Tips to make your resume stand out
You’re applying to that dream internship but you realize that you need a stand out resume. The company to which you’re applying is probably receiving more resumes than they can even process!
Here are our 6 simple tips that will help your resume stand out from the rest.
1. Highlight the important parts. Employers don’t want to deal with five pages of the after school jobs you did while in high school. So focus on highlighting the jobs that have trained you for the position you are looking to get. If you are applying for an internship or job at a school, you can include your summer job as a nanny. If you are applying for an accounting position, leave it out. If you feel like you don’t have enough information to put on your resume, go out and volunteer! There are plenty of opportunities in every community to volunteer in every field of work.
For example: there are groups that offer free tax help to low income families. Offer your services. Even if your volunteer work is simple, it will look great to potential employers and provide you with plenty of transferable skills useful in any workplace.
2. Include your hobbies/interests at the bottom. After you have listed your relevant work experience, include a section called ‘Other Interests’. This should not take up more than one line and could be limited to just a few words.
For example, you could write ‘Photography, Travel, Sports’ as your ‘other interests’. You may have something in common with your potential employer and it can help you stand out. Not to mention, it might spark an interesting conversation during an interview.
3. Check (and then re-check) grammar and spelling. You should never have a spelling mistake on your resume. There is no excuse in today’s digital age with spell check. Read over your resume out loud and ask someone else to review it for mistakes.
4. Look at model resumes. If you are working internationally, make sure to review resume requirements. For jobs in the United States and in Europe, do not include your marital status or a photo. Also, make sure that your resume is no more than 2 A4 pages. If you can keep it to one page, even better. You can include a cover letter (see #5) but keep your resume short and concise.
5. Include a personalized cover letter. While your resume should be concise and to the point, a cover letter is your chance to show your personality. In a cover letter, you are explaining to the company why you are the best fit for the position and why they should hire you. Check out our blog on how to write a great cover letter.
6. Make sure to send your resume over in a PDF format, not in Word. First, if you send your resume in Word, the recipient would be able to alter its content. It also just looks a bit unprofessional. Save your resume with your last name as a PDF document, along with your cover letter written specifically for that position, and send them together to the company.
Photo 1 based on Curriculum Vitae, by the Italian voice, CC-by-2.0
Photo 2 based on PDF logo, by Mike Rosenberg, CC-by-2.0
