is usually easier to read resumes in a serif font such as Georgia or Times New Roman. Other fonts may look fun and creative, but are much harder to read.

Be concise.
It is recommended that resumes should fill 1 page. A resume that is any longer may bore the reader, but any shorter can give the appearance that you do not have as much experience. If you are looking to make yours shorter, prioritize the information and only include what really needs to be there in relation to the company and position. If you are trying to make your resume longer, don’t be afraid to brag! Fill the page with your accomplishments and duties from your previous experience. You may also want to play around the with font and margin size of the document.

Be specific.
While it may be easier on you to send out generic resumes for all of your applications, you actually may be hurting your chances. Specificity is key. Fill your resume with skills that directly relate to the job description you are applying for. That way, you potential future employer can see what you will bring to the position without wading through useless information.
If you are able, write a specified cover letter that highlights how your past experience will be beneficial for this job. A cover letter is a great way to go deeper with more detail into your previous experiences without cluttering the resume itself.

Be different.
Do something original. Here is a website full of interesting and creative resumes. Even though most of these designs may be a little too unique, they were read because they stood out among the sea of resumes that were given to the company. See how you could adapt any of these features to your own resume. Depending on the job position you are applying for, this may just be the type of creativity your future employer is looking for! Find a way to incorporate your passions or other creative facets that will help you to stand out. By including an important hobby of yours the employer will not only remember you but will understand what makes you unique.

We hope this advice helps you with your job search. Be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more tips and information!

Resume Design Matters! Tips and Tricks

Many sites will answer the question “how do I write a resume,” but not as many address the question of “how do I design a resume.” Don’t worry: no one expects a fancy infographic-style resume (unless, perhaps, when hiring a graphic designer). But you still need to make sure that a first glance at your resume won’t turn off a hiring manager— and ideally that it will intrigue them. You may not be a graphic designer, but don’t worry! You can still have a great-looking resume if you follow these tips:

1. Start with a Template
Templates are a great way to get a head start on designing a solid resume, and you can find them for pretty much any word processor out there! Here are links to templates for some of the major processors:
– Microsoft Word
– Apple Pages
– Google Docs
– Open Office

But don’t think that plugging your info into a template is enough! These are easy to find, so you can bet a lot of job seekers use them— maybe even ones applying to the same jobs as you! Do your best to tweak the design’s colors and look.

2. Use Caution While Handling Fonts
It may be tempting to use grand, sweeping fonts throughout your resume. Or maybe you prefer the chipper, cheerful look of Comic Sans. In either case, be careful what fonts you choose, and stick to about two: one for headlines, and one for the rest of your resume’s text (such as your job history and objective). Traditionally, designers recommend a “serif” font (one with little ticks at the ends of each letter, such as Times New Roman or Helvetica) for the main body of text and a “sans serif” font (one without the ticks, like Arial and Calibri) for headlines.

3. Consider Printing When You Design
Many employers (and perhaps you yourself) will want to print your resume, so avoid using colored backgrounds or large, detailed images. These suck up ink and don’t always look very good on a standard printer, so save yourself time and money and stick to a traditional white background.

4. Separate Headlines from Body Text
Your resume should be broken up into several sections, such as your objective, education, job history, skills, achievements, references, memberships, etc. Each section should have its own headline that clearly separates it from the section’s text. If you’re not sure how to start, simply bold the headline text and perhaps increase its font by a point or two. Don’t go too crazy- you don’t want your headlines to take up the whole page!

5. Leave Some White Space
While you don’t necessarily have to keep your resume down to one page, many people do for simplicity’s sake, and that’s great! However, some of them attempt to cram that one page too full of text to really be readable, much less enticing. Stick to standard margins, and make smart use of bullet-point lists where appropriate such as in your skills and job history, so that a straight paragraph in a couple of sections makes sense. However, you don’t want every section to be a list either: it’s all about balance!

Still need help? No problem! Contact us and we can arrange to meet with you and go over your resume and other aspects of your job search.