Let’s face it, talking about yourself is hard, especially when it comes to writing your resume. It’s stressful. Truthfully, I struggled to write my own resume! But, as daunting as it can be, there are many tips and tricks that you can apply to make the process a bit easier and increase your success!
- Formatting: Use a clean, balanced format that is compliant with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). You can find some samples here: https://protouchcareers.com/services/.
- Keywords: To gather a list of relevant keywords and phrases to boost your success against ATS and catch employers’ eyes, research 2-3 target job postings. Thoroughly review the job description. What are the requirements of the job? What types of skills are they looking for in the role? What phrases and words are repeated multiple times? Include those!
- Be Proud: Don’t be afraid to showboat a little! Include metrics and specific examples of your successes to help catch the eyes of employers and fully demonstrate your value!
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- Before: Supported business development to increase team size and margins.
- After: Scaled an early-stage start-up from 12 employees, $5K in monthly recurring revenue, and <20% gross processing margin, to 30 employees, $115K monthly revenue, and >70% margins in 12 months.
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- Verbs: Leverage a wide range of strong verbs! Phrases such as “responsible for” and “helped” are often overused and don’t convey confidence. Capture the readers’ attention by using unique and powerful verbs.
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- Before: Responsible for managing and coaching a team of 10.
- After: Pioneered and trained a high-performing team of 10 to achieve overarching business objectives and improve overall efficiency by 17%.
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- Length: Don’t fret too much about keeping your resume one page. That standard is old and irrelevant. The length of your resume can vary based on various factors, such as years of experience, job targets, and more. Simply put, resumes can be one to two pages, with one-page resumes favoring entry-level candidates, those with few roles over their careers, and those with less than 5-7 years of experience. However, there are exceptions!
The list could go on, but it’s best to keep it simple.
If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m happy to answer any questions you may have or even review your resume to offer feedback for FREE!
Haley Kilmartin, CPRW, CVCS
Founder, ProTouch Careers