How can you bulletproof your resume? Did you know that recruiters only spend an average of six seconds on each resume they review? Go ahead right now and time out six seconds. Not much time, huh?
How do you keep recruiters reading longer than six seconds? How do you make your resume stand out? You include the most important information in the most important places.
HR Fluff N’ Stuff
Most of the time when I review a resume, it’s full of fluff instead of substance. And any HR department worth their salt will sniff out fluff in a heartbeat! What does fluff look like?
- Wasted Words: You use words, too many words, to get your point across which is very wordy.
- Irrelevant Information: Review everything from your high school education to objective statements and ask yourself, “Does this have anything to do with the job I am applying for?” and, if not, “Let it go, Let it go…”
- Careless Composition: Garmamr adn seplilng aer ipmotarnt. Vrey ipmotarnt.
One of the main areas of fluff that I see while reviewing resumes are in the bullet points that define your employment history. What’s a bullet point? It’s a carefully written, concise information containing relevant information pertaining to your experience (work, volunteer, military, etc.). Below are five keys to bullet proof your resume.
Five Keys To Bulletproof Your Resume
1) Each experience that you include in your resume – work, volunteer, military, etc. – should include three to five bullet points. No more, no less.
2) Each bullet point should begin with an action verb in the proper tense. If it’s a job you are currently working at, you would use the present tense. If it’s a former job, you guessed it, use the past tense.
Examples:
- Administered, advised, balanced, created, compiled, designed, organized, planned, supervised, taught, etc.
3) Use concrete information, such as money and numbers, when possible. Don’t just say that you managed a lot of employees. What does that mean? Is five a lot of employees or is 500 a lot? Give it a number!
Examples:
- “Managed 10 employees.”
- “Facilitated four Safety and Security employee trainings per year with a staff of 75 and a training budget of $10,000.”
- “Served 100 plus customers per week bringing in more than $2,500 in sales each week.”
4) Use complete sentences. Sentences use proper punctuation including adding a period at the end.
Example:
- “Reviewed 50+ physician referrals and patient medical records per week to formulate an accurate diagnosis.”
5) Look at the job description bullet points for the job that you are applying for and, if applicable, work those bullet points into your bullet points. We call this “reading the company mail.” It’s like you were sitting around the table when the job description was being written and you have the inside scoop!
As you work on your resume, remember that it is a professional snapshot that highlights you, your abilities, and your skills. Work at it to make it the best it can be!
Need help to bulletproof your resume? Contact a career professional on your campus or online. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at #careerspc, #spcintern, and #workforcespc.