Updating your resume can be… infuriating. Not only do you need to add all your new experience, but you’re probably also going to want to upgrade the look a little bit.
Of course, that then opens up a whole rabbit hole where you end up trying to reorganize the content, then you want to add some graphics, but then the formatting is all messed up, and why do I even want this job anyway, this is wayyy too much work!
Hopefully you don’t end up on a mental rant like that, but I’ll admit that I definitely have…
It doesn’t have to be that hard.
A few quick changes to your resume can make a world of difference in:
How professional it looks
How eye-catching it is
How impressed the hiring manager will be
I thought it would be useful to share those with you :)
The backstory
Between my work as a Recruiter, a Hiring Manager, and a Career Coach, I’ve probably looked at 2,000+ resumes (is that an exaggeration… probably not, but I haven’t been counting).
So I now have a pretty solid idea of what makes a resume pop, and what kind of content the hiring managers are going to resonate with…
But it wasn’t always that way…
Coming out of grad school (in Sunny South Florida), I desperately wanted to stay in the U.S. (I’m Canadian, in case you didn’t know), but to do that, I would need to find a university who was willing to sponsor an entry-level student services administrator for a work visa. These are costly and usually reserved for Senior-Professor-types.
A.k.a. it was a freakin’ tough assignment.
So, I worked my butt off and in 8 months, I applied to 116 jobs!
Throughout the process, I spent hours tinkering with my resume and had dozens of visits to the Career Center at my school.
It helped…
As I tried different tactics with my resume, I learned what worked well, and I dramatically improved the rate at which I was offered interviews… unfortunately, in every process, at some point, I would have to admit that I was… Canadian (super proud of this, for the record, but it wasn’t helpful at the time).
And that’s where my candidacy would end.
I was frustrated… I was depressed… I was sapped of all hope…
But then!
I made the decision to return to Canada, and with everything I had learned about resume writing, my job search was very short.
I landed interviews for the first 3 jobs I applied to
I was offered (and accepted) the first job I interviewed for!
Not bad for a guy who thought (briefly, in a state of zero self-confidence) that he may never work again.
So… Here’s what I learned
There are a TON (or TONNE to my Canadians) of ways to amp up your resume, and while that is great… that’s also what has us fall into those time-consuming, frustrating rabbit holes…
In all my experience, I’ve learned that these 3 simple changes that can take your resume from a C+ to a B+ or a B+ to an A+ in just a couple minutes.
These aren’t going to change your life, but the return on investment for the 10-ish minutes of work they will take is something you can’t miss out on.
Here goes…
1. Add some numbers!
Quantifying the work you’ve done can add a LOT of credibility to your experience. Here are a couple of examples:
Planned and implemented social media campaigns to increase Instagram followers for the brand.
Turns into…
Planned and implemented 2 social media campaigns which resulted in 1,200 new Instragram followers for the brand.
AND
Executed professional development events for staff to improve communication and leadership skills.
Turns into…
Executed 3 professional development events per year, attended by 40-50 staff each, to improve communication and leadership skills.
Now the reader has a much better idea of how substanial and/or successful our work was. And all we had to do was add a couple numbers!
Other things you can quantify:
Clients served
Reports generated
Dollars saved
Products launched
And sooooo many more :)
2. Bold some key phrases
This one is great because you don’t even have to write anything. Scan your resume, and anything that you’re particularly proud of… just bold it.
Of course, you don’t want to overdo it. Too much bold looks sloppy and unprofressional, but some strategically placed bold can make your best assets “POP”!
For example:
Spearheaded the company-wide adaptation of a shared service model which resulted in $40,000 in annual cost savings.
Utilized a relationship-focused approach to management, maintaining a 100% staff retention rate over 3 years in the role.
Now, when the hiring manager is scanning your resume, they’re immediately going to see your greatest accomplishments! And you didn’t have to write a word :)
3. Give yourself a Title (or two)
Have you been working in digital marketing for a few years now? Why not call yourself a Digital Marketing Expert?
Do you love creating high-functioning teams? You can be a Team Building Specialist.
Are you passionate about diversity and equality in the workplace? Now you’re a Diversity & Equity Advocate.
Some people will hestitate on labelling themselves a certain way because no one else has ever called them these things, but guess what? Unless you’re claiming to be a doctor, or some other regulated profession, you can call yourself whatever you want (as long as you can back it up).
At the top of your resume, to the right of your name (if you have your name left justified) or under your name (if you have your name centered), add 1-2 titles so the hiring manager can immediately see what you’re all about.
I have done this countless times and IT WORKS.
Here are a few examples of titles, just to give you the idea:
Social Media Guru
Relationship-Focused Leader
Adult Education Specialist
Software Sales Manager
Business Development Strategist
Client-Relations Expert
Senior Healthcare Administrator
Student Services Professional
Childhood Development Researcher
3-Point Shooting Legend (okay that one was just for me)
I could go on! Don’t be shy, add a title or two to the top of your resume so the hiring manager knows what to expect from your right off the bat!
Final Advice
Overhauling your resume can be a big mountain to climb, but just like any mountain, you have to take it one step at a time.
If you’ve got 10 minutes, fire up your resume, make these 3 small changes, and your resume will already be significantly better than it was 10 minutes ago.
Hiring managers will…
understand how substantial your work is when you add those numbers,
immediately notice your most impressive accomplishment when you bold them, and
know exactly who you are and what to expect from you when they see that headline next to (or under) your name
You can do this!
For More great resume help…
I’m just about ready to launch my free ebook “How to Write a Winning Resume: 6 Simple Steps yo Writing a Resume that will Land Interviews and Get You Hired!”
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