It is officially Spring which means that it is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning!
That could mean donating old clothes, cleaning out your car from winter, or reorganizing your pantry. It also is a good time to clean up your resume, especially is has been sitting idle for a few months to a year! Like cleaning out your old clothes, it can feel like a daunting task. Here are a five helpful hints for a stress free way to clean up your resume and start to find the perfect career!
- Trim the page count most resume experts suggest keeping your resume to a maximum of two pages. If your resume is hovering around four, five or more pages, it is time to do to some trimming. When figuring out what to cut, think of the employer and what they “need to know”. Most employers only want to spend 10 minutes reviewing your resume! Shortened sentences, bullet points and short headers should do the trick!
- Use skills to highlight accomplishment Employers do not want to see the word “problem-solving” listed under a skills section, they want to see specific examples of a time that you demonstrated that! Include examples that are unique to who you are.
- Cut outdated information Are you still proud of being a student council president in high school? Or about your first job after you graduated? In order to keep your resume at a decent length, you may want to cut some of those things out. Generally, employers only want to see experience on a resume that goes back no further than 10 years.
- Make sure volunteer work is relevant It is tempting to put on all of your volunteer work on your resume, especially because it can show off your well-rounded personality! But make sure to think about what really matters on a resume. Does your future boss really care that you pick up trash in your local park every Saturday?
- Freshen up the design Make sure your resume has lots of white space, uses an 11-point found and bullet points so it is easy to read! Microsoft word and google docs both have great templates that can help your resume look fresh and new for the employer!
