3 Ways to Make Your Résumé Sparkle
As Angela over at Girl Meets Business recently pointed out, our 10 Crucial Questions on How to Interview (and the Answers) are great but, they provide little value if your resume can’t get you in the door. There are tons and tons of resume and cover letter tips out there that go deep into the psychology behind communicating your accomplishments, a very important endeavor, however, many ignore a few simple techniques that can really help your résumé rise to the top. Here are a few ways to add a little pizazz to your résumé:
1. Make it about the Dollars ($) and Percents (%). See, the symbols caught your eye. They have the same effect on someone who is reading through hundreds of resumes to screen out the best candidates. There’s no reason to overdo it and turn your résumé into a spreadsheet complete with macros, but a few well thought out symbol inclusions are a great addition to any resume.
2. Show real change. Yes, buzz words and inspiring rhetoric are great (they have worked well for some politicians) but, you can really stick out if you can illustrate your role in taking a product or process from point A to new and improved point B.
3. Demonstrate development (into the position). A list of accomplishments as accolades are great but, what you want to do is show that you have been working towards being uniquely qualified towards the position you are looking for, that’s why you got those internships and other positions right? Each job and description should progress towards the specialization or position you are targeting. Looking to be a project manager? You should show increasing leadership. Want to be a programmer? Lead the reader through the increasingly technical roles and projects you completed.
Our last poll shows that 72% of our readership has more than 6 months of experience, how did you spice up your résumé?
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Tags: Change, Job, Leadership, Recruiting, Resume, tips
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March 10th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Great post. There’s just so much to say about resumes that it’s impossible to fit it all in to one post! However, so many people need help with it that I think it’s great that you’re giving tips on how to stand out. Excellent points!
March 13th, 2008 at 8:34 am
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