Improve Your Resume With These Five Tips

Improve Your Resume With These Five Tips

When you're looking for work, a resume becomes a powerful marketing tool. Even if you have a winning LinkedIn profile, you'll need to show up for your job interviews with a resume in hand. But with so much information available for creating winning resumes, you can bet your competition is optimizing theirs to get past automated scanning systems and rise to the top of the pile.

Although you can make your resume pop using a template , the content you include is just as important, if not more so, than how your document looks. Here are some great tips that will help you win over potential employers.

Customize

If you're sending out the same resume for every job opening, you're already missing the mark. To stand out from other applicants, you need to carefully read the job description and make sure your qualifications match what they're requiring. The hirer should be able to look at your resume and see why you consider yourself a good fit.

Match Keywords

The applicant tracking systems many employers now use will discard resumes that don't match. They do this by looking for specific keywords, usually clearly listed in the job description. Study the description and look for keywords that are repeated, then make sure those are mentioned in your own resume.

Delete Irrelevant Information

At one time, that college internship was an important part of your resume. But if you've been out of school for a while, it's time to remove that. Make sure your resume includes only your most recent positions and move the most relevant experience to the very top.

Make It Current

If you've been out of college a while, review your resume to make sure it isn't dating you. Ditch the "objective" section, if you haven't already, and look for skills and software that are no longer in widespread use. You also don't need a list of references, or even to state that references are available upon request.

Use Numbers

In a data-driven era, it's more important than ever to be specific about your accomplishments. If you improved sales by 30 percent, include that concrete information in your resume. If you supervised 20 people, mention those specifics, as well.

Hopefully you won't have to use your resume for long, as it will land you a position right away. By setting some time aside to review and polish your resume, you'll position yourself to crush the competition for any job you're interested in landing.