Tips on writing a resume can be hard to find, yet writing an effective resume can be daunting. One little mistake or grammatical error can land your resume in the “reject” pile. A formatting style that’s difficult to read or follow can mean no one even reads your resume at all.
But it’s very possible to write a good resume for online career websites. Following these top tips will help your resume stand out from the crowd.
Top Tips on Writing a Resume
#1 – Fix the Formatting
Many job seekers write a resume in college and don’t touch it again for years. They cram in any job experience they’ve had but don’t take the time to update the resume as a whole. Failing to constantly tweak and revise your resume does you a huge disservice.
Employers want to see that you’ve taken the time to keep your resume up-to-date. If you’re applying for a medical assistant degree and you attended several accredited online colleges, it’s not enough to just list that you graduated. Employers need detail and they need it listed in an easy-to-read format.
#2 – Pack Your Resume with Buzz Words
The first section on your resume should always be employment. Your jobs should be listed in reverse order, so the most recent job should be listed on top. Be sure to include the dates of how long you worked at the company. Also include the company’s name, location and your job title. Underneath each job, list in bulleted form two to three aspects of what your job entailed. These should include keywords that employers might be looking for.
For example, if an employer lists in a job ad that the candidate must possess good time management skills and you regularly worked under strict deadlines at a former job, then be sure to highlight that. Most employers only glance at a resume for less than a minute. You need to pack that resume full of key terms that will catch an employer’s eye.
#3 – Be Brief About Your Education
Our third in the list of tips on writing a resume is to be brief! While you worked hard for your college degree and are proud of your accomplishments, potential employers don’t need to know every little thing about your college experience. Recent college grads – those who graduated in the last one to three years – should list college accomplishments on their resume because they still have little professional experience. But for professionals who have been in a field for five years or more, it’s time to start whittling down your resume’s section on education.
#4 – Be Selective While Still Highlighting Your Achievements
Start fixing the education section – which should be listed right below the employment section – by eliminating any references to high school and selectively eliminating references to college. It’s important to list that you earned a 4.0 GPA. It’s not important to list that you were a member of the debate club and volunteered at the animal shelter 10 years ago.
Be sure to put your major and whether you graduated with honors. It’s often debated whether job seekers should list their GPA if it’s below a 4.0. Use your discretion here. If the employer places a high emphasis on grades and you had a 3.0, use caution in listing that.
Updating your resume will automatically bump you up into a higher tier when searching for a job; take the time to follow these tips on writing a resume and make your resume shine.
This guest blog post was written by Michelle Anderson who specializes in accredited online colleges and the degree programs they offer.
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