Two Things That Make or Break a Resume

Two Things That Make or Break a Resume Two Things That Make or Break a Resume A good professional resume writer will tell you there are several mistakes that can turn an amazing career into an unremarkable resume. No matter how skilled you are at your position, your resume can make you look like a fool if it’s riddled with typos, poorly formatted or simply hard to read due to an unusual choice of typeface or font size. Following are two elements to consider when crafting a resume that genuinely illustrates who you are, what you do and the value you bring: Is your resume generic (translation: BORING)? The job postings you’re replying to spell out the exact candidate they want for the position. So why is your resume, the response to that ad, generic? If you can’t be bothered to take the time to personalize a resume and cover letter for each position, most employers won’t be bothered to read what you submit. Employers want you to draw their eye to the skills they seek. If you have the required skills, make sure you say so in an obvious way. Highlight those skills and give them a personalized feel Where is your resume’s focus? Many people were incorrectly taught that resumes should read like encyclopedias or worse, Christmas lists, but neither is the way to the heart of your future employer. Instead, you need to focus your resume on what you can bring to the company, what problems of theirs you can solve and how your very presence will make them grow. Knowing the company before you apply will help a great deal with this, so spend some time online getting to know the corporate culture and pet projects of your target employers. Take your research beyond the “history” and “about us” pages on the company’s web site, by using Google news and viewing the company’s employees’ LinkedIn profiles. Know this: the best career can be diminished by a mediocre resume. Don’t let this happen to you. Highlight the skills the particular employer needs, stay away from generics, and focus, focus, focus. Those are the keys to resumes that capture recruiters’ attention and win interviews!