As I sat there waiting for the line to move forward at the local Kroger, I found myself talking to someone about their struggles trying to find a job. Naturally this would happen to me since I help people find Us to get jobs. They went on and on about how they can’t get most interviews, they don’t get called back or they don’t meet the qualifications. I asked them to show me their resume, I’m not a genius but I have some tricks up my sleeve. I noticed that they just had too much stuff on there, they were getting lost in the shuffle. I gave them all the advice I had and continued about my day. A week later, I was at the same Kroger, in a different line, and there was the man again that I helped with his resume. He said he got a job within that week. He sent out his new resume and viola, there it was.
I wanted to tell that story because it made me feel good, therefore I wanted to put some tips together to send out to the world in case it could potentially help someone else as well. We all can struggle with words, but we struggle most when we must write about ourselves – like a resume. Don’t think about it as if it’s yourself. Think about it as if it’s your best friend and you want them to look gleamingly, flawless. See below for some guidelines to help you write an easy and great resume:
- Use a professional font, nothing fancy, you can express fancy in other ways if you’re trying to. Use Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
- Never go past writing one page. Some people say two, try to keep it at one.
- Add a headshot of yourself. Not a selfie, a family photo or anything with other people, just a nice, clean headshot.
- You should always start your resume with an introduction paragraph, that is your pitch to the hiring manager. I suggest writing that last so you can pull key points from your other sections into your introduction.
- Always have your contact info at the top under your name or somewhere on the side depending on the template you use.
- State your education, always. If you are getting an entry-level position, whether you are a high school GED carrier, a graduate or you have your Master’s Degree, put your highest level of education completed.
- State your most recent job, and a job before that. Three jobs max. Complete the name of the job, the location, your job title, and the job duties you had performed but think outside the box. Don’t just say, cash register usage. Say handled funds for revenue responsibly. Put the dates you last worked. The month and year are fine.
- List any soft or hard skills that may apply to the position you are seeking to gain.
- Put any accomplishments you feel necessary, but this is not required.
- I find it appropriate to always put two very high-skilled, high-level individuals you have worked with as references.
- Lastly, make more than one resume. Just change the introduction paragraph several times based on the position you are seeking.
For more tips or for some good stories revolving around jobs and the workforce. Check out our next blog.
Signed,
The not so normal, lady behind the JobsRUs.com mask