5 Things You Should Update On Your Resume Today
The rules for writing an effective resume that gets the job have changed.
Nearly every open job posting requires a resume, but I've found a large population needs to be more confident in writing one themselves. Add it to the list of essential life skills that should be taught more widely in schools, along with how to do taxes and manage money. After helping more than 50 clients update their resumes and reach their career goals, I have discovered some trends for areas to update a resume to be effective in the job search. Here are 5 things to update on your resume to maximize your potential for an interview.
#1 Update your contact information
If it's been a few years since you've updated your resume, review your contact information and ensure it's all current. If your full address is on your resume, just include your city and state to protect your privacy. Email addresses should be professional, so if you have anything other than a form of your name in an updated email provider, I recommend creating a new Gmail account. Unfortunately, AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo email addresses can be a sign to recruiters and hiring managers that you are not up-to-date with the latest technology. Lastly, make sure your phone number is correct, and add your LinkedIn profile (if you have one) or any personal websites that display your work as additional items to include in your contact information on your resume.
#2 Remove outdated language
If your resume has an objective, it's time for an update. Objectives In resumes have been replaced with professional summaries to transition from the job seeker saying what they want in a job to share why they are the perfect fit for the job they are applying for. This is an easy switch and will ensure your resume is read. Also, if you have "references available upon request," let's take that off too. Organizations are moving away from calling references as part of the job process, but if they do need references, they will ask for them. Leave this room on your resume to highlight all those achievements and skills that make you the right for the job.
#3 Highlight accomplishments, not job tasks
That brings me to the most common trend I've seen on resumes I've reviewed: highlighting tasks and responsibilities rather than accomplishments. A company is looking for someone who is going to fit the description of their job posting. In today's highly competitive job market, they will choose the individual with the best qualifications to meet their needs. Visualizing results in their organization gives confidence they are selecting the right hire for the role. So by adding numbers and highlighting what you did best, you are helping draw that picture.
An example would be replacing "Responsible for customer service and balancing the cash drawer" You could write something like "Delivered exceptional customer service to an average of 20 customers an hour while balancing a cash drawer of up to $500 nightly".
Adding numbers to the bullet point gives depth to the achievement, as does having a strong action word to start the sentence.
#4 Use bullet points, not paragraphs
A recruiter will take up to 10 seconds on average to look at a resume and decide to schedule an interview. If you have information in paragraphs, it likely isn't getting completely read. I recommend taking your large blocks of text in your work experience section and re-writing it into short, descriptive, achievement-based bullet points. This will increase the chance of them getting your full career story and wanting to hear more in an interview.
#5 Make some edits if your resume is more than 2 pages long
If your resume is more than two pages, the last pages are likely not being read. I've seen resumes three, four, or even five pages long, which is too much information. A good rule of thumb is that less than ten years of work experience should fit on one page, and more than ten years of experience should be a maximum of two pages. It can be challenging to edit your career journey down, but it's important to make sure you keep the recruiter's attention enough to want to learn more about you. Resumes with more than two pages will need help maintaining that attention.
These are some of the things I often see when reviewing resumes with clients. By taking these steps on your resume, you will improve the chances of landing an interview and earning that role you've been working hard to get. Look for more future resume tips, and subscribe to the mailing list to get notifications when a new blog has been posted. Until next time!
