Follow These 8 Tips for Crafting a Winning Resume

The resume you sent with hopes of landing your dream job is open on the HR manager’s screen. In the time it takes her to sip her coffee, she skims it and then moves on to the next one on her list.

Believe it or not, that exact scenario plays out countless times each day in offices everywhere.

It’s estimated recruiters and hiring managers review a resume for about seven seconds. If you’re a hopeful applicant, that’s a small amount of time to make what could be a life-changing impact.

But by following these eight simple tips when crafting your resume, you can make sure it stands out among the others competing for consideration.

1. Keep it short and to the point. As a rule of thumb, your resume should be no longer than two pages.
2. Make it easy to read. Use bolding and underlining to draw attention to key points. Use an easy-to-read font, such as 10- or 12-point Times New Roman or Arial. Carefully check spelling and grammar then have someone else proofread your resume as well.
3. Tailor it for each job you apply for. Be sure to include key metrics that show relevant results to highlight your achievements and provide a clear sense of what you’re capable of.
4. Liven it up with action words. When describing achievements and responsibilities, use action words (e.g., led, managed, coordinated) and short, concise sentences to clearly convey your accomplishments. Also, incorporate appropriate keywords from the job description that are applicable to your experience.
5. Use strong bullet points. Describe each role in three to six concise bullet points highlighting recent and relevant experience. And limit your experience to the last 10 years or your previous five roles relevant to the role you’re applying for.
6. Avoid using a career objective statement. Instead, use a career summary that explains why you’re the right fit for the position by summarizing your qualifications and achievements.
7. Leave out unnecessary personal information. When crafting your resume, it’s best to leave out graduation dates for high school and higher education, your birthday or age, marital status and hobbies or interests that have no relevance to the job.
8. Use a professional email address. Your email address can send a message to an employer. Make sure yours says you’re a professional.

To land your dream job in today’s competitive work environment, you need a resume that stands out from the pack. With some careful crafting, yours can be the one to rise to the top.