Make Your Resume JUMP Off the Page

Make Your Resume JUMP Off the Page

Based on the feedback from my last article, 10 Steps to a Successful Job Search, the next several articles will focus on some of the specific steps.  We will start with “Make Your Resume JUMP Off the Page”.

Developing a resume that jumps off the page at the reader is critical to your job search success.  A Recruiter or HR person will only spend about 20-30 seconds reading a resume, before they make a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision.  During that short window of time, you have to convey that you are the best fit for the role.  So how do you accomplish what seems like such a monumental task?  To start with, keep your target audience in mind and understand what they are looking for when reading your resume.

Ten tips to make your resume reader friendly;

1. Get the reader from your name to your current role within the top third of the page.  What is of most interest to the reader is your last five years of experience.
2. No bullet or paragraph should be longer than 3-4 lines.  Anything more than that is difficult to read quickly, so it is either skimmed or skipped all together.
3. Make your resume accomplishment oriented.  A resume that reads like a job description does not differentiate you from the hundreds of other applicants.
4. Your accomplishments should be bulleted to make them stand out on the page.

10 Tips for a Successful Job Search

10 Tips for a Successful Job Search

1. Personal assessment – To start a career search you must first understand who you are and what you want to do.  This involves objectively evaluating your Industry skills and experience, salary expectations, and career requirements to ensure that they match employers’ expectations.  Doing so will help highlight any skill sets that need to be improved upon as well as provide you with a map on where you are going.

2. Make your resume stand out – You have approximately 20 seconds to capture the reader’s attention.  Make sure your resume is easy to read by using a standard font type and size.  To ensure that the required skills for the position jump off the page at the reader, incorporate ‘buzz words’ from the job description into your resume.  For your key accomplishments, you want to include numbers, percents, and dollar signs where appropriate in order to highlight specific experiences.