Resume Tips
Ever wonder why you aren’t getting contacted for all the jobs you are applying for? What if there were some easy fixes that would make all the difference for you?
Typically, hiring managers receive tons of resumes for just one position. How do they decide who to contact? It's really pretty basic - they start by scanning the resumes looking to find: 1) candidates who are a good fit for their position, and 2) a reason to move the resume to the contact pile or to the “too bad for you” pile. The more resumes they have, the more they want to cull and eliminate - don't give them a reason to eliminate you!
Follow these guidelines to make a few key changes to prevent your resume from being moved to the bottom of the pile, or worse yet, deleted.
1) Read the posted position description AND minimum qualifications. Make sure your education and experience are a match for what is listed on the job posting. Don’t waste your time and the manager’s time by applying to anything and everything in hopes that you’ll get lucky.
2) Don’t submit a resume with errors. PROOFREAD your resume – at least 3 times, with several hours or a day between the 2nd and 3rd review. Have someone else read it over too. Read it backwards, a proof reader’s technique. You know what it is supposed to say, so your mind can read over mistakes that may include errors in spelling, grammar and verb tense. Run spell check. Print it and reread it. Also check your employment dates to ensure they are correct.
3) Make sure it has an overall professional look that is consistent with the industry for which you are applying. If you decide to include a photo of yourself, use a quality image. No selfies! Either have a friend take your picture with a clean, uncluttered background, or pay to have a professional headshot taken – it’s worth it!
4) Save your resume as a .pdf so it can be easily opened and does not require any additional software to open it. This also ensures that any special tables or formatting won’t be lost when it is opened on another computer.
5) Name the saved file using your name (John Smith resume or Smith, John resume). Avoid file names like ‘My Resume’ or ‘Resume for Clinic position,’ or ‘Updated resume.’ That causes more work and frustration for the busy hiring manager to rename it or not be able to find it again in the list of 50 other resume files.
While following these steps won’t guarantee you an interview 100% of the time, your chances of being contacted will increase significantly.
Click the button below to schedule your professional headshot so you can be set apart from the rest. As a bonus, I’ll review your resume and give you feedback and suggestions at no extra charge!
Good luck to you!
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