The do's and don'ts of your resume

A carefully crafted resume is an essential part of your job search. If you take the time to search the internet for resume tips, you will see thousands of hits on how to design a resume. However, there are no set rules for resumes, but below are some suggestions to make your resume more effective for your job search.

Do’s

Add POWER (action) words. Resumes are no longer lists of duties and responsibilities. They are a display of your impact in your previous roles. When listing experience on your resume, you should make sure that the accomplishments of previous jobs are highlighted and described in a way that piques the reader’s interest. Always start your sentence with a powerful word to dynamically describe your experience. The use of action words allows you to be more concise and provide instant information to hiring managers. Often hiring managers skim resumes, so it is recommended that you use active words instead of passive words.

Tailor your resume to the desired job. Though tailoring your resume for every job application is time-consuming, it shows the hiring manager that you have a genuine interest in the position. Dissect the job description -- pulling keywords and skills from the description into your resume to show that you are the right person for the position. You want to make it easy for your resume to be picked up by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which screens your resume before it reaches an actual person.

Find someone else to review your resume. Always have another set of eyes review your resume for spelling and grammatical errors. Having someone proofread your resume will allow them to spot the mistakes that you have missed. The worst thing that you can do is submit a resume that has typos. There are preconceived notions that hiring managers can and will make about you if your resume isn’t correctly proofread. If you don’t have a friend or colleague willing to review your resume, consider submitting it to the Job Help Center’s resume review service. Please email your resume to [email protected] and have one of our staff provide a review (expect 3 to 5 days for review). Plus, it’s completely free!

Don’ts

“References available upon request” should be removed from your resume. To apply for a job, you should have 2 to 3 references. References are people who will attest to your ability to perform tasks. However, you should not include them in your resume- keep them on hand to use when filling out a job application.

Take out the Objective. Instead of listing an “objective,” consider a qualifications summary section instead. Include a list of your skills or strengths to place at the top of your resume for a quick read of your resume. This will help you make better use of available space.

Remove your mailing address. The mailing address is a thing of the past for your resume. The employer will not be reaching out to you via snail mail about the job; it is more efficient to contact you via email or phone. So, remove your mailing address, but list your city and state. Save space and omit.

Don’t list any job older than 10 years. Have you been in the workforce for over 10 years? If so, any job older than 10 years or more can be excluded from your resume. A caveat to this is if you feel the experience is relevant to the job you are interested in, then feel free to add those critical skills to your qualifications section.

These are just a few of the tips that will make your resume more effective and bring you one step closer to getting your dream job. 

Looking for more advice and help as you search for your new career? Click here for the Library's Job Help Center's calendar.

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This blog post was written by Job Help Center staff and updated by De’Trice Fox, librarian at the Main Library’s Job Help Center.