By Tony Recalde
At Far West Staffing Services, we know firsthand how important a good resume is in the hiring process. Whether you’re searching for a new opportunity or content at your current position, now is the perfect time to update your resume with a little spring cleaning. Revisit your resume often for a fresh perspective on how you’re presenting yourself as a candidate, particularly to assess how it aligns with your career goals.
Here are four simple steps to get started:
Step 1: Take Action
When reviewing your resume, look closely at how you’re describing accomplishments and skills. Use action words, keeping in mind that some verbs will work better than others. As you describe your work responsibilities and educational experiences, could you swap out a general verb for one that better describes your role, assignments and accomplishments? The more precise your word choices are, the more powerful your resume will be when it lands on a hiring manager’s desk. For example, you might note that you “participated” in a specialty training session, but did you knock it out of the park? If so, consider how you could truly showcase that, take the opportunity to share that you “earned an outstanding score.”
Step 2: Update the Outdated
A valuable rule of thumb for resumes is to keep timelines concise and focus on highlighting work experience from the last 10 years. If your formal education was more than 10 years ago, this information is still relevant, but you can remove summer internships and time spent in other industries. For industry-specific roles, including BMETs, it’s important to keep all required certifications as up to date as possible and cite it on your resume. And if software or training you have is no longer used in a prospective role, it doesn’t belong on your resume either.
Step 3: Pay Attention to How It Looks
Once you’re satisfied with how you’ve updated your experiences, take the time to critically review how your resume appears on the screen or page. You don’t need to be an expert in graphic design, but it’s important to correct any mistakes: not just spelling typos, but also misaligned bullet points, grammatical errors and mismatched fonts. If you want a more professional look, you can find resume templates online. You’re also welcome to contact our team to help you get started. A great tip is to ask a friend or family member to proofread your resume before you submit it for any job.
Step 4: Make it Relevant
The best resume is tailored to a specific industry or, better yet, a specific role – and it’s easy to do. Make a copy of your existing resume, then look up the job descriptions of the roles that interest you. As you assess the requirements and expectations of the position you want, revise your resume to highlight how your skills and experiences are directly relevant. This may also include removing unnecessary details, such as general skill sets. When you follow these proven practices, you might find that your resume lands at a single page – an ideal length!
Being Ready to Jump at Opportunities
Keeping your resume current and relevant will save you stress in the long run, and it will certainly set your resume apart from the rest. If you need some expert guidance on doing a spring cleaning of your resume, contact the Far West Staffing Services team today and #LetsGetWorking together.
Contact Michele Genet and/or Cristina Chavez for your hiring needs.
