For some of Drexel’s students in the five-year/three co-op program, the first round of job searching is underway! Hundreds of Drexel students are looking for jobs set to start next spring in a plethora of different industries. What’s one of the most important things about the job search? That’s right…resumes!
Have you taken a look at your resume recently and thought…something is missing here? Is there old and outdated information you’re looking to remove and replace with something sure to set you apart from the applicant pool? If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. Resume writing and editing can be daunting, but these tips and tricks will help you ease your way through the process and leave a lasting impression on your reader.
- Quantify Your Resume Bullets
My #1 tip for anyone looking to make their resume shine is to quantify your details under experience, work, or volunteer sections. Numbers make a resume stand out in a sea of all those words! Sift through your current resume. Do you see numbers in the sections with bullet points? If not, try to remember way back when you were in those current positions. Can you think of anything attached to a number? For example, if you used to count money in a cash register, how much money did you manage…$500 or $5,000? If you managed social media for a company, how many combined followers did you reach…800 or 8,000? Numbers can be very intriguing! This quick-fix adds a lot more detail to your resume in a short amount of time.
- Adopt a Results-Oriented Mindset—and Stick with It!
When writing details about your current and past experiences, try to adopt a “results-oriented” mindset. For example, in one of your past positions, let’s say you managed social media for a growing company. That’s great—but what happened because of this? Did you make an impact on this role, your team, or maybe even the company as a whole? Adding results at the end of your bullets like “grew social media following by xx%” or “increased monthly engagement by xx%” shows recruiters that you not only know how to do your job…but that you know how to measure success within the role, too!
- Stretch your Margins
You’ve heard the saying time is money. Listen, on your resume, SPACE is money. We often want to pack in so much information, but space constraints turn this into a difficult task. Thankfully, there’s a way to solve this problem by stretching your document margins. If you’re using software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to write and format your resume, the standard vertical and horizontal margins are set to 1, but this leaves a ton of lingering white space. Margin settings can be accessed on Google Docs by clicking File > Page setup or on Microsoft Word by clicking Layout > Margins. Keep in mind that the lowest you should adjust your margins to is .5. If you’re struggling to limit your resume to 1 page, this one is for you!
- Take a Free Online Skill-Building Courses
Today’s increasingly accessible digital landscape + FREE online educational courses = truly endless opportunities! Online courses and certifications exist to build soft and hard skills in virtually any industry in the workforce. Try setting some time aside in your schedule to research if a certain course/certification works for you! A great example is code.org, a non-profit committed to bringing more women and students from underrepresented communities to the expanding world of computer science. Their courses across varying levels of learning are 100% free! Completing online courses demonstrates dedication, drive, and willingness to learn in a specific area or application, helping you stand out from the rest of the applicant pool and making your resume shine in the process.
- Cater Your Resume to the Job Description
Last but not least, a great way to set yourself apart from other job applicants is to cater your resume to each individual job you’re applying for. Don’t abandon the job description—read carefully and scan for words that sound like YOU. Let’s say a certain job description repeatedly uses words or phrases like “team player”, “expert communicator”, or “multitasker”. Adding some of these words when describing past career or volunteer experiences will help your resume stand out. For example, if the job application mentions a preferred candidate with expertise in Adobe Creative Suite and you have extensive experience in that realm, make sure it’s mentioned somewhere on your resume. Above all…strong descriptive language is key!