How To Create A Killer Resume That Won’t End Up In The Trash
Let’s start with the design. Depending on the type of job you are looking for, you are either going to have a “standard” black and white, Times new Roman resume or its going to be a heavily designed. This difference comes in with whether or not your are going into a creative field. Most creative fields are going to want to see a more designed resume.
Here is an example of both types of resumes:
If you are struggling with a design for a resume than Etsy or Creative Market is your best friend.
As for fonts, if you want to switch it up and remain tasteful, I suggest Typewolf.com because it is great for finding font pairings that are tasteful.
Now that we have design set, let’s talk about content. Each resume should contain the following:
Header- the header is at the top of your resume and contains your profile. This is where I typically see the first mistake on a resume. The profile is not the place to tell the employers that your looking for a job. They know this. It’s why your resume is in their hand. Use this part as a means to give your initial pitch yourself to your future employer. I could go way into pitching but that is for another blog. Instead, I am going to give you the simple formula that lots of blogger, influencers, and entrepreneurs use to pitch themselves. This formula is [Who you are + what you offer] there are a few more steps but those aren’t relevant for the header.
So, if I were to write this out for myself for The Blooming Babe it would look like
I am a wellness enthusiast seeking an opportunity to contribute my skills in wellness education.
There’s no need to elaborate on those skills because you will list them out later.
Contact Information - I often see this as part of the header, but it is not required to be here. This is the information that needs to be in your contact information:
Name
Location- this is important for employers willing to pay for relocation
Email - a professional email typically [firstnamelastname@gmail.com]
Your LinkedIn profile name
A link to your portfolio - if you have one
Now that they know why you’re here and how to get in contact with you, they’re going to want to know how smart you are. Yes, it is time for the education section. Your education section should include:
What your degree is
Where you received your degree
Your GPA. Now, if you’re a bit older, 5+ years out of school, this may not be as relevant, however if this resume is going to a graduate school for review then your GPA is very important.
The next two sections are the most important and those are the Skills and Experience Sections.
Starting with the skill section, this is where you get to flex a little bit. Each resume should include both hard skills and soft skills. Hard Skills are typically skills that you learn through instruction whether it be from a book, in a classroom or training, or on the job. Examples of hard skills include:
Microsoft Suites
Photoshop
Illustrator
C++
Soft Skills are those interpersonal skills that are grown through interactions with other individuals. Example of soft skills include:
Time management
Communication
Flexibility
Leadership
Now, here is my first resume hack. Most job descriptions come with a list of desires skills. Match your skills with the skills your employer is seeking. But always remember to not lie on a resume. If you don’t have the skill, DO NOT PUT IT ON THERE.
Awesome! Skills, check. Now it’s time to talk Experience. Now this can put you in a bit of a pickle if you don’t have any, but we will work through this. So, when it comes to experience you always want to start with relevant work experience.
Relevant work experience is experience that correlated with the job you are applying to. As a rule of thumb, I always say go back three jobs on your resume and if those three jobs happened in a time period of less than five years, then go back five years. Experiences should be laid out in the following manner:
Job Title, Company Name, Dates of employment.
Job description.
As a rule of thumb
job experiences should start with your most recent and work your way back.
If the job is current, the action verbs should be in the present tense. If they are in the past, the action verbs should be in the past tense.
And here is my second resume hack. If you are seeking a parallel position at a different company, and their job descriptions match your current job description, then copy and reword parts of their descriptions into yours.
So that’s relevant experience, but what if you’ve been working for a while at a job that does not directly correlate? Well, let’s turn that experience into leadership and those job descriptions into indirect accolades. For example, if you were an RA for four years..., then there are tons of interpersonal parts of the job that are perfect for job descriptions.
But what if you have no experience at all? My first question is why not? (Your interviewer will be wondering this as well) My next question will be “how was your involvement?” Involvement are those extracurricular activities that you found yourself a part of. This includes volunteering and/ or being a member of a fraternity or sorority, student organization, or committee.
Your Involvement portion should include
What organization, committee, fraternity or sorority or volunteer program you were/ are a part of.
The years you were/are active or participated in such.
Once again, these should be ordered from most current to least current
Awesome, now along with involvement, you should have a section of Honors and Awards.
This portion is another place to flex and it shows future employers another reason why you are an asset. In the Honors and Awards section you should include:
the name of the honor or award
The month and year it was received.
And if you have not got it by now, these should be ordered from most current to least current
And that is it y’all, that is your guide to a killer resume. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments or email them to me here:
If you need a little more help, I do have a Pinterest board full of resume tips and templates that you can find here:
Thanks y’all! Until next time :)
Source:
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/5-critical-elements-of-resume
Mary Neely - Former Career Advisor at Kennesaw State University