Top 10 Tips for an Internet Friendly Resume
The Internet has single-handedly
changed the way we look for and apply to jobs. Your resume must be
"Internet Friendly." This means that it will post well to the job
boards and upload into a recruiter's HRIS system without scrambling the document
while keeping it easy to read on the computer screen.
1. MAKE SURE YOUR CONTACT INFO IS COMPLETE.
It is crucial
you have provided your potential employer with complete contact information. Be
sure to include your email address on your resume. Employers do not have time
to try to track you down.
2. STAY AWAY FROM FANCY FORMATIING.
Just because your
resume looks great printed out, this does not mean it will translate well when
either uploaded or be easily read on your reader's computer screen. Stay away
from fancy fonts, tables, templates, graphical text boxes, graphical text
lines, headers, footers, centering, inconsistent tab layout, etc.
3. CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME each
time you send your resume out to match the requirements of the employer. Know
what skills and experience that particular job is looking for, and make those
specific areas stand out. Be prepared to go beyond the job description, you might
have to do additional research to find out more about the company you are
applying to. Do not take up space illustrating skills that are not relevant to
the job you are seeking.
4. CREATE A STRONG HEADLINE AND SUMMARY. The top 1/4 of
your resume is the most crucial. Your reader should know who you are and what
you do within five to10 seconds of looking at your resume. Create a powerful
headline that says who you are and what you do. Think of this as a headline to
a news story. What will grab your reader and make them want to read on?
Immediately after your headline, draft a "skills summary" section
that illustrates your hard-core skills and industry expertise and how is
specifically matches the requirements of the position. What makes you stand
out? Customize your headline and summary every time you send out your resume.
5. USE BULLET POINTS throughout your entire resume. Stay
away from long, dense paragraphs; they will not be read. Paraphrase your
accomplishments and be concise. Your resume should be very easy to scan
through. Use circles rather than squares, diamonds or dashes.
6. CONCENTRATE ON YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS; stay away from
listing your duties. Hiring managers are not interested in what your duties or
responsibilities were. What did you achieve with your responsibilities? What
makes you stand out from another candidate with the same experience?
7. INCLUDE ONLY RELEVANT INFORMATION. Leave out your
hobbies unless they are related to the job you are seeking. Do not include your
marital status, age, irrelevant affiliations, etc. Also, there is no need to go
into grave detail about past employment that is not related to your desired
position. Simply create an "other" or "previous employment"
section and briefly document this experience.
8. KEEP IT TO TWO PAGES MAX. Do not overwhelm your reader
by making your resume too long. Recruiters are only interested in details of
the last five to eight years, 10 tops. For older positions, like the above,
create a "previous employment" section and briefly list this
experience. Important details tend to get buried in a long resume.
9. NAMING YOUR RESUME. Imagine being a recruiter and
getting several hundred resumes per week all named "resume.doc." Keep
it simple, make it easy for your reader to find you and name your resume
document "Smith, John Resume.doc."
10. PROOFREAD YOUR RESUME. One of the quickest ways for
your resume to end up in the trash is one that contains misspelled words, typos
and wrong grammar usage. Also, be sure to use the correct verb tense. Mistakes
on your resume can reflect carelessness as an employee.
ResumeDoctor.com provides resume-consulting services and
FREE resume evaluations for job seekers in all
industries. ResumeDoctor.com also offers specialized job market expertise and
content to media and employers.