Hard Truths About Your Resume
With so many online sources offering conflicting advice—“do this” or “don’t do that”—how do you know the best way to create a standout resume? Sometimes, we all need some tough love and when it comes to making a resume, an outside opinion can help offer some advice. Here are some of my hard truths to create the perfect resume to help you land your dream job.
Keep it Simple
It's common for young professionals to get overly wordy and detailed. While the work you've done in past internships or jobs is important, keep descriptions in four to give bullet points. Begin each point with strong action verbs, such as:
Coordinated…
Supported…
Organized…
Managed…
Created…
Executed…
Make It One Page
One of the most debated aspects of resume-building is its length—how long should it be?
REAL TALK: As overly involved individuals who take on numerous leadership roles, it can be challenging to include only some impressive aspects of your life. As a young professional, your resume needs to fit on one page. If you’re pushing to the second page, get picky and start cutting the details that do not pertain to the job you’re applying for.
As you progress in your career, most college-related details can be phased out over time, except for essentials like your degree and graduation year, unless a college achievement is exceptionally significant.
Reflect Your Future Career
For professionals in communications and marketing, a bit of creative freedom is acceptable! Thoughtful choices in line spacing, letter spacing, and even subtle resume paper shades can add personality. However, avoid overly bright colors like pink and overly stylized fonts, as these can detract from readability and professionalism, setting the wrong tone. If you want a creative job, get creative on your resume!
Use a clean, professional font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Ensure the font size is consistent and easy to read (typically 10–12pt), with balanced white space for a neat layout.
Skip Unnecessary Personal Details
Avoid listing personal details like your age, marital status, or a photo. These can detract from your qualifications and are an outdated resume standard.
Get Specific
Where possible, add numbers and expand on the details to highlight your impact. For example, get the metrics and rather than say, “increased social media engagement”, include a number like, “increased social media engagement by 30% through targeted campaigns." This shows measurable success and makes your resume more compelling.
Another tip would be with your descriptions. Rather than say, “helped with events," expand on how you helped and say, "assisted in coordinating logistics for a 500-person industry conference, including vendor management and scheduling."
Save Your Resume Correctly
This may be the most important tip that often goes unnoticed. When an employer is sorting through numerous resumes, make it easy for them to save and find your resume. Save the resume as a PDF and rename the file to include your name.
Why is this important? Any file other than a PDF can change the format and readability based on individual computers. It’s also important to include your name in the file so it can be found easily. These two actions can help your resume rise above others.
Ultimately, a well-crafted resume reflects your skills, professionalism, and readiness for the job—keeping it clear, concise, and relevant will make you stand out in any application pool!
Preparing for an interview and curious about the questions you might face? Read here!
