5 Ways to Improve your Resume

1. Emphasize Results : Employers want to hire you so that you can make an impact on their bottom line and one of the easiest ways you can convince them that you can, is by emphasizing your results. Write about how you helped your previous firms generate revenues, cut cost or improved in some way that benefited their bottom line . Make sure to write these results down in a high impact manner, such as a 26 percent increase in revenue or $160,000 increase in annual profit. Listing your results will make you seem like a result driven individual and what firm doesn’tlove that ?

2. Build a Brand : Don’t be a “Jack of all Trades”, rather, build a brand around your core competency. Many firms look for specialize skills, so emphasize those skills; it will make you look like a focused individual with expert knowledge. For an example, don’t be just an economist, be a recession economist, don’t be a graphics designer be an Adobe Illustrator graphics designer. Sure it may seem like you are boxing yourself in, but you will leap out from the piles of resume that require specific expertise.

3. Use Keywords: As a result of getting thousands of resumes, medium to large sized employers are using databases and resume screening software to filter junk and miss matched resumes. They accomplished this by scanning for keywords within your resumes, so make sure you know and weave these keywords into your resumes. Take the time to carefully scan several key job postings in your industry and see what the important keywords are, then logically incorporate them into your resume.

4. Proofreading : I’ve mention in my previous posting that a simple spelling mistake or an obvious grammatical error can discredit you quickly as sloppy and/or incompetent prospect, so take the time to weed out these silly mistakes. Proofreading can also mean carefully examining your resume to see if there are any unnecessary information that does not support your application. Traditionally, resumes have been no more than two pages.

5. Graphic Design: Let’s face it, most people do judge the book by its cover, so take the time to design an eye catching resume. This does not mean choosing radical colors or using incomprehensible fonts (well maybe for a job that involves great artistic and creative energy). Rather, think about how Apple designs their products: clean, elegant and attractive. That’s what you want. Remember sometimes less is more and when in doubt, choose a more conservative design. Design your resumes to suit the field you are trying to enter.