In the previous blog, we discussed resumes and how they can demonstrate experience and skills and then quantify or qualify your accomplishments. Using these job search documents to catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers makes the resume work FOR you, instead of against you!
In this post, we will discuss two additional recommendations that will help you craft a document that gets your resume in front of decision makers – and keeps it there!
Arrange sections in order of relevance to the employer and the position.
With every resume version, look at your sections with a critical eye. What is the most important information and what is the least important information? Does the important information show up at the top of the page?
If not, you will need to rearrange the sections to get the most important, most relevant information at the top of the page. Keep in mind that none of the information on the resume should be unimportant or irrelevant. If the information falls into either the unimportant or irrelevant category, leave it out of the resume completely.
Starting at the top, place the most important section with the most relevant information beneath your name and contact heading. Each of the following sections will be the next most important information followed by the next most important information. Do not waste your valuable resume space on sections that do not support your goal or encourage decision makers to arrange interviews!
Leave out unnecessary sections.
Just because everyone else you know has a skills section does not mean that you must include a skills section in your resume. If your skills start and stop with answering the phone and Microsoft Office, then you may want to invest in some training to update your competencies!
However, it isn’t necessary to include a skills section until you have relevant, marketable skills that will make you attractive to the prospective employer.
Space is at a premium on a resume that can only be one or two pages long. Utilize that very valuable space by identifying the most important information and presenting only that information on the resume. Be honest with yourself – will that information help you get an interview? If the answer is no, then leave out that section.