Radical Resumés; Three ways to get you the second glance you need.
When a company asks for a resumé and not a CV, a first glance is normally all you get. Rushing your resumé may result in reaching more people, but mass marketing has never been a good use of resources when the job market is as tough as it is today. Follow these easy guidelines to get a better chance with your next application:
1 Fonts; not to be forgotten!
You may easily think that your new boss is a young and funky google-type manager and will appreciate the use of Comic Sans. You are wrong. You can only use Comic Sans if you are applying to be a comic book writer. According to the Huffington Post, you should be using Calibri. Depending on your font size you may even want TO GO BOLD AND USE CAPS! A resumé should catch the eye. As in be easy to read rather than too many different font and/or sizes. You are advertising yourself in a place of business after all and not a heavy metal band.
Remember that CV’s are perused thoroughly, resumes are glanced at.
2 Typos are no-no’s
If your computer has a text to speech option, rather let your computer read the spell-checked document out loud. Your own eyes might glance over a missing “a” or “the” but your ears will pick it up immediately. A second glance at your resumé means a better opportunity for your possible employer to notice mistakes and this is one sure-fire way of avoiding errors in your document. If you cannot even understand the difference between they’re, their and there, how can you be trusted with a company’s financial documents for example? Get the spelling right and they might just give you a chance but muck it up and chances for a second glance are not good. You may also want to use a website like Copyscape to check for duplication and errors.
3 DND: Dates and Descriptions
Always start with the newest job experience at the top. Put your year working as a bar tender in the Caribbean Islands when you were on summer vacation on the second page at the bottom if you should feel that it needs to be mentioned. You are most likely building a career and the job most suited to the one you want, is the one you currently wish to leave. It then makes sense to show exactly that – the last thing you did. The experience you will be bringing with you, even the vibe. Make sure that your job descriptions are precise and your dates correct. Managers and owners who prefer resumés to CV’s want precise and efficient information, not long descriptions.
BONUS TIPS: Keep a template on both your email and phone. A resumé, just like a CV, should be customized every time you apply and many apps on your phone will allow you this. You are selling yourself and the first rule of sales is to believe in your product. So use these easy tips and go get that job!
