One of the words I see out there in social media land is AMAZING. It seems if we are not complimenting someone on their talents, their cat, or their discovery of the best food pic with the word AMAZING, nothing is ever good enough. Also, if it falls short of AMAZING, there is something seriously wrong with that point of view. Well, let me tell you, not all resumes are AMAZING and the unfortunate thing is, your resume can make you look the opposite of that one word you hope will be tagged in your comments.
Resumes are a paper version of you. In looking at least 100 per week sometimes, I believe that what is presented to me is the best version of the person who is applying for the job and at any time can back up the words they have put down to paper. However, sometimes there is so little or so much in the resume it has actually done them a disservice because the paper version of themselves does not represent how AMAZING they are.
I think back to almost 20 years ago when online dating first started. I went onto a dating site for the first time only to see these blurry pictures of people with profiles that were vague. I would pass by them on the site because the pic was not appealing. It could be the pic, or maybe it was what they wrote in their profile. I didn't want to waste my time wondering if this person may be a good option to connect with, because if they didn't take the time to make a good profile, then I am sure they were not AMAZING. I made assumptions based on the profile.
The same goes for your resume. What you present of your experience, accomplishments, skills, and education should be picture of YOU. I don't want to read for 5 minutes to find out you really like to multi-task or that you kind of know about accounting. I don't want to have to search for 20 minutes to see if your skills are aligned with the role you applied for. I want to know quickly because I have 80 other resumes sitting past the delete button I am about to push on your resume.
Presenting yourself in the best way possible means you have to show the HR person your AMAZING self in the first 1/3 or less of the resume. They have to want to read more, and they will not do that unless what they are reading catches their eye. Here are some tips I have to bring out your AMAZING self in that first glance of your resume.
1. Key Words: Make sure that your skills and competencies have key words somewhere at the top of the resume. Most resume templates have a place for that. You can have some standard key words, or you can change them based on some of the key words in the job description. Be sure that if you are connecting words from the job posting that you actually have those skills. You do not want to get into an interview and get slipped up because you really just wanted to get someone to read it.
2. Accomplishments: If you read my previous blog, you know that accomplishments are the one thing everyone forgets. Most candidates believe they can put it in the body of the resume and HR will find it. If HR is not getting that far, then your intention is moot. Accomplishments connect how you have used your skills and education in practice. Think of it this way, your accomplishments show that not only do you have the knowledge, but you have practical successful experience.
3. Education comes later: There are really only two reasons you should put your education and certification at the top of your resume. The first is if you do not have any experience in the field you are applying for except your education. The second is if you are applying for a position as an educator. For many roles, HR will scroll down to the end to check the education if they are already planning on continuing to read the resume in full.
Go out today to Indeed or Linkedin and check out your resume. Is it reading AMAZING to you? If not, then you may want to rethink how you are presenting yourself. I would also suggest working with a professional resume builder who can help you. We are worth it, and it takes the headaches off of figuring out how to do it yourself.
Check out StartHR's website at: www.starthrnow.com to see how I can help show your AMAZING self.
Then, show them your AMAZING self.
