With recruiters and managers sifting through countless numbers of resumes, getting picked out of the pile can certainly be an uphill battle. Even if you have the right qualifications and experience, you may still be missing the mark with your resume. If your resume is not in tip-top shape, you may be getting overlooked without realizing your mistake. Consider these five strategies to revamp your resume and make sure that you get the attention that you deserve.
Updated Education
The educational field may be an area that does not get a great deal of attention once you are established in your career; however, this is a factor that can lead to your career search success. If you feel your skills are stale or that you want to invigorate your career, consider going back to school to get your mba at USC. With the knowledge, skills and experience that you can gain through an MBA program, you can expand your career potential and open up doors that have not been available to you before. Keep in mind that educational programs are available in abundant opportunities that are more accessible than ever. The right master’s program for you can be the perfect prospect to improve your ability to energize your career.
Limit to Relevant Experience
For seasoned professionals, you likely will have a variety of extensive experiences that you can list. Keep in mind, just because you have the experience does not mean that you need to list it. Consider appropriately limiting your work and professional experiences to those that are relevant to the position you are applying to and timely. While experiences from 15 years ago may be relevant to your application, take the time to trim down on outdated and old professional experience, as this can clutter and detract from your application materials.
Formatting Matters
Formatting adds a sense of style to your resume, but you also want to keep it professional. A common mistake in crafting a resume is utilizing the correct formatting. Keeping a traditional format will translate well to many different industries while offering a level of professionalism that is expected in many fields. While colors and fonts can be a wonderful way to express your personality and add visual intrigue, unless you are in a creative field, think about leaving out the decadent designs and instead stick to a classic and professional look.
Make Sure it is Readable
While it may feel advantageous to have a vast list of your experiences, it is important to understand that too much information is not always the right direction. You must make your resume easily readable and digestible so that a recruiter or manager can quickly assess your viability as a candidate. Consider shortening and condensing content to only highlight the most important points and utilizing bullets points instead of paragraphs to keep your content easily absorbable. Taking a bird’s eye view of your resume with a zoomed-out view can be useful, and if it looks overwhelming then it is likely time to make edits.
Tailor Each Resume
One of the biggest mistakes that professionals make when crafting their application materials is not crafting a resume to reflect the position they are applying to. Each job posting and company will utilize keywords and requirements that you can weave and highlight in your resume. Try creating multiple versions so that you can quickly tailor your resume depending on what type of position you are applying to. By reflecting back the organization’s language in your materials, you can show that you understand the business and that you have done your research. Make sure that your reviewer knows that you are willing to put in the extra effort by making small adjustments whenever you apply.
Getting noticed amongst piles of materials all showcasing tons of other faceless candidates can feel like an impossible task; however, most people don’t realize how they may be setting themselves up for failure with their application materials. Take the time to make these edits and go the extra mile to get noticed. With these tips and tricks, you will be sure to gain the attention of the position of your dreams.