I recently went to apply for an internship. As I scrolled through the required attachments, I noticed the “add resume” box. I quickly attached my resume, and right before I clicked submit, I decided to give it a run over.
I’m so glad I did because… it was terrible.
I hadn’t updated the font or design since my freshman year, and even though I created my résumé according to my advisors recommendations, I realized that I never liked it to begin with. It was outdated and unprofessional.
My guess is that I’m not alone.
When is the last time you looked over your résumé (or even created one if we’re being honest)? If you’re starting to feel behind, or simply, over whelmed, don’t panic. We’ve got you covered. Follow these simple tips and tricks and your résumé will look brand new in no time.
The Font
If you’re a font critic like me, you cringe at any document in a crazy font and will hardly stray from Times New Roman, which can be both good and bad. If you have a more professional major like business, law, accounting, math, etc. you might want to stick with the standard fonts. If you have a major where some creative qualities are job necessities, feel free to branch out. Make sure the font is still clear, easy to read, and not too over the top. (My favorite is Avenir Light.)
The Layout
The layout is completely up to you, but you should remember a few basic things. Keep information relevant to the job you’re applying for closer to the top and always create clear sections of information. Headings are the key for this process. (Think: Basic Personal Info. Education. Work Experience. Skills. Volunteer Work. And so on.)
Your Name
Your name should be front and center at the top of the page. Make sure this is the biggest font on your resume.
The Wording
An important part of every resume is describing your skills and strong points through examples of your past experience. So, if you’ve worked customer service in the past, you want to make sure to include positive-action words that employers want in an employee such as: communicated, organized, assembled, led, assisted, solved, etc. If you don’t have much experience in the field you’re entering, make any past work you’ve done applicable by using the positive-action words above. For example, if you’re trying to get an internship in Human Resources, but you’ve only worked in fast food, think of connecting characteristics to make yourself seem more versatile. You might have worked with a team, created solutions to customer problems, or organized stock/food.
Relevance
If you’re a freshman in college, it’s okay to include jobs or organizations that you were a part of in high school. However, anything year past that, employers will wonder if you’ve done anything in college besides sleep and eat. As a sophomore and up, you should have started accumulating enough work experience or volunteer work to fill up your resume. You want to put the most relevant experience at the top of the page and go down from there by date order. (Example: A job you worked August 2016-Present would be higher on the list than a job you worked August 2015-May 2016.
Length
Your résumé shouldn’t be longer than ONE PAGE, so make sure that the information you’re including is descriptive but to the point. Each new job entry should have 3-4 points, depending on the amount of jobs you have worked. Try to avoid smaller side jobs that you were paid under the table for, unless it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. When it comes to special skills, remember to include skills that you might use in the job. If you’re applying to work in an office, the fact that you can ride a horse would be less applicable than your ability to work Excel.
Don’t Lie
Seriously, just don’t do it.
Edit
Spell check everything. Every university name, address, computer program, etc. You don’t want to look unprofessional based on a few missed commas and a misspelling of a business.
Update Often
Make sure all of your personal information and work experience is up to date. If you include your social media, make sure it’s clean and professional. If it’s not, clean it up.
There are endless tips to be given when creating a résumé, but these few should help get you started. Good luck and happy job-hunting!