We’ve all seen our fair share of resumes. And to be honest, most of them had room for improvement.
And because SLA loves seeing you slay professionally, we are spilling the beans on how to create a memorable resume with these 5 tips.
Resume or curriculum vitae?
Whereas a resume is a brief overview of a person’s educational achievement and work experience, a curriculum vitae (CV) is not.
A CV is a detailed version of a resume. Decide which one suits your needs best, or better still, create two templates for different job applications.
The order of things
Do you know those people who get lost in the layout of their documents? Or those who start without a layout? I was one of those people,and can tell you it’s not having one is counterproductive.
To create an outline, draw up all the information your resume need, splitting them into clear categories. Then arrange the work experiences either chronologically or based on functionality.
Last, work on overall look. Try to stay away from fancy fonts, and please no funky colours unless you’re applying for creative position.
Stay serious
I’ve performed stand-up comedy that left people (OK, just my mom) in tears. Nowadays, I think twice before cracking a joke. Humor is subjective, because it’s personal.
To a potential employer, your resume is just a piece of paper, or a pdf. Getting clever or artsy on your resume can destroy your chances of getting a job.
Applying for a job is serious affair, so make sure your resume reflects that.
Be honest
Remember when Joey from Friends acted like he danced with the National Ballet? He looked like a fool at his audition with his poor excuse for jazz hands. Tribbiani taught me to never, ever lie on my resume!
Holidaying three weeks in Paris does not make you fluent in French, and does not count as an ‘intense course of European languages’ either.
Do yourself a favour and list only those skills and achievements you can prove.
Show initiative
A lot of companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS). Avoid these whenever you can. Headhunters and recruitment professionals tell us the more pro-active and personal we are in reaching out, the more likely we are to be invited to an interview.
In your email, compliment the company on their recent achievement or a speech given by the CEO, and share your interest in ongoing projects. These will demonstrate you’re interested in the company, and who knows you might just be getting that call saying you’ve been hired.
So there you have it, our top 5 tips to creating a memorable CV. What other tips do you have for keeping your resume above the rest? Share them with us.
