6 Steps to Polish Up Your Resume
Alex Kingsbury
Emphasize achievements to stand out in the crowd
With the unemployment rate hovering around 9.6 percent, job seekers must work hard to stand out. Even if you're not looking now, it still pays to have a résumé ready. "I suggest updating three or four times per year," says
Highlight your accomplishments.
"Lead with the results of your work, rather than the work itself," says
If you have held positions that don't provide easily translatable achievements, like a textbook editor, then try rephrasing your job descriptions in the form of accomplishments, Goodwin suggests. For instance, say how many chapters of a given book you've edited, rather than simply saying your job is to edit.
Focus on the numbers.
Incorporate key words.
Many corporations require applicants to submit digitized résumés. Special software then scans each submission, looking for key words, and screens out those documents that don't reflect the specified job experience. According to
Don't exaggerate.
As often as applicants are warned to avoid making false claims about their experience or accomplishments, many still fall into this trap. "The job scene is so competitive" that résumés which previously "may have passed without as much scrutiny are now being more closely examined, and anything that you can't explain is going to get caught," says
Review your work.
"Spell-check is your friend, but it can also betray you with words like manger and manager," says
Leave something for the interview.
If you're having trouble describing your accomplishments, experts advise thinking of your résumé as a set of talking points to use should you be invited for an interview. If the résumé conveys what you've done and what you've accomplished, then face-to-face meetings are the place to show how you think and what type of coworker you're likely to be.
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