By Kelley Bridenbaugh

Building your resume is like crafting a great online dating profile.

Think about it.

You want to capture your true essence in a short space, seem attractive, highlight some cool things you’ve done, and stand out from the hundreds or thousands of other candidates to get that initial right swipe.

When creating a dating profile there are “Dos and Don’ts” (no one wants to be catfished), and the same applies to building your resume.

Your resume is often the first impression a potential employer will have of you, so it's important to ensure it's a good one. A well-written and structured resume can help set you apart from other candidates and increase your chances of landing your dream job.

Here are seven resume tips and advice for job hunters looking to land their next dream job:

1. Tailor your resume to the job.

It's important to tailor your resume to each job you apply for. This shows that you've done your research and are genuinely interested in the position. Make sure to highlight your relevant skills and experience, and use keywords that match the job description. Yes, it takes more energy and effort, but that is what will help set you apart.

2. Keep it concise and clear.

A resume should be easy to read and understand. Stick to a clear and simple format. Use bullet points to highlight your achievements and skills, and keep it to ideally one page. If you go to two pages, be sure that anything essential is on the first page because studies show that recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds reviewing a resume (...and if it’s not essential information, ask yourself why it’s on your resume).

3. Highlight your accomplishments.

Instead of just listing your responsibilities, highlight your accomplishments and the impact you've made in your previous roles. Use numbers and statistics to demonstrate your achievements, such as how much revenue you generated or how many people you managed. Instead of “managed the company’s social media accounts” get more specific, for example, “strategized social media content leading to 600+ posts across multiple platforms resulting in 4.92 million impressions in less than a year”.

4. Showcase your skills.

Use specific examples of your skills and experience to demonstrate your qualifications for the job. This can include technical skills, such as programming languages or software you're proficient in, or soft skills, such as leadership or problem-solving abilities. See if you can match up some of the required skills on a job posting into your bullet accomplishments under each experience. Of course, only if it’s true! We will dive more into this when we get to tip 7.

5. Include relevant education and training.

The keyword here is relevant. If you're a recent graduate or have limited work experience, be sure to include your education and any relevant certifications. You can highlight any honors or awards you've received, and include any relevant coursework or projects. Now, if you’ve been in the workforce for a while now, the fact that you were on the Dean’s List 10 years ago can probably get deleted from your resume. Every line on your resume is expensive real estate so make sure you’re optimizing the space and the words you have available.

6. Proofread and edit.

Before submitting your resume, read it out loud word for word to check for any errors or typos. When you’ve been working on your resume for a long time, you’d be surprised at some of the errors your brain might be skipping over, so it's also a good idea to have someone else review it with a fresh set of eyes. Grammarly is a free online writing assistant that can check your work for you and it has personally saved me multiple times! The last thing you want is to say you have great attention to detail and then have a typo-riddled resume.

7. Be honest.

Last, but certainly not least, it's important to be truthful on your resume and to represent your qualifications and experience accurately. It's not a good idea to exaggerate or falsify any information, as it could lead to problems down the road. Also, if you aren’t honest on your resume and you do land the job you won’t be qualified and it will show. And if you’re still considering fabricating parts of your resume, why don’t you ask George Santos how it worked out for him (😳 too soon?)

Your resume is a crucial component of your job hunt, it’s what gets your foot in the door and a shot at landing an interview so it's important to make sure it's as strong as possible. By tailoring your resume to the job, keeping it concise and clear, highlighting your accomplishments, showcasing your skills, including relevant education and training, proofreading, and being honest, you can increase your chances of landing your dream job.

Remember, your resume is an evolving document and should be updated regularly as you gain more experience and skills. Keep it updated and relevant, and you'll be sure to make a great impression on potential employers.

In addition to a well-written resume, make sure to also have a strong online presence and professional social media accounts. Many employers will look at your online presence to learn more about you and your qualifications. Having a personal portfolio website that showcases your work can be an invaluable asset on your job hunt. You can check out my site here as an example.

If you’re interested in learning more about building your own site, send me a message and we can chat. Happy job hunting and here's to hoping for some right swipes soon!

— Kelley B.