What Does Your Resume Say About You?
Your resume is your primary marketing tool when it comes to selling you. Most of the time, it will be the first impression a prospective employer has of you. With that in mind, here is what your resume says about you:
Objective or Personal Statements are Obsolete
An objective or personal statement used to be essential to a resume, but since the advent of applicant tracking systems, it has become an albatross that will drag down your entire resume. An objective or personal statement says to employers that you are behind the times. It is also important to remember, even if you are trying to make a great first impression, it’s with an AI that doesn’t understand nuance and will disregard your entire resume if the language in your personal statement is too vague and non-specific to the position for which you are applying. If you feel you have to include a personal statement on your resume, keep it brief and relevant to the job,
Can You Get to the Point?
It can be overwhelming to shorten two decades of achievements down to a couple of pages, but it’s a necessity. Hiring managers expect your resume to be no longer than two pages, even if you have a long job history filled with accolades. When you submit a concise and well-written resume, it says you know how to report what’s important and cut out the fluff. It’s a trait that will go a long way to getting you an interview.
Do You Write Like an Executive?
Confusing their, there and they’re or your, and you’re all too familiar on resumes that come across a hiring manager’s desk, but your resume will show you know correct grammar. Typos can end an interview before you ever have one. Be thorough in proofing your resume. Less is not more when submitting a resume, so be sure that you have checked it multiple times for typos, spelling and grammar errors before you submit it. You don’t want your resume to say you didn’t go past second-grade English.
Do You Pay Attention to Detail?
If you want your resume to say that you are detail-oriented and deal only with accurate information, then don’t have the wrong employment dates. Be sure you have the correct names of former managers on your references and the right phone numbers. If you have trouble remembering your exact duties at a former job, check their website for a job description on the career page. If you still can’t get an accurate description, contact a former co-worker about your duties so that you can give a complete description of your former position.
Do You Take the Job Seriously?
If your resume is a mess with little relevance to the job you are applying for, it shows that the job isn’t that important to you, regardless of if it’s true. It’s essential to have a professional, accurate, up-to-date resume that is in an acceptable format. Be sure your most recent position is included on your resume; otherwise, it looks like you’ve been out of work for an extended period.
To Sum Up
Your resume speaks volumes about you to a prospective employer. Be sure that it says something positive about you, not that you aren’t worth the trouble.