What are We Looking for in a Resume
Your resume should tell a story: your story. It needs to accurately and clearly tell your recruiter everything they need to know about your relevant professional history and skills. With that being said, lets take a look at how to build an effective resume from the ground up.
Pick a Format and Stay Consistent
One of the most crucial things to remember when building your resume is to pick a professional format, and even more important is making sure you stay consistent after deciding which format to use. If you use a 20pt font for your Job Experience header, use it for your References and Skills header as well. Picking a good format and sticking to it throughout makes your resume appear more polished and makes it easier to read. Check out our resume template at:
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Begin with the Basics
First things first, you will need to make sure your personal contact information is clearly displayed at the top of the resume. Many people are unsure of what they should and should not include here, but you need to include at least your name and a means to contact you (email, telephone number, etc.). Some people also consider including a photo of themselves with their name, and while this is popular overseas, here in the States its uncommon and best to leave it off.
Add Your Skills/Experience
Next, you want to begin filling in your experience and skills beginning with the most recent at the top and working down. In the beginning you can include all of the experience you have working, but once you have everything on your resume, you will want to whittle your experience down to the last 7-10 years. If you had worked your last job for more than 10 years, feel free to include another position to add some content to your resume. For your skills section, begin listing your most prominent skills first and then work down, just like with your work experience. Only include those skills which are fresh and you could still perform effectively. If you list forklift driving as a skill, but haven’t driven one in 5 years, its best to remove it as a skill. However, you could still list you have experience operating a forklift. These two sections are meant to compliment each other, so make sure the skills you picked up at each position are listed.
Tailor it to the Position You Applied For
Another important thing that many people forget to consider when writing their resume is to write it for the position they are applying for. We see many people in our office for interviews who have a lot of different of experience in retail, warehouse, general labor, and machine operator work. But you would be surprised how many of these people come in for an industrial position with a resume that has mostly retail or customer service experience listed. If you’re applying for an industrial role, make sure to include experience on your resume that shows you have worked in industrial environments. If you are applying for a position you have no real experience in, then list those jobs you have worked which require skills that translate to the role you are looking to get. For example, if you’re looking to get into a warehouse job but only have retail experience, be sure to point out that you are able to work in fast paced environments.
Update it Regularly
You’re never really finished with your resume. It should be edited regularly with any new skills you pick up, any new responsibilities you are given at work, and especially if you begin working at another company. Your resume needs to be as up-to-date as possible at all times. Keep an easily accessible digital version on your computer or phone so that you can make changes as needed.
-Tyler Geeve, Staff Source Marketing/Recruiter Assistant