New Rules for Resume Writing
An improving economy means that many people will be able to start looking for better jobs again. Unfortunately, many people who are entering the job market for the first time and a lot of people who have been employed for a while, assume that the same rules that were used before the recession are still in effect in this new job market. If you'reapplying for a job, make sure you follow these rules.
Tailor your resume to each position you apply for. While it’s a good idea to have a basic resume with your contact information and formatting, every job you apply to needs to have this basic outline tweaked to fit. Make sure you mention the skills and experience that are mentioned in the job ad using the same wording that was used in the ad. For example, if an ad wants you to have three years of sales experience, move your sales job to the top of your experience list. If it mentions that an ideal candidate has training in specific software programs, then it only makes sense to create a new section listing what software programs you have experience using (with the ones mentioned in the ad displayed first).
Don't leave off important information. Often, people with a lot of job experience tend to leave off older jobs or skills they haven’t used in a while. Instead, include as much information as possible showing your wide range of skills. If the job ad wants someone with a specific number of years of experience, make sure that your previous experience timeline includes at least this many years of job titles and job descriptions.
Keep everything simple. In the attempt to include as much information as possible, people often end up with large blocks of small type that can be hard for a potential employer to read or scan through. It’s also good idea to avoid using more than two types of font. Long gone are the days when employers would be impressed with your Word formatting skills. Keep the font a basic, common type and avoid bold and italics as much as possible. If you just can’t figure out what to cut, at least make the first page of the resume a highlight page and include the details on a second page.
Make sure your contact information is up to date and appropriate. You would be surprised how often a transposed digit in a phone number means that someone won’t get an interview. Employers today often have thousands of resumes to sort through, so if they can't get you on the first number, they'll move on to the next candidate. While you’re checking, make sure you include both a phone number (that you can check regularly) and a professional e-mail address. If you have to, create a new e-mail account that is just your name. Do not use a “cute” address such as “gnome lover” or “princess pea”. Leave off information such as your Facebook or Twitter account, these can have a negative influence on your chances of getting hired.
Don't worry about getting the resume on exactly one page. Unless the job ad specifically states the length of the resume, it isn’t worth the effort to avoid going onto a second page. In fact, many industries and positions expect a longer resume. As long as the information you include is relevant to the position you’re applying for, don’t worry if you can’t get it down to just one page. If you have a long resume, however, consider adding a “highlights” section on the front so that you can get the attention of software scanning programs.
