Today’s post is a 3-fer, rarer than a Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster sighting – that’s right, it’s the question of the week-resume school-theme week hat trick! Bookmark this one, folks; you’ll be telling your grandkids about it.
Anyway, today’s question comes from a reader who wants some resume advice:
Dear Andrew,
What are some simple changes that I can make to my resume to help it stand out and get noticed? Other than the buzzwords, bullet points and other stuff you’ve mentioned in past resume discussions, I mean.
Short answer: Format, content, and understanding your audience
Longer answer: It’s hard to really make one’s resume stand out, as an emailed resume should be in a standard format that’s prepped in case a resume scanner reads it. But if you’re posting the resume online, mailing it in, or giving it to someone, you have more options.
You can change the format of your resume, by putting it in columns going horizontally on the page or tying it in to some overall job application package; I sent out a “magazine” with my resume as the index at the back and a friend of mine sent his resume in as part of a booklet that went with his video resume (he was applying for a film editing position, so that’s one of the times when you should consider making one). However, we were applying for creative jobs. Don’t feel the need to come up with something snazzy or inventive when a simple, straightforward resume can do the job.
And for the love of god, don’t use different colored paper. There’s a reason that black and white is the standard.
Also, how are you describing your work history, education and so on? Are you using numbers (which help give scope to things you did, like employees managed, amount of money handled in transactions, percentage sales increases, etc) and active voice? Do you make concise statements that give the core details about what you did? And, most importantly, are you showing the information that can help you get a job?
Let’s say that you’re applying for a managerial position. Pick which one of these statements sounds more impressive:
- I have managed a mid-size team
- Managed 25 employees
There should be more to the statement than that, but keep your message clear, and don’t be afraid to brag a bit.
Lastly, another way to look at your resume is through the eyes of the person who will read it. What stands out? What doesn’t? Does it look pleasing to the eye? Does anything just look off? Since resumes are usually only scanned over during the first pass by most hiring managers, try to put emphasis on what you want them to see when they glance at your resume, based on what you see when you glance at it.
This can be changed by indenting, bullet points and using bold, italics or underlining. Simple? Yes. Common sense? Yes. But are you applying it to your resume?
It can be difficult to make a winning resume, especially with all the different messages going around on the best tactics. But just as no two people or jobs are the same, neither are any two resumes. Experiment with different resumes and see what gets you the best results.
