Spring clean your resume
It’s the time of year when most everyone is embracing warmer weather and thoughts of the spring and summer months to come. It’s an “out with the old, in with the new” kind of season — and that can pertain to resumes, too. How can someone preparing for a new job search spring clean their resume?
Career, resume and job-search expert Marc Cenedella, founder of the career site Ladders, recommends doing that in two steps:
1. Declutter. This is essentially “getting your virtual trash bag out,” Cenedella explains.“Graphics, lines and double column formatting have got to go,” he says. “They’re like the dead batteries and broken rubber bands in your junk drawer, useless and distracting.”
Also toss out objective phrases, and descriptions that include the word ‘I,’ he suggests.
“Instead of focusing on yourself with a generic paragraph about your objectives and lots of first-person language, pivot to focusing on how you can serve a future employer,” Cenedella says. “Specifically, detail the value you can bring to a position.”
And what about that job you had years ago? “Mop up information about jobs you had more than 15 years ago,” Cenedella advises. “Keep the focus on your most recent and relevant experience for a clearer path to a new job.
2. Organize. “Polish your experience section by adding numbers that specify how your contributions impacted your workplace,” Cenedella says. “For example, instead of saying, ‘Oversaw widget production,’ say something like, ‘Implemented new production procedures that increased widget production 17% over six months.’”
Just like spring cleaning your home, the hardest part of spring cleaning your resume might be getting started. But once the task is finished, you’ll have a clean, fresh resume to use during any future job search.