Take Your Resume from OK to WOW in 10 Minutes.
Wish to polish up your resume but don’t have the time or inclination to do it?
No worries, now all it takes is ten minutes to give your resume a quick shine.
Here is a list of 10 useful updates to give your resume the overhaul it deserves.
1. Open with a dramatic top one third.
“In the short time that recruiters spend with your resume, they look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education” – Vivian Giang, Business Insider.
Take a close look at the top third of your resume — the first thing that the hiring manager sees when the document opens up. That’s your opportunity to make your powerful first impression — so make sure it serves as a hook that makes the hiring manager eager to read more. Update your header with the relevant job title and keywords to make it pop. Make your personal brand stand out and catch a recruiter’s eye.
2. Standardize the typeface.
Make sure you standardize the font of your resume to preferably Times New Roman, Helvetica or Arial — in other words, make sure it’s not overtly creative, funky or hard to read. Using a common, clean font will make it more readable and less likely to be rejected by the ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
3. Replace the Career Objective with a Value Statement.
That standard, done-to-death boilerplate “A dynamic, hard-working professional looking for a challenging opportunity” has run its course. Please remove it and instead use a value proposition – employers want to know what you can bring to the table and what you can do for the company.
4. Simplify the document name.
Change the file name from “Resume” to “[First Name] [Last Name] [Job Title] Resume.” You would agree that this makes things easier for hiring managers and ensures your resume doesn’t get lost in the crowd.
5. Include your LinkedIn profile URL.
At the very top, mention your LinkedIn profile or any other relevant social media handles. You can create a custom URL to your public profile using simply /yourname (or some similar variation if somebody already has your name). Look up ‘Customize URL’ on LinkedIn for instructions.
6. Make all your hyperlinks live.
Including your email address, LinkedIn profile, website, blog and/or media and publications? Make sure they’re all hyperlinked. Your resume will most likely be read on a mobile device or on a computer. So keeping things like your online profile and portfolio of work clickable makes it easier for the recruiter to learn more about you.
7. Delete irrelevant data.
Is it really necessary to mention your birth date, marital status, or religion? Surprisingly many people still do. Please remove them as they may not be relevant from the job position point of view.
8. Keep the design clean and simple.
Get rid of distracting design and any funky images or shapes that don’t really serve a purpose. Make sure all the text is formatted, the spacing is uniform and all dates are right-aligned. Unless you are submitting to an artist or graphic designer position, remove any pictures or visual elements.
9. Use power words.
The right keywords can land you the interview — and the job in Canada. Replace a couple of boring verbs and adjectives with some more powerful (and interesting) ones. Check out this article to find power words that better describe your strengths. http://canadianimmigrant.ca/careers-and-education/how-to-find-a-job/the-power-of-keywords-in-your-resume
10. Quantify everything, use numerals wherever possible.
It’s highly recommended to quantify your experience on your resume. Even small numbers that are written numerically pop out, and save space too. Go through your bullet points, and add as many numbers and percentages as you can to quantify your work.
