How To Build Your Idea Resume
Building and having a resume is important, at any stage in your life. However, not many people are well versed in the art of creating a resume. Therefore, we will take a look at what a good resume consists of. Many people assume that your first impressions are the in-person interview. However, this is wrong. The first and most important impression is when the employer reads your resume.
When a company is hiring, they’re looking for a particular skill set in mind. Your skills and experiences are what will stand out most in your resume. Therefore, I always found that including quirks about yourself such as being outgoing is redundant. That personality trait is something that the interviewer will see. The purpose of the resume is to show that you may or may not have the qualifications for the job at a first glance. Therefore, it’s time to take a look at what a good resume consists of.
Resume Length
One important topic to discuss is the resume’s length. This is an age-old debate where people on opposite sides think they are right. However, is one page better than two? Well, the answer to that question, in my personal opinion is that it depends. Depends on what? It depends on a list of factors. These factors can be the field you’re applying for, company, job type, and so on.
Personally, my resume used to be two pages. However, if you have your resume be multiple pages you’re more likely to be overlooked for regular jobs. By ‘regular jobs’ I mean fast food and retail. Depending on the company, they receive hundreds of applications a day. Therefore, they will be looking for resumes that are short, sweet, to the point, and appealing. No one will have time to look through multiple pages. I’ve had many anecdotes of people telling me that if they see a resume that is too long or unappealing, it gets thrown out. Therefore, short and sweet is best if you’re applying to those types of jobs.
On the opposite side of the argument. If you’re looking for a career and have a ton of work experience, having a two-page resume can be beneficial. Small companies and employers who are looking for candidates to fulfill an integral role will take their time when looking at an applicant. From a first impression, they will make sure you’re educated (sometimes), experienced, and have the specified requirements/certificates.
Next, we will discuss how you should structure your resume.
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Structure
Resume structure is one of the most important factors. The structure of your resume includes where you put your work experience and other relevant information. When an employer is looking through a bunch of resumes, they want the information to be easy to find and readily available. aspects such as education and skills do not need to be put in the spotlight. Therefore, an abundance of time should not be spent on them.
Keep those parts short. The bulk of your resume will be your summary and experience. The summary is giving the company an idea as to what you’re looking for. Furthermore, the work experience is what the employers need to identify whether or not you’re a suitable candidate. Contact info is often placed near the header and if the first thing an employer should see (after your name).
This can seem overwhelming at first. However, we’re fortunate to live in a time where resources are in abundance. Therefore, if you’re having trouble developing a structure, you can always go with a template. There are many websites that offer this service. Furthermore, they take one step at a time.
Above is a sample resume I created within minutes (click the image to enlarge). As you can see, the resume looks modern. Every bit of information is easily identifiable. Furthermore, information such as the contact info, skills, and certificates are off to the side. Therefore, the summary and work experience (the most important parts) take up most of the space. Some websites, such as the one I used, will even give you sample phrases and skills to add. Therefore, when it comes to structuring, make sure all the information is readily available, easy to find, and that you’re spending most of the available space on relevant content such as work experience.
Consistency
Being consistent with your resume is a clear sign of professionalism. However, being consistent can mean a number of things. The first and most important aspect to be the most consistent with is grammar and spelling. If your resume is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, employers are going to toss your resume away.
It may not seem like a big deal at first but think about it from the employer’s point of view. Will they want to hire someone who doesn’t put enough effort into their resume? As I stated, resumes are your first impression. Furthermore, resumes are not long. Therefore, making sure that they don’t have any spelling mistakes is a simple task that takes minimal time.
Although not as important, keeping a consistent tense can add to the professionalism of your resume. This means referring to your past job in ‘past tense’ and any skills/current jobs ins ‘present tense’. This can make for a better reading experience. Furthermore, if the employer happens to pay attention to such small details, it’ll reflect positively on you. This means there is no downside to keeping your tenses consistent within your resume.
Relevant Content
Lastly, make sure to only have relevant content on your resume (unless you don’t have an abundance of work experience). If you’re applying to a sales role and have a ton of experience, make sure to only include jobs/skills that will make you seem like a better candidate. However, writing down a list of fast food places would not be the most relevant. Of course, you can say that this allowed you to work with a lot of face-to-face interactions. However, noting a job where selling, and providing value was the main goal is more beneficial.
Here is another example. If you’re looking to get into coding, writing down any job that you’ve worked will only make then sift through your resume faster. In that instance, it is best to note all the languages you’re proficient in. Furthermore, writing down projects that you worked on and created can substitute for the lack of relevant work experience.
Think of the space on your resume as real estate. The space is valuable. Therefore, if you have any certificates that pertain to the job you’re looking for, list them. A trick that I (and many others) do is creating multiple copies of your resume. In these multiple copies, I’ll list work experience that is the most relevant to that field. For example, I have a resume that has only culinary experience. Another resume I have lists only sales and customer service roles. Lastly, I have my two-page resume that lists all my work experience, accomplishments, accolades, and relevant skills.
It is important to be careful when doing this, especially is your most recent relevant experience is a long time ago. For example, applying to a restaurant and sending in your ‘culinary resume’. However, your most recent restaurant job was over a year ago. This will leave the interview quite confused.
End.
That concludes this short but sweet article. Stick to these rules and your resume will take a giant step in the right direction. However, remember that the resume is not everything. There will be many times where you’re the most suitable candidate in your eyes and you won’t get a callback. The resume is only the first step in the uphill battle of getting a job. Therefore, doing your due diligence will make sure that you don’t slip and fall on that first time.
Shameed is just a man on a mission to help those around him gain financial success. Obsessed with writing about all things finance, this GTA native is constantly learning and sharing his experiences with others.
