43 Tips to a Strong Resume

Think your resume is ready to be presented to a potential employer? Make sure your resume is free of errors (grammatically errors, spelling errors, punctuation errors) and is not missing any important information that could jeopardize your chances or catch you off guard.

Check out these 43 tips to resume writing, and put your best foot forward by getting started the right way.

1. Know the purpose of your resume
Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document is to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job.
2. Back up your qualities and strengths
Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver), try to connect each with actual life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up, or else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.
3. Make sure to use the right keywords
Most companies (even small ones) are already using digital databases to search for candidates. The HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what? If your resume doesn’t have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts. Keep in mind that these keywords will usually be nouns. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for.
4. Use effective titles
Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds. The most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab the needed attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible by giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences.
5. Proofread it twice
It would be difficult to emphasize the importance of proofreading your resume. One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or as many times as necessary.
6. Use bullet points
No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Therefore, make sure to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives.
7. Include the end goal
Including professional goals can help you give employers an idea of where you are going, and how you want to arrive there. You don’t need to have a special section devoted to your professional objectives, but the resume must communicate it. The question of whether or not to highlight your career objectives on the resume is a controversial matter among HR managers, so go with your feeling. If you decide to list them, make sure the objectives are not generic.
8. Put the most important information first
This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume as well as to the individual sections. Most of the time your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first.
9. Attention to the typography
First of all, make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smallest you should go is 11 points, but 12 points is probably safer. DO NOT use capital letters all over the place. Remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible with the least amount of distractions. Classic fonts such as Arial and Times are always good choices.
10. Do not include “no kidding” information
Many people include statements like “Available for interview” or “References available upon request.” If you are sending a resume to a company, it should be a given that you are available for an interview and that you will provide references if requested. Just avoid items that will make the employer think “no kidding!”
11. Explain the benefits of your skills
Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you manage to explain how it will benefit the employer’s company, and to connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances.
12. Avoid negativity
Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is valid both to your resume and to interviews. You don’t need to include, for instance, things that you hated about your last company.
13. Achievements instead of responsibilities
Resumes that include a long list of “responsibilities included…” are plain boring, and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, describe your professional achievements.
14. No pictures
Sure, we know that you are good looking, but unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (e.g., modeling, acting and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume.
15. Use numbers
This tip is a complement to number 13 above. If you are going to describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to make them as solid as possible. Numbers are your friends here. Don’t merely mention that you increased the annual revenues of your division, but say that you increased them by $100,000, by 78%, and so on.
16. One resume for each employer
One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. Yes, it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (and in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters.
17. Identify the problems of the employer
A good starting point that will help you tailor your resume for a specific employer is to identify what possible problems the employer might have at hand. Try to understand the market of the company you are applying for, and identify what kind of difficulties that field might be going through. Then, illustrate on your resume how you and your skills would help to solve those problems.
18. Avoid age discrimination
It is illegal to discriminate people because of their age, but some employers do nonetheless. Why risk the trouble? Unless specifically requested, do not include your age on your resume.
19. You don’t need to list all your work experiences
If you have job experiences that you are not proud of, or that are not relevant to the current opportunity, you should omit them. Mentioning that you used to sell hamburgers when you were 17 is probably not going to help you land that executive position.
20. Go with what you got
If you never had any real working experience, just include your summer jobs or volunteer work. If you don’t have a degree yet, mention the title and the estimated date for completion. As long as those points are relevant to the job in question, it does not matter if they are official or not.
21. Sell yourself
Remember that you are trying to sell yourself. As long as you don’t go over the edge, all the marketing efforts that you can put in your resume (in its content, design, delivery method, and so on) will give you an advantage over the other candidates.
22. Don’t include irrelevant information
Irrelevant information such as political affiliation, religion and sexual preference will not help you. In fact, it might even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Just skip it.
23. Use Mr. and Ms. (if appropriate)
If you have a gender neutral name like Alex or Ryan make sure to include the Mr. or Ms. prefix, so that employers will not get confused about your gender.
24. No lies, please
Seems like a no brainer, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie in their resumes. Even small lies should be avoided. Apart from being wrong, most HR departments do background checks these days, and if you are, well, it might ruin your credibility for good.
25. Keep the salary in mind
The image you will create with your resume must match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for.
26. Analyze job ads
You will find plenty of useful information on job ads. Analyze not only the ad that you will be applying for, but also those from companies on the same segment or offering related positions. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented.
27. Get someone else to review your resume
Even if you think you resume is looking superior, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so other people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions.
28. One or two pages
The ideal length for a resume is a debatable subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should be one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.
29. Use action verbs
A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievement were. Examples include managed, coached, enforced and planned. Action verbs are strong, hardy verbs.
30. Use a good printer
If you are going to use a paper version of your resume, make sure to use a decent printer. Laser printers usually get the job done. Plain white paper is preferred as well.
31. No hobbies
Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. I know you are proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers.
32. Update your resume regularly
It is a good idea to update your resume on a regular basis. Add all the new information that you think is relevant including courses, training programs and other academic qualifications that you might receive along the way. This is the best way to keep track of everything and to make sure that you will not end up sending an obsolete document to the employer.
33. Mention who you worked with
If you have reported or worked with someone that is well known in your industry, it could be a good idea to mention it on the resume. The same thing applies to presidents and CEOs. If you reported to or worked directly with highly ranked executives, add it to the resume.
34. No scattered information
Your resume must have a clear focus. It would cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying drama, and the next you were working as an accountant. Make sure that all the information you include will work towards a unified image and goal. Employers like decided and direct people.
35. Make the design flow with white space
Do not jam your resume with text. Sure, we said that you should make your resume as short and concise as possible, but that refers to the overall amount of information and not to how much text you can pack in a single sheet of paper. White space between the words, lines and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume.
36. Lists all your positions
If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years), it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it.
37. No jargon or slang
It should be common sense, but believe me, it is not. Slang should never be present in a resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise.
38. Careful with sample resume templates
There are many websites that offer free resume templates. While they can help you get an idea of what you are looking for, do not just copy and paste one of the most used ones. You certainly don’t want to look just like any other candidate, do you?
39. Create an email proof formatting
It is very likely that you will end up sending your resume via email to most companies. Apart from having a Word document ready to go as an attachment, you should also have a text version of your resume that does not look disfigured in the body of the email or in online forms. Attachments might get blocked by spam filters, and many people just prefer having the resume in the body of the email itself.
40. Remove your older work experiences
If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough.
41. No fancy design details
Do not use a colored background, fancy fonts or images on your resume. You might think that the little flowers will cheer up the document, but other people might just throw it away at the sight. You want to appear as professional, so keep this in mind as you are formatting your resume.
42. No pronouns
You resume should not contain the pronouns “I” or “me.” We normally structure sentences this way, but since your resume is a document about you as a person, using these pronouns is actually redundant.
43. Don’t forget the basics
The first thing on your resume should be your name. It should be bold and with a larger font than the rest of the text. Make sure that your contact details are clearly listed below. Secondly, both the name and contact details should be included on all the pages of the resume (if you have more than one).

– Author: Alan Drage (People Services, Director)