ST. LOUIS — If you apply for any job, you’ll need to freshen up your resume.
Knowing how to format it and what to put on it can be confusing. Our Career Coach, Bernie Frazier, said it’s important to make sure it’s spaced out and not too wordy.
During her time in HR, Frazier saw thousands of resumes. She said hundreds of applicants will apply for an opening, so you need to make sure yours stands out.
First, put your name, address, and e-mail at the top. Second, have a one to two sentence summary about yourself and what your goal is. Next, it’s time to list your current and past experience.
“Employers like bullets because they are easy to track but this person shouldn’t have half as many,” said Frazier.
Don’t just write what you do. For example, if you’re an accountant don’t describe your job as audited and oversaw accounts. Instead list accomplishments like how you saved the company money.
“That’s what employers want to see because this is basically what your job description says,” said Frazier.
Use words in the job description to highlight your achievements. Tailor your resume to every job you apply for.
That’s something Frazier said her clients struggle with. “They want to do a one size fits all resume. I tell them don’t do that because your resume ends up looking generic for every opportunity.”
If you have 10 years or more of experience it’s okay to spill onto the second page, otherwise your resume should be one page.
You don’t need to put all of your jobs on your resume either. Only list the ones that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.