Updated Content on 6/2/2023
As you graduate and begin the job search, it’s more important than ever to have a great professional resume that shows hiring managers why you’re the best candidate for the job. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and East Ohio College brings you our top five resume tips to help you make a good first impression!
Your education, experience, skills, certifications, and achievements should be presented in a professional and easy-to-read resume. Continue reading to discover our top five resume tips to get you noticed above the competition.
Utilize a Resume Template
Resume experts know the secret to an effective resume is a professional template. Using a resume template can help you stand out from the crowd by presenting your information professionally and visually appealingly.
There are many free and for-purchase resume templates available online, so you will have options to find one that aligns with your industry. For example, if you are looking for a healthcare position, choosing a medical-looking template can help you stand out as opposed to a basic template.
When choosing a template for your resume, an important thing to remember is that your resume needs to be easy to navigate and professional. For example, choose a template with headlines that clearly mark each section so that the hiring manager can easily find the information you need.
Below are some online resume templates to help get you started:
Use Keywords
When in the application process, your resume is often entered into a database called an applicant tracking system, which keeps all the resumes a company receives in one place until the hiring manager is ready to review them. The applicant tracking system allows hiring managers to search resumes for specific keywords to find candidates with the necessary skills, experience, education, or certifications for the open position.
Knowing which keywords to use is essential and varies depending on the job. First, read the job description for keywords you can use in your resume, such as specific skills or experiences. This will help optimize your resume so that when hiring managers search in the applicant tracking system, your resume will be easy to find.
Include Important Information
When determining what to put on your resume, it’s important to include all information a potential employer needs to assess your qualifications for the specific position. For example, some relevant information could consist of the following:
- Name and contact information – Make sure you use your full name, professional email address, phone number with a professional voicemail message, and LinkedIn account.
- Education – Include the name of the institution, degree, and year you graduated
- Experience – List the company, job title, dates worked, and a description of any relevant experience.
- Certifications – Include the name of the certification, accrediting agency, and the date you earned them.
- Skills – Add any skills that could be relevant to the position; this is a great place to work in keywords from the job description.
You can also add to your resume professional achievements, volunteer experiences, or any other information that would make you stand out to a hiring manager.
Keep It Short and Simple
Keeping your resume short and sweet can be challenging if you have a lot of work or education experience. However, standard practice is keeping your resume to two pages or less, as hiring managers typically receive many applications for one opening and may not have time to read through your resume if it is too long.
One way to help shorten your resume and make it more readable is to use bullet points rather than full sentences to relay information. Including action verbs such as created, produced, managed, analyzed, developed, and lead in your resume catches hiring managers’ attention. Action verbs show that you get the job done!
Proofread Your Resume
When trying to make a good first impression on a potential employer, you never want to submit a resume with spelling or grammar errors. To prevent this from happening, double and triple-check your resume!
Online tools such as WordTune and Grammarly allow you to upload your resume to check for mistakes. Still, it is always a good idea to manually proofread it as well. Sometimes it can be hard to catch your own errors, so taking some time away from it and returning with fresh eyes or having a trusted friend or family member help you proofread it can be beneficial to find small mistakes that can be detrimental.
Use Your New Resume To Land Your Dream Job!
Now is the time to shine with your professional resume! Once you have all the relevant experience, keywords, contact information, and resume proofread, it is time to send it off into the world to help you score an interview. Downloading your resume in a PDF format allows the design to be kept in place regardless of what the potential employer uses to view it.
Students at East Ohio College benefit from our career services department to help you create a great resume to help get you noticed. Want to start the process? Give our admissions team a call at 330-385-1070 or Request Information today.