Your resume is your first introduction when looking for jobs. Recruiters and Human Resources Professionals look at resumes all day long – it is important to make sure yours is the one they call! Are you looking to fix up your resume but don’t know where to start? Look no further! Keep reading below for some tips on how to improve your resume – straight from the professionals!
Pick The Right Format.
There are a few ways that you can format your resume, but the most popular format is reverse chronological! This means, your most recent job is first and your first job is last. This is the easiest format for recruiters to see your work experience!
Pick The Right Layout.
You will also want to ensure that the layout of your resume is up to date and easy to read.
1-2 pages in length is ideal for a resume! You can omit previous work experience that you have had too many years in the past and anything that is not currently relevant should be left off as well!
Make sure you have headings to divide each section. You should have a section for work experience, education, additional skills, and personal experience for any volunteering you may have done.
Choose a font that is easy to read and stands out on the background. Size 12 in a classic font will make the best impression. If you have any colour other than a white background on your resume, make sure the font stands out against that colour as well!
Save your resume and upload it to job boards as a PDF file instead of a Word Document. This will ensure that your resume formatting appears the way you wanted it to!
Contact Information
This section might not seem as important as others, but if your contact information is incorrect or outdated, the recruiter will not be able to contact you! Contact information that should be included is:
- First and last name
- Phone number
- Email address
- City you are living in.
Optional information could be any professional titles you may have or your professional designation. You could also include a link to any professional social media sites!
We never recommend including an unprofessional email address, date of birth or gender!
Resume Summary or Objective
Recruiters spend on average 10 seconds reading each resume that comes across their desk! Including a personal statement or summary will attract the Recruiters attention and make sure they keep reading through your experience.
This section is placed directly below your contact information, so it is one of the first thing someone sees when reading your resume. This can be a 2-3 sentence section that summarizes all about you. You can include the total number of years you have in your profession, something you specialize in within your profession and what your goal is!
Work Experience
In this section, you will list your relevant work experience, starting with your most recent roles.
Information that should be included is your job title, the company name and what city they were located in, and the dates in which you were employed by them!
You will then go into further detail about your job duties, responsibilities and any achievements you may have accomplished during your tenure.
Make sure that you are tailoring your resume to each different job you are applying for, and edit it to include relevant experience and achievements to the desired position.
Educational Experience
In this section you should be highlighting your educational experience and background. You should include the program in which you graduated from, the name of the school, and the years in which you attended.
Optional information you can include is your GPA, any declared Minor programs and courses you have excelled in that you think would be relevant to the field you are applying for!
Skills
Use this section to show the recruiters some skills – both hard and soft – that you think will set you apart from others applying for the same job!
Hard skills include measurable abilities that you have learned over the years, that help you complete job specific duties and responsibilities. This could be anything from being proficient in working in Excel, forklift operation, data research or welding – depending on what field you are working in!
Soft skills are personal skills that are not unique to any specific job, but that could help you excel in the workplace. These could include excellent communication skills, good leadership or time management and problem-solving skills.
Other Sections
Other sections you can include in your resume could be any hobbies or interests you may have, additional languages you speak or certifications you have obtained through online or in person courses on their own. You can also include volunteer experience you have completed or awards you may have received!
Looking to submit your newly refreshed resume to one of our recruiters? Check out https://www.peoplestore.ca/job-postings/ to see the jobs available in your area!