#CareerAdvice : #ResumeWriting -3 Easy Steps That’ll Make Your #Resume Stand Out (And Take Less Than 1 Minute)
According to professional careers site Ladders, the average initial screening time for a candidate’s resume is 7.4 seconds. With such a small window to impress, you want to make sure your resume is in tip-top shape.
It is critical that you take the time to ensure the information is relevant and unique for the particular opportunity for which you are applying. But this can be a daunting, laborious task for many. It is why some people submit a generic version of their resume and hope for the best instead of customizing it.
There are also some quick, painless steps you can take to help your resume standout. Here are three of them that will take only seconds to implement:
1. Include your advanced degree with your name at the top.
If you have a degree beyond your bachelor’s degree, consider listing this next to your name at the top of your resume (e.g., “Julie Forester, MPA”). Your advanced degree can quickly tell the reader the level of education and experience you have. The reader will know this information before they get to the end of your resume (if they ever get to the end). Your degree could help you rise above another candidate with a similar background but without that advanced degree.
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2. Eliminate or broaden your geographic location.
Let’s say you live in North Carolina and are applying for a job in Oregon. The Portland-based reader of your resume might question whether you are really willing and ready to make the move across the country. You can eliminate this potential concern by not listing your specific, personal address at the top of the resume. Get the person to read more of your resume and see your value by making them look further down the page to see where you work and your current location.
If you live in a small, lesser-known city, the reader may not know where that is. If possible, list a bigger metropolitan area to help the person recognize your location. For example, if you live 50 minutes outside of Chicago, list “Chicago Metropolitan Area” instead of the specific town.
Do not worry about not including a postal address. Nowadays, people mostly communicate via e-mail and phone. And for privacy reasons, no one needs to know exactly where you live.
3. Use the word “leadership,” not “volunteer.”
Some, unfortunately, consider volunteer work as less valuable because you are not getting paid for your efforts or time. Readers of your resume may even skip over a section listed “Volunteer Experience.”
But potential employers love to see leadership experience. The work that you do, whether paid or unpaid, can demonstrate your leadership. So label it as such. Consider including a “Leadership Experience” section as opposed to labeling it “Volunteer Experience.” Use language to make the reader value this additional experience and read this section.
Small things can make the difference on a resume and boost your candidacy. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes, and consider how your information will be processed. How will the language make the reader feel? Will the information raise questions? On your resume, you have control over what you say and how you say it. Use the tools you have to land your dream job.
Author: Avery Blank ForbesWomen
What easy ways do you have for making your resume more attractive? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
Forbes.com | September 24, 2019