5 Resume Tips You Need to Know Now.

As content and resume writers, it is our core process to spend the time with you understanding you, your job history, and your passions, and create your resume in your voice, not ours. These 5 resume tips are outside of the basic understanding of resume writing which you can find in a plethora of books, online articles, and podcasts.

In January, we posted a blog, 4 QUICK TIPS FOR PREPARING A KILLER RÉSUMÉ.  These quick tips focused on the resume preparation from the 10,000-foot view, not in the specifics. Your resume is more than words on paper and a work history. The resume’s job is to peak interest and get you that interview.

5 Resume Tips You Need to Know Now.

1. Create a Kudos Folder. If you are new to your career and profession, or if you are contemplating making a change, you should have a Kudos Folder. This is a folder in your personal, not work email to store any customer compliments, praise from a manager or superior, and awards or accolades. When we receive copies of a client’s “Kudos,” it makes writing the resume personal on point with the experiences listed within.
2. Leave off your address. Late last year, I attended a seminar for human resource professionals. It was important that I attend as a resume writer so I could gather information on the resume review process and understand how they select candidates for interviews. The seminar focus was on unconscious bias. Your address might eliminate you from the interview stage because you live too far from the work location. It could also signal that you would need a stipend to move. Both barriers are not true, but perception is reality.
3. Do you need to state an objective? Too broad? Too specific? Somewhere in-between? The objective could eliminate you from consideration for the position you are applying for; it could also eliminate you from similar positions if the hiring person feels you are only interested in posted position. You do not know what you do not know. There could be other positions for you that your objective could keep you from getting the interview.
4. Community and civic minded. I always add this to the list of skills. Community and civic minded applicants are more likely to get through screening to the interview process, especially if the hiring company is also community and civic minded. Do your research and Google the company to learn about their community support to non-profits, fund raising walks, or food drives. Like-minded people succeed so understanding this about your potential employer creates a foundation for a common interest.
5. Do not reuse a resume. Take the time to read the job description and create a resume for that specific position. When a client gives us the job description, we can incorporate the skills the employer is asking for into the resume content. You would not be applying to that specific position if you did not have the necessary skills but does your resume reflect that? (We will make sure it does.)

What is the best resume tip?

Our resume writing team has one goal: get you the interview! We want to spend the time to understand you and capture your voice in our writing. Then:

YOU BE YOU.

You got the interview, now you can shine. So often we hear, “I tried to be what they were looking for.” You do not need to do that.  You be you and if it is a match, you will have a wonderful opportunity to work somewhere you enjoy, doing what you love to do.

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We will capture your voice.

Spend 20 minutes with us talking about your career and the jobs you are interested in and we can craft a resume to get you that interview. As of the writing of this post, we are batting a thousand.

Author’s note: Watch for our upcoming series on interviewing HR professionals.