5 Tweaks to make that Resume Chirp

One thing I wish I did in my earlier college years was to have already had a resume where I could just add more jobs, experiences, and internships along the way. For me I didn't know where to start and had to get professional help with drafting one up. For me I didn't know what information I should put on there or if it is important or not. I would also think maybe mine is too long or maybe too short. I would recommend taking one of the career development classes like GS 300 here at Purdue to help build your own portfolio and how to effectively get a job. So what I have here today is just some things for what to do.If I were you I would run over to the CCO to get your resumes tweaked or made from scratch in time for the next round of career fairs coming to Purdue if you never went to any this Fall.


- Make your career objective focused towards the employer

By this I mean, you should explain how valuable you are to their company and what kind of things you can offer to them to help build leverage among the competition. You want them to feel good about the decision of hiring you.

-Achievements

In the meat of the resume, one needs to explain what results they have gotten from their experiences. Try to use statistics when possible to support your claims and try also not to write multiple sentences on how you achieved something.

-Verbs

Use words in your resume as actions like "Lead, built, or increases" for you leading bullets. This helps make you stand out as someone who gets things done

- Make it simple and quick for the reader

By this I mean that one should keep in mind that a recruiter reads lots of resumes and when they skim a huge resume from end to end of the page, they won't know where to start and will probably move over it quickly. One should leave white spaces on the page. This means that by efficiency in wording and keeping things at a high level, you will allow them to see the key titles you have had along with your accomplishments and other attributes that make you special. Less is more in terms of having too much on a resume where it looks like a term paper almost.

-Formatting

Another unique way to help your resume stand out is by getting a little creative with how your resume looks. An example would be using a font other than Times New Roman and using navy ink on an off white sheet of paper. Now as long as it stays professional, it can help you stand out. Who knows, maybe you are trying to be hired for a job that wants creativity.


I hope these five simple tips can help you get where you need to get. Sometimes it is just the little things that separate you among the rest and make big differences and can impact what companies think of you in the professional world. Just by explaining how you benefit a company and using verbs could be the deciding factor between you and the guy after you in that interview.