I graduated from undergrad this past May from Hofstra and by the end of June, I was unemployed. My last semester as a Biology major consisted of 17 credits, an internship 2 days during the week and a job on the weekends. I was busy all 7 days my last semester at Hofstra so going from that schedule to being completely free was a really weird experience to get used to. Over the summer, I spent a lot of time applying for jobs online which made me revise my resume over and over. The new version of my resume is completely different compared to the version I used in the beginning of the summer to apply to jobs. Here’s a couple of key things to improve your resume.
Keep it to one page
One thing we hear all the time is to keep your resume to a page. While this may seem impossibile for most of us, it’s important to realize employers usually figure out if they want to interview someone before they’re done going over the first page. Try to keep the most relevant information at the top, depending on the kind of job you’re applying to. The information you want to stand out right away should be placed before everything else which can include your education, work history and campus involvement. To fit most of this on one page, make your margins smaller and follow a simple template that doesn’t take up too much space.
Use short bullet points
Try to avoid paragraphs or very long sentences, use bullets. Not only does it take longer for the recruiter to read your resume, but it might also also ruin the flow of your resume which can confuse the reviewer. Nowadays, people tend to outline their experiences and activities on their resume in short bullets. Bullet points with short and simple statements of what you accomplished help highlight what you’ve learned and how you contributed in the position, which is more straightforward than reading a lengthy explanation.
Check for grammar mistakes, multiple times
Be sure to have someone look over your resume to catch grammatical mistakes, even if you feel your resume is perfect. Often times we might write a sentence down and we believe it explains the point we’re trying to make exactly, yet when somebody else gets the chance to read it, they may be a little confused about what you’re trying to say. Getting another person’s perspective can help you make changes that can make it easier for potential employers to go through your resume and understand the value each experience holds for you.
Make different versions
One thing I learned that I never thought of on my own was, depending on the variety of job positions or companies you might be applying to, you might want to keep different versions of your resume. This can allow you to cater to a certain position or company.
Revise constantly
Your resume is meant to highlight your most important experiences and positions. Additionally, your resume is a tool that shows employers what makes you a skillful candidate. Remember it’s okay to revise your resume countless times before you may feel confident enough to send off.
Good luck with applying!