These 10 tips are quite a mix and span from words not to use in a resume to accomplishments you should highlight, and how. I hope these help you with your editing!
For this posting I decided to go back and look at all of my previous resume related posting and pull out what I consider my favorite and best tips.
1. You need to spend intense time researching and understanding job listings and making sure to tune yourself as a strong skills fit. You’re much better off spending your time on the few jobs where you are a great fit, than wasting your time spreading yourself far and wide.
2. Keep your resume focused on what your target employers want to know and be ruthless about eliminating information that doesn’t serve that purpose. I other words…
Trim: Remove all extraneous words until you get down to only the essential facts that will sell you.
3. If you are able to connect the dots for the employer by presenting a common thread that includes your passion for excellence, curiosity, and drive to make things happen, you can immediately move to the top of that pile of resumes on the hiring manager’s desk.
4. At the top of your resume, under your name, address and phone number you should have a title. This title should reflect the title you hope to have. I would advise that you change this up depending on the job you are applying for as Brand Marketing Manager may not apply to a Marketing Communications opening.
5. The next part should be a paragraph about your accomplishments and how you will help a company if they hire you. However…Make sure your objective has an outward focus: If you choose to include an objective on your résumé, make sure it addresses the employer’s needs.
6. Following this paragraph you should have a little area with a list of keywords. I have talked about the importance of key words in a resume but have never seen a resume with a specific section for them. If you’re not entirely sure where to start then look at LinkedIn which generates some key words for you in their “specialties” section. In other words…
Make sure your resume is search-engine optimized: If your résumé doesn’t include…keywords, there’s little chance that your application will ever reach the desk of a hiring manager.
7. Here are some phrases NOT to use in your resume:
Results-Oriented Professional
Excellent Team Player
Bottom Line Orientation
Superior Communications Skills
Possess Organizational Skills
Savvy Business Professional
Strong Work Ethic
Meets or Exceeds Expectations
Strong Presentation Skills
Seeking a Challenging Opportunity
8. Don’t list out-of-date or irrelevant skills: Although entry-level job seekers sometimes include a section of “interests” on their résumé, the space-filler has no place on the résumé of older workers.
9. Recount Accomplishments. No matter what your title was, reach back into your memory and pull out at least three of your most valuable achievements for each role.
10. Highlight Newly Acquired Skills. The next step in your career journey will build upon the skills and knowledge you possess today. With this in mind, think about how each past position expanded upon your abilities.
Good luck with reworking your resume and what did you do today?
Here are my resources:
10 Phrases That Can Sink Your Resume
cnn.com
GetInterviews.com
Six ways to push your resume into the “green pile.”
Career Advice 101 