There is no doubt your resume is the foundation of your job search. You have surely read the stats that recruiters look at the average resume for only 5 to 7 seconds, an average of 250 resumes are received for most corporate job positions and one spelling or grammar error and a resume will be dismissed immediately.
Because of these, you likely have spent many, many hours refining and honing your resume, making sure it will stand out above the rest so you can get the important interview.
Here’s a novel idea: Instead of bulleting your day-to-day duties, describe the project you’ve completed and/or results your work has achieved.
So, this might feel like a slap in the face … there are likely some common ways that your resume doesn’t stand out from your fellow job seekers at all. But, all is not lost, according to Lily Zhang, in 5 Ways your Resume is Just Like Everyone Else’s, there are smart fixes. Let’s look at the ways your resume could be improved.
A Generic “Experience” Section
Let’s start with the heading of the meat of your resume. Everyone, literally, labels this section something along the lines of “work experience” or “professional experience.” But instead, Zhang suggest labeling it something more appropriate to the position you’re looking for, such as “Marketing Experience.”
“Having a keyword in your section heading has a great branding effect on your overall resume,” Zhang explains. “This is especially useful if you have a diverse range of experiences, but really want to show off your experience in one particular area. You can have all of your relevant experience in one section at the top of your resume where the recruiter will first look and add an “Additional Experience” section for everything else.”
Focusing on Responsibilities Instead of Accomplishments
Here’s a novel idea: Instead of bulleting your day-to-day duties, describe the project you’ve completed and/or results your work has achieved.
What’s the difference? Results give actual quantifiable numbers, stats and … well … results. For example:
- Managed and promoted blog site, increasing blog views by 25% annually and contributed to a $1,000 revenue increase
VS
- Managed blog site
See the difference? Which bullet point would you hire?
Buzzwords
Do you like buzzwords? So does everyone else. Here are some words to avoid both in resumes and on your online professional profiles: responsible, effective, strategic, analytical, expert, organizational, specialized, creative, innovative, experimental, motivated, driven and patient, according to 3 Ways to Avoid Résumé Buzzword Banality. Also avoid phrases like “thinks outside the box,” “go-getter,” and so on. Instead, use real examples to back up your skills.