The Ideal Resume
Writing a resume can seem daunting, especially in the early stages of your career. However, here are some general guidelines that can help you create a compelling resume:
- Use Action Verbs: Words like “achieved,” “completed,” “managed,” “led,” “developed,” “improved,” or “created” are strong action verbs that can describe your accomplishments effectively. They present you as an individual who has had an active role in past experiences.
- Avoid Using Vague Terms: Phrases such as “responsible for,” “duties included,” or “worked on” can come off as vague and don’t clearly demonstrate your accomplishments. Try to quantify your achievements, for example, “Increased sales by 20%” or “Managed a team of 5 people.”
- Customize for the Job: The resume should be tailored for each job application. Research the job description and industry, then emphasize your most relevant skills and experiences. Keywords from the job posting should be incorporated in your resume.
- Professional Presentation: Use a clean, professional font and avoid dense blocks of text. Use bullet points, headings, and sections to organize your information. Also, make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.
- Focus on Achievements, not Duties: As a recent graduate, you might not have much work experience. That’s perfectly okay. Focus on your accomplishments during internships, part-time jobs, extracurricular activities, or even class projects. Highlight your roles and what you achieved.
- Include Relevant Coursework: If you are a fresh graduate, you can include relevant coursework, thesis, or major projects you worked on.
- Add Skills: Highlight any technical skills (like proficiency in certain software) or soft skills (like leadership or teamwork) you have. Make sure they are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
- Include a Profile Summary: This can briefly introduce who you are as a professional and what you’re looking for in a job. Keep it concise and clear.
- Use Numbers and Statistics: Use numbers to back up your achievements whenever possible. For example, you could say, “Improved website traffic by 40%” or “Reduced errors by 25%.”
- Avoid Using Clichés: Phrases like “hard-working,” “team player,” or “self-motivated” are often overused and can come off as insincere. Instead, show these qualities through your accomplishments and experiences.
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Ensure the resume is clean and has no decorations, pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc. Finally, always review your resume before submitting it. It’s helpful to have someone else look it over for a fresh perspective.