I work as a Youth Employment Counselor and I come across more resumes than I can handle sometimes. Since the beginning of the summer, students have come into my office dropping them off everyday; and there has yet to be a ‘flawless’ resume. Not one. There is always something wrong with it and I always offer to help fix it.
We all know not to have any typos or unexplained ‘gaps’ in your work experience, but there are some things you would be surprised to hear. That’s right, I’m going to counter your Grade 10 High School “Civics and Careers” teacher in a few of these points, so listen up.
1. Have a proper email address.
You would be surprised how many resumes I get with inappropriate email addresses. Not to say they are “sexykitten69” or anything, but they are not appropriate for a resume. I see things like “evanrocks88”, “kawaski.kid” or “scullyboi” as email addresses. Sure they aren’t disturbing, but not work professional either. I know it’s a hassle creating a brand new email address with an empty inbox, but trust me. Something as simple as your first and last name @gmail.com will suffice.
Quick tip: your email should never be underlined or printed in blue ink on your resume. Re-format it.
2. Don’t leave your experiences out.
Most of the jobs I have gotten have been through my volunteer experiences. Do not fool yourself into thinking you are less awesome than you are; volunteer experience IS work experience, and employers want to see that. Not only does it show care and that you take initiative, but it also sheds a light in where your community interests are. Did you volunteer at a homeless shelter? A centre for women? A senior’s home? Put it on your resume. I love volunteer experiences because I get to help my community and it looks awesome on a resume. Don’t leave it out.
3. Use action words.
The one thing I cannot stand is when people have ‘bullet descriptions” under a position title that say something like “Handled money. Stocked shelves. Answered Phones.” No! Please do not do this on a resume. It makes you sound cheap and unimportant. Yet, every time I speak to a student who does this, they are able to articulate to me verbally how much awesome stuff they did at the job, yet, it’s nowhere to be found on the actual resume. Use action verbs: managed, coordinated, organized, provided, spearheaded, facilitated, supervised, etc. and then follow it with an impressive statement about how you were an asset to the company. A resume is no time to sell yourself short; make it snazzy.
4. Use those academics.
So $50,000 later you have a bachelor’s degree. Awesome. Sure it seems like a ‘formality’ these days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t milk your academic experience for all it’s worth. An employer makes a job posting, they set the requirements to be a BA in business. The job position has something to do with ‘data entry or accounting’. If you took courses in your undergrad that touched upon this or was catered to this, put it on your resume. It will make an employer think you’re specialized and far better equipped than the next run of the mill “BA graduate”. Under your ‘degree’ in your academic experience heading, use a subheading that states “relevant courses”. This will give your resume a little boost on the competition. This goes for thesis papers, projects or specialized projects that are relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the job position as well.
5. Major tip on what to say on a resume.
Sometimes we all get a little stumped when it comes to what to say on a resume, so here’s a good tip! You know when you see a job posting they always have qualifications or requirements? They have already written the words for you. If you do in fact have all the requirements, but are unsure how to phrase it in a resume use the job posting for reference. They always make it sound pretty and now your resume can be just as beautiful! You want to tailor your resume to the employment opportunity anyway, so using the job advertisement as reference will ensure you present yourself as a good fit with the company or organization.
6. Cover letter research.
Many jobs require a cover letter. Now I won’t take you through the whole process, but I will say this: Research the hell out of the company. Find their website. Research their mission statement, their values, their history, their programs and services. This won’t only prepare you for an interview, but it will also give you the foundational knowledge to make yourself ‘fit’ with them. That is what employers are looking for. They want someone who is aligned with their values and ideas. If you make that known and show HOW you align with them (by touching upon different work/volunteer/academic experiences), you’re golden.
7. Do not under any circumstances try to stand out with formatting.
I hate it when people hand me their resumes in an envelope, a duotang, a file holder, or even worse; folded in 3 ways. I already dislike you; because you’re causing me extra hassle. What the hell am I supposed to do with a freaking duotang? I understand you want to stand out and present yourself as organized, but please for the love of god just give me your resume unfolded, uncrinkled, and on a white piece of paper like a normal person. Don’t scent it. Don’t print it on colored paper. This is not Legally Blonde; and I will throw your resume in the garbage. It’s unprofessional; keep it clean and tidy please. If you are submitting your resume online instead, it must be in a PDF format; no Word Documents.
There you have it. 7 tips from an employment counselor by day, graduate student by night. I’m still a student and I am so passionate about student success and giving everyone the tools to boost themselves, if only a bit. I hope these tips help you in your future, so happy job hunting!
Featured image via William Iven on Unsplash
I really liked your article. A lot of good key points that i think people tend to forget!