Okay, so personally for me, resumes have always been really hard and I always used to use resume builders and even with those I felt as though my resume wasn't strong enough. So one day, I took the time researching how to put together a strong resume that would stand out to almost any employer. I'm not saying my resume is the "best" but I am saying it's stronger than its ever been and I've gotten more interviews since changing it and updating it.
1. Take the time to create your resume and update it often: I think I weak point I used to have was only taking a minimal amount of time to create a subpar resume and I think that has hurt me in a lot of ways. Employers look at your resume very briefly (sometimes only for a few seconds) before deciding if you're qualified or not. Keep in mind they look at hundreds of resumes a week and they will toss out your resume if it's not relevant and littered with errors. It is their job to look for qualified candidates and little mistakes like that seem to make their decisions a lot easier - you could be the perfect candidate but it doesn't look good if someone is reading your resume and notices that you were's able to use the correct form of "there". Also, a side note to this is that I HIGHLY recommend continuously updating your resume and it's actually even better if you create a different resume for every job you apply to. It doesn't have to be super different but making the work experience as relevant as possible is always an A+. Keep your resume on focus and make sure it has a purpose.
2. Make sure it looks professional: I'm not going to lie and say I haven't added colors to my resume. I've gone through phases where I would make headers certain colors and make the body of the font gray in hue. That is a huge no for the most part - I believe there to be some exceptions depending on the job. I think sticking to black and white is the best and cleanest look. I always use a template to help me start my resume and from there I will change around things such as sizing, fonts, maybe adding in bullet points, etc. I highly recommend using a 12 pt font in something that looks clean and professional (I like to use times new roman, avenir next, or garamond quite often), I tend to always use the elegance template on my mac but I'm sure there are really great templates all over google. Also I always try to keep my resume at one page but it never happens even when I only list a few jobs (employers don't tend to care about your whole job history so I tend to leave out irrelevant stuff but not everyone is like that or willing to do that). If you're going to make it longer limit it to 2 pages and please make sure your contact info is on both pages just in case they get separated and also using resume paper is also a bonus.
3. Avoid information that isn't important: This is such a given but sometimes it's even hard for me to remember this. Jobs don't care that you played a sport in high school or that you took some painting classes in college. Unless it's relevant to the situation and job you're applying DO NOT mention it. It wastes space and it's just an annoyance for anyone to have to read.
4. Highlight your skills (especially ones you feel you excel in): I feel as though I have many skills especially random little skills that pertain to jobs but I feel as though some are very minor and don't need to be said. I tend to focus on skills that happen to pertain to the job. So if I was applying to work at a store - I would highlight key points that would make me valuable to them. Another thing is when writing your resume, keep out pronouns. Refer from using I, it doesn't look good and it's already clear that you do those things no need to use the word I in every sentence. Change up "I am able to work well with others" to something simple and direct such as "team player". Keep it short and sweet and to the point.
5. DO NOT LIE: Please do not add or falsify any information in your resume. I know for most that is a given but some people tend to lie to embellish and impress an employer. It's always best to stick to the truth and keep everything 100% honest. Not only is it morally correct and right, it also can get you into a lot of trouble in the future. Most companies HR departments do background checks and catching you in a lie could ruin your credibility in the near future. I always joke that since I've taken pictures that I should put "photographer" on my resume but it's not true nor is it really relevant to anything. Just please, DO NOT LIE. I know sometimes it's easy to want to make your experience and schooling sound a little bit better and to put things onto your resume that you think will help but in the end it will come back and bite you in the butt.
It's really shitty to say this but it honestly is true that first impressions are everything especially when interviewing because employers are already interview hundreds of candidates, so if you were to slip up in some simple way it just makes their choices much easier. Here are a few things I like to do that always end up benefitting me.
+ Dress for the Job: This goes without saying 100%. Dress for the job you're applying for (and if you're not sure how to dress, dress better than you think you should!) I always tend to dress well in my regular life so I tend to do that with interviews. Dressing well will make you stand out. I hate going to interviews seeing candidates wearing jeans and tees, it's not professional and I think it does say a lot about your character.
+ Be Friendly and Outgoing: I know personally I have anxiety so I tend to be pretty quiet in situations where I know a lot of pressure is on me. I live by the "fake it till you make it" motto because it really does work. Even when nervous I put on a fake smile and I show that I think I am suited for the job. Interviews are so stressful and lots of employers understand that, I know whenever I go into one I'm stressed but usually when I start the job I feel at home and I start to feel exactly the way I presented myself in the interview. Stress is a huge factor and it's 100% understandable but go in with open mind and just do your best!
+ Be prepared: I always tend to bring my resume to interviews even when not specified of even when an employer says they have a copy. I feel as if that's polite to do, if you have a business car also feel free to bring that and attach it. I also highly recommend researching the company before you go in, it's always really uncomfortable to have them ask you a question that you do not understand. They interview you because they want to see if you can fit in with their company, don't give them reason to not want to hire you.
+ Ask Questions: At the end of the interview they always ask "do you have any questions for me?" I always used to say no and nervously walk out after saying I thought I understood. I've started asking questions and preparing out interview questions and lately it seems to impress employers, a lot of them have told me they expect questions to be asked. There are also things I want to know about working there so it's nice to get it over with in an efficient and professional manner. I tend to look on google or sample questions and reword the ones I think are best. I tend to either write mine down in a notebook and bring that or bring my laptop.
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