6 Random Resume Writing Tips, Inspired by Client Experience
By — — Posted in Resume Writing Tips
Here’s a collection of resume writing tips that were inspired as I, well, may I be blunt here? They come from the simple mistakes I continue to constantly see in the original resumes of my clients. Please, no need to be ashamed, though, these are VERY common errors.
And, in the end, the folks that inspired these random tips on my Facebook page were smart enough to get professional input!
They were also well ‘liked’ posts, so I figured why not collect & post them here, too?
Random Resume Tip #1: Your resume file name should be FirstNameLastNameResume, or something similar.
If you want to help the recipient find yours easily, and not make THEM make the effort to rename it for faster access & recall, don’t send files named “Resume2020”, “MyResume” or other generic titles.
I see these all.the.time. (and rename them all…if you are a hiring manager, recruiter, etc. seeing 100’s/day…well, the applicants that make it easy stand out….)
Random Resume Tip #2: No.Resume.Templates/Builders. !! I have said this before, but probably 1/2 of the resumes I see are created using one.
They look ‘cookie cutter’, like everyone else.
You want to stand out! Start with a better format (though content is king, style matters!)
Random Resume Tip #3: Most fonts are too small at 10 point.
Don’t try to cram in a ton of info by making the font smaller. Less that is still readable is much better! And no, don’t assume the reader will just take the time to make the screen view larger to accommodate your small font. Always make it EASY for the reader of your resume. Always.
Random Resume Tip #4: Include the city & state of each job.
For some reason, many resumes I am seeing lately do not include this. It’s okay to use the proper capitalized, 2-letter state abbreviations.
Mostly you don’t want to abbreviate most things on a resume, this is one of the exceptions. I did also write a blog post “5 Exceptions to the Do Not Abbreviate on a Resume Rule,” ‘cuz writing out “Washington” when you can just say “WA” saves a lot of space, for example. (PS: Never use “cuz” on anything job search related…. but you knew that, right?)
Random Resume Tip #5: Learn how to SET and use TABS if you are going to format/write your own resume.
Do NOT use ‘space space space’ 20+ times or just hit tab to indent things!
SET your own tabs…Oh lordy, resumes sooo easily become a mess otherwise when formatting “shifts during flight” between different computers & versions of word processing programs….
Random Resume Tip #6: Objectives on a resume are the best way to show you are out of touch.
What does this example *really* tell anyone about you & your skills/exp/goals, anyway? –“Objective: To thrive in a dynamic environment that will constantly challenge me to learn and utilize my superior sales and service acumen while offering opportunity for promotion and long-term growth.” Not much.
Summaries, “branding” titles & similar heading info are much more effective, modern, & better use of space. See the blog post Are Objectives Objectionable (and other Great Resume Debates) for more input.
Come join the Resume Confidence Facebook page & LinkedIn page. You’ll see posts most days on job search & career tips & info to help you keep current.
You can also join the monthly newsletter below to get first dibs at special offers & content exclusive to subscribers!
Sign Up!
Your contact information will not be sold or shared, with anyone, ever!
