Whether you are currently job hunting or updating your skills, taking a look at your resume on a regular basis is important. According to The Muse, there are 6 official reasons to keep your resume up-to-date. Our personal favorite is number four: Secret Admirers. Some of the best job offers come from business acquaintances who watch your growth from afar.
Here are 4 ideas to rejuvenate the format of your resume and display all of your hard work–and get you noticed!
1. Ditch the One Page Mandate
The old ”one page only rule” is just that–old. As long as your resume is well organized and relevant, there is no need to squeeze it into 400 words. You and your skills are worth showcasing! Use headers and formatting to help guide your reader through the important points.
2. Use Links to Provide More Details
Don’t be afraid to link to more expanded spaces–especially if you are expecting to turn in a writing sample. A link to a blog or series of newsletters you curate could put you over the edge in final decision making. Linking to your LinkedIn profile can be very helpful if you feel the need to trim career points from your resume. But be sure your profile is up-to-date so potential employers can see your professional growth.
3. Use Numbers When You Can
Expanding on your abilities is also a great way to use real numbers in your resume.
But don’t just add numbers for the sake of adding them. Back up those numbers by answering one simple question: How? The following are examples of this tactic. You pick which one YOU would rather see on a resume:
- “Exceeded sales goals by 22%”
- “Exceeded sales goals for the year by 22%, for the last quarter by 56%”
- “Exceeded sales goals by 22% overall, 56% for the last quarter by being attentive to each individual customer’s needs and aggressively scouting new customers using social media and vendor events.”
Bonus: If you have a lot of numbers to share, consider turning them into graphs or charts to give your resume a more appealing visual pop.
4. Modernize Your Form
It is hard in our online world to stay focused on white pages, black letters and neat paragraphs. We want color and form! Why not answer these expectations in your resume and stand out? Adding a small amount of color or creating a different flow using lines can really help distinguish you from the other applicants. Here are a few suggestions to break up the monotony:
- Make a slim left column and a large right column. Use the left side to list facts about you and use the right to go in-depth about your job history.
- Don’t be afraid to add a pop of color. A blue line to demark your columns or a red box outlining your objective can set your resume apart.
- Add something memorable. So many people skip the ”Hobbies” section of a resume when editing for length. This can be a great place to talk about who you really are. Include your volunteer efforts, passions, or even a personal mantra to clue in the employer to the “real you”.
Renovating the format of your resume is rewarding and can really give a refreshing take on your accomplishments. New content is even more impactful. Now that you have crafted a visually pleasing resume, we are here to walk you through how to update the content in order to best display your worth. Come back next week for 5 strategies for improving the content of your resume.
Ami Youngs Coaching 