When everyone applies for a job, a resume is required in order to apply. But sometimes you might not be sure what to add to your resume, what is appropriate, or what to even write. As a Human Resources Coordinator, I know the exact answer to all of those problems you may have.
When graduating college many graduates are wondering where to start when it comes to making your resume look clean and professional. Well here are some tips!
1. Your college or university along with your graduation year and GPA are a must. Oh, and don't forget to add relevant coursework to the position you may be applying for.
2. Make sure your most recent position is first and all work experience is in order by year.
3. If you have LinkedIn; which you should if you are out in the professional workforce, add your LinkedIn URL that will take the recruiter who is viewing your resume to your professional profile.
4. Always add what you did at each position in bulleted form. For your current position always use present tense terms. As for past position always use past tense terms. For example, (present tense - conduct, provide, oversee) (past tense - conducted, provided, oversaw).
5. Don't add references to your resume, most companies do not ask for references. But always have a separate form on hand with professional references just encase an employer asks for them.
6. Make sure all font and sizing are the same for all wording except for your heading.
7. Always add the month and year when specifying the time period of employment. Exact dates are not necessary.
8. Professional skills should always be listed last on your resume.
9. Volunteer experience is not necessarily needed unless is coincides with the position you are applying for, you can add volunteer experience on your LinkedIn profile.
10. Try not to use generic wording like "Did projects given by my manager" instead you can say "Completed and executed Ad-Hoc projects provided by the manager in the department." Doesn't that sound so much better?
11. Always make sure you add the position title, the company, and the city for the job you are adding to your resume.
12. Try not to have large job gaps within your resume. And by job gap, I mean a period of unemployment. Try to always have a position even if it is part-time. If you have a job gap always provide an explanation as to why because the hiring manager will ask why.
13. Address, phone number, and email are key elements in your heading.
14. Always have your resume in a word document as well as PDF form. Use the PDF to upload with the job application. But also have the word document handy to edit as needed.
And there you go. The tips and tricks to a perfect professional resume.
