I Messed Up Yesterday

If you’re a real one and read through these newsletter’s every day, you’ll realize I missed yesterday’s post, whoops! The show must go on and the challenge to bring daily skills to your inbox continues. The best part about skills is that you can apply them in your personal and professional lives. These skills don’t stop at real world applications, they stop at JOB applications because today’s newsletter shares fascinating tips when creating a successful resume.

What is a Resume and What’s it for?

A resume is one-two page snapshot of your professional self. From education to previous job experience, this document is the first impression you send to prospective employers. A resume is a marketing tool for yourself, you’ll want to put your best foot forward when crafting this document of personal description.

As your professional career progresses, you’ll want to keep your resume up to date as a way to keep record of everything you’ve done. Nothing is worse than spending hours trying to remember the name of that charitable club you participated in at college. So, if a resume is all about me and what I’ve achieved, how do I format this document?

How Should I Format My Resume?

For most job hunter’s, you’ll want to keep with a traditional resume that lists your name, current job or student status, contact information, previous work history, and education. The order of the aforementioned topics isn’t specific, but you should have your name and contact at the top. Unless you’re applying to a job for acting, influence, or personal talent, I wouldn’t recommend including your headshot on the resume.

What Resume Format is Right for Me?

There are three main formats of resume: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination. Follow this link to learn more about each one. How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide (novoresume.com)

Reverse-Chronological

This resume type is the most common and works for a majority of job seekers. This resume lists your name and contact at the top followed by your previous work history from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom. For folks with at least a couple of previous jobs, clinicals, or work experiences, this is the type for you.

Functional

This resume type is more about listing skills, achievements, clubs, or activities. Most students use this type of resume since their work history may be irrelevant to the position of minimal in nature. Functional resume’s list awards like "top in class”, club presidents, and other professional certifications.

Combination

This resume type is a hybrid between functional and reverse chronological. It’s great for senior level candidates who have extensive work history and great professional achievements. These resume types are usually longer in length highlighting all achievements, skills, and experience.

Five Resume Tips to Standout

Have Your Name Large Enough

Make your name larger than the rest of the text on the resume. Bolding the text is fine, just don’t go overboard where your name takes up 1/3 of the page.

Have a Broad Address

Having a specific address is unnecessary and can cause employers to judge you based on where you live. If you’d like to include a personal location, your city and state will be enough for the employer.

Make Your Skills Measurable with Context

Including “speaks Spanish” or “proficient in Microsoft Excel” is a great start, but quantifying your experience helps inform an employer on your skill level. Adding “studied Spanish for 8 years abroad” or “built five financial algorithms used by Wells Fargo Bank on Microsoft Excel” is a great way to give context to your skills.

Only Include Relevant Experience/Achievements

Being the president of the Arts and Crafts club in high school is great if you’re applying to college, but if you’re 40 years old and have been working since you’re 18, there’s little need to include this piece of information on your resume. Keep your professional list relevant to the opportunity you’re applying to.

Actually Proofread Your Resume

Making a resume is time consuming and stressful. Once you’re done typing, formatting, and listing your professional self, take an hour or two reading through everything line by line. Remember, this is your first impression to potential employers, universities, or agents, don’t let them think you don’t know how to spell!

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