Presenting Yourself Successfully Through Your Resume

You had the interview of a lifetime lined up. Your image was flawless, references were stellar and you showed up ten minutes early, just to be on the safe side. As far as you were concerned, it was in the bag. So why, after interviewing with three different bosses, did you spend a week waiting for the phone to ring? You may have forgotten one very important element.

Résumés are arguably the best way to get exposure in the job market. There is no better method for showcasing your best qualities and experience in the professional arena. It is not, however, just a simply list of jobs you’ve had and where you went to school. There is a method to writing an extraordinary résumé – these are things that mean the difference between finding gainful employment and continuing the job hunt. The following are a few tips that will allow you to better present yourself to employers through your résumé.

1. Keep the length to no more than one page. This is supposed to be an overview of your qualifications, not your autobiography. Employers do not want to sift through pages and pages of dates and company names. Résumés are meant to be skimmed for the most important information. If there is too much information, then none of it will look important. This is the fastest way for your résumé to end up in the trash.
2. Highlight your best qualifications. Employers do not want to see that you were in the French Club in high school, especially if you have been out of high school for ten years! Sometimes gaps in employment or an excess of good experience can make it difficult to organize. As a general rule, put recent activities and things that you are particularly proud of near the top. If you recently graduated from college, include a few of your courses and academic achievements. If you don’t have real job experience, list volunteer work. Before you add anything, ask yourself “Is this important?”
3. Relate experience to the job you are applying for. If you are up for a job as a receptionist, and your only previous experience was as a teacher, think of the ways that these two jobs relate. As a teacher, did you answer phone? Schedule appointments? File students’ records? Even if two jobs seem completely unrelated, try to think of how they connect. More often than not, you will find a connection that you didn’t think was there.

Using these tips, try to rewrite your résumé and see the improvement. It appears only to be a sheet of paper with some bullet points, but you must think of it as an extension of yourself in order to succeed.