Write an Irresistible First Resume in 5 Easy Steps

Write an Irresistible First Resume in 5 Easy StepsWrite an Irresistible First Resume in 5 Easy Steps Writing aresume is easy - writing a good first resume, however, is something else entirely, especially when its your first time putting one together. While anyone can pull up a Word document, slap on the names of the past few companies theyve worked at, and add a handful of bullet points about what they did while they were there, that aloneisnt enough to capture the attention of recruiters . With recruiters reviewing dozens of resumes at a time (often for only six seconds or fewer ) yours needs to clearly stand out from the pack.But having a resume that stands out isnt about fancy templates, or an eye-catching design . While those may be icing on the cake, what recruiters really care about is the substance how well you present the information they care about in a clear and compelling way. Few people know this better than J.T. ODonnell, Founder & CEO of career a dvice site Work It Daily , whos spent the better part of her career advising candidates on how to find and land their dream jobs. Shes pored over thousands of resumes throughout the years - and as a result, she knows what works and what doesnt.ODonnell gave ussome insight into the top resume trends and best practices of the moment. With these tips, yourresume can go from regrettable to unforgettable - a sure-fire way to start your career off on the right foot.Adding an objective statement to your resume is a recommendation given at career centers around the nation, but according to ODonnell, its largely a relic of the past. Recruiters dont want to hear what you want as your next job - instead, its much more about convincing them that youre the right fit. What we have job binnenseekers do is put two columns at the top of key skill sets whatever the skill sets are that you see these companies are hiring for, whether its marketing, or theyre looking for Microsoft Office, you just have two columns right at the front and center with your top six to eight skills, ODonnell recommends. Make sure to include any relevant degrees or certifications as well, she advises. A lot of recruiters are told to consider somebody with this degree, this certification, this skill set, so making me hund all over the resume for that is annoying . If I see that right at the top of the resume, youve just inspired me to want to keep reading, ODonnell says.After your skills summary, its time to detail your work history and experience. List each company youve worked for (you can also list your involvement with school organizations, like a team sport or campus newspaper) along with your title, the dates you worked there, and several bullet points that describe your key accomplishments and responsibilities. Wherever possible, you should attempt to quantify that experience , ODonnell says.Numbers make a huge difference. If you can quantify what you did in any way, you should. We know th at the human eye processes numbers faster than words and they help me as a recruiter give context to the size and scope of the work that you did, she explains.Dont be discouraged even if, as someone whos relatively new to the workforce, you dont have a lot of experience directly related to the position youre applying for. Quantifying your experience works just as well for a summer gig in foodservice or retail as it does at a high-profile internship .For example, if I worked in an ice cream parlor for the summer, I would say Served 50-100 customers per day and handled a cash register that totaled over $1,000 a day in sales. Those two numbers give me an immediate impression that you probably werent at a single ice cream stand by yourself, and its probably a big organization. Not to mention, it sounds a whole lot better than just saying something like, Scooped ice cream for customers belastungsummer.Facts and figures are a must-have, but its nice to balance those out with afew persona l detailsas well so recruiters can get a sense of your whole self. ODonnell suggests including this information in an additional experience section at the end of your resume.Additional experience is a catch-all section in the end where you talk about volunteer experience , awards youve won, or maybe there are special things youve accomplished - you do Iron Mans or marathons or some kind of thing like that, she says. You certainly dont want this information to be the primary focus of your resume - skills and experience should always be front and center, since theyre ultimately what recruiters care about the most - but leaving theextras out means you might miss an opportunity to showcase some of the qualities you want highlighted, demonstrate culture fit , and bond with recruiters (you never who might have the same hobbies and interests that you do).Once youve written the bulk of your resume, its time to refine it. Go through and check for spelling and grammar as well as formatti ng. One critical element is making sure that you have enough white space on your resume, ODonnell says.Your resume is going to have a lot of white space and it might look really basic, but it should because recruiters spend six seconds on it. The eye works in a Z-pattern, so remember that and dont think that you need to fill the page and pretend youre something that youre not , she explains. A few things to avoid, ODonnell adds, include full justification - its a big no-no, really hard to read. The other big thing is fancy fonts or curly tail fonts. Theyre very hard to read, and studies show that the human eye cant absorb them as fast as clean-line fonts. Beyond that, ODonnell says, fonts lower than 11 point have no place on your resume. 10 point or smaller is just too hard to read. And the last piece is margins. You should never have a margin smaller than .7 inches on either side if you held it away, youd go Oh look, its pretty, its organized, but it actually works against you wh en the recruiter is reading it up close.When trying to show why youd be the best fit for the job, its easy to get a little overzealous and list every minute detail you think might be relevant to a recruiter. But keeping your resume to a readable length is a must , or else many recruiters will simply gloss over it . You may have heard in the past that resumes should be kept to no more than one page, but ODonnell says theres a little more wiggle room now.The reality is that you can go to two pages as long as you create white space . When I see a one-pager but theyve got half-inch margins, nine-point font, and theyve tried to stuff everything on the page, its awful. So Id rather see you go to two pages as long as youve really created that white space since its easier for me to read, she explains. The exception to that is usually people in academia or science have a lot of papers and things that they have to cite and that can take up some bulk but aside from that no more than two.A g ood rule of thumb is keeping your resume long enough to convey all of the important details, but short enough to maintain a recruiters interest. If youre having trouble with length, avoid repetition and flowery language , and make sure that each word and sentence on the pageserves a clear purpose. After a round of revisions or two, you should be able to strike the perfect balance.