(ThySistas.com) When was the last time you dusted off your resume and applied for a new job? If you are in the market for a career change but have been out of the job hunting game for a little while, hear me when I say that things aren’t what they used to be.
Your resume is the first impression that you make with a potential employer. A lot of times, a hiring manager sees hundreds of resumes for one job so you can trust and believe they know a good one when they come across it. In this job market climate, it can be hard to find a new position, it’s in your best interest to make sure you have all your ducks in a row AND that you put your best foot forward.
If it’s been a while since you’ve submitted your resume, it’s not enough to just update your work experience. In most cases, you need to update the format too! Here are some modern resume tips to spruce up yours.
Get Rid of the Objective
The thing now is to have a PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY instead of an objective. The professional summary is a statement about who you are, your experiences and what you bring to the table. Something like “Resourceful and innovative public relations professional with 8 years of experience in marketing, writing press releases, and organizing special events.” This covers a lot in a short space. You can also look here for more examples.
Put Your Education at the End
You’ve been in your career/workplace for a minute; you’re established. After your professional statement, go right into your PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES. List your positions with your most recent first and only include the duties that are most relevant to the position you are hoping to secure. From there, list your education in a separate section at the end. Depending on when you graduated, too, you don’t have to use graduation years. It’s up to you.
Use Bold Words
I mean this in the figurative and literal sense. Try to stay away from cliché language or phrases. Look for inventive ways to communicate what you’re good at doing. Also, it’s perfectly fine to bold sentences that are spot on with the overall job description. Do this sparingly to pull the hiring manager’s attention to items on your resume that match what they’re looking for in a candidate.
Don’t Include Your Address
Nowadays, resume headers consist of your name, an email address, and your best contact phone number. That’s it. You don’t have to include your address anymore. Reasons for this include privacy and wanting to be a competitive candidate if you happen to live outside the area where the position is located.
Other Tips
If you want, you can add extras like awards, certifications, or civic involvement, that can add some diversity and credibility to your resume. Include these items after your professional experience. You should also consider your design and know that white space is your friend.
Before you apply for your dream job, dust off your resume and make sure it looks the part. Don’t get your hopes up without an effective selling piece to get your foot in the door.
Staff Writer; Rasheda Abdullah