Writing your own resume might seem to be a mammoth task as it is the most monumental requirement of your career. Conquering this massive task is quite overwhelming. Fortunately, we understand the struggle and we’ve rounded up the ultimate list of dos and don’ts of resume writing, from the traditional rules to the newer modern ones.
Here is the list of resume Do’s and Don’ts to help you easily navigate and design your resume:
Personal information
Do: Make sure to include personal information such as your name, phone number, and email address. so that your prospective employer can contact you to schedule an interview and discuss your qualifications further. Stating your name humanizes a random document with information. Listing your contact details makes it easier for the recruiter to know where to reach out to you. To ensure your contact details are relevant across all job applications you submit, you can include an international dialing code with your contact number if you apply for remote or international job posts on new platform.
Don’t: You must refrain from including information that’s irrelevant to the job search such as marital status, number of children, or your exact street address. Overall, it makes no sense and makes it harder for the recruiter to find the relevant information they are looking for.
Summary
Do: Make sure you keep your professional summary information brief. A professional resume writing company usually specializes in fixes this one factor. Your resume summary section should help give a quick overview of the unique value you offer to the company and what you bring to the plate. Your summary should briefly describe your skills, qualifications, experience, and accomplishments relevant to the job you are applying for. It should showcase your top professional achievements and most relevant skills.
Don’t: You should refrain from overstuffing with words and overpacking your resume with complicated sentences. It should be both easy on the eyes and mind.
Work Experience:
Do: Make sure to put forth a well-versed and organized work experience section. It is the pivotal element of the whole resume, as it shows that you have the necessary qualifications that fit according to the position you are applying for. It also highlights the important skillset you possess. It provides relevant information in a limited space, making it easier for the recruiter to navigate and read.
Don’t: Refrain from mentioning experiences that aren’t relevant to the position you want. The good rule of thumb to assess the relevancy of experience is to try aligning it horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and adjacent, is it doesn’t align in any way, then it’s probably irrelevant.
Education:
Do: You should include all education relevant to the job. This section allows the recruiter to judge if and how qualified you are for the position they are recruiting for. The main purpose is to allow the recruiter to judge the standard of work or the education received, if it is subpar, or if is it up to the mark. Make sure you list your education a descending chronological order, listing the latest degree/diploma you acquired. You can also add any related classes you took, such as industry-specific courses, majors, and specializations that may benefit the recruiter to comprehend your capabilities and skills.
Don’t: Refrain from listing your grade point average (GPA), it may be unnecessary or distract from more relevant details. Only include your exact GPA if it’s outstanding and would only polish your resume if added. Otherwise, you can leave your GPA out and only include relevant details such as the degree level, your area of study, the institution you attended, and the date of degree completion.
Licenses, certifications Awards:
Do: Make sure to list any certifications, licenses, or awards you received in the specific industry you are applying in. The details communicate your expertise. List the licensing details, certifications course you attended as well as the award requirement you fulfilled.
Don’t: Do not add any unnecessary details such as the name of tutors that taught you certain courses or critical jury members that were responsible for you being awarded that certain achievement, as it does not make your case any stronger.
Vocabulary:
Do: Make sure to use simple and direct statements with easily comprehendible terms when describing your experience and skills. Make it easy for the recruiter to follow your train of thought. Everything you put forth should be well thought out, well-versed, direct, and easy to follow. Remember the recruiter wants to go through your resume fast and should be able to navigate through all the information easily.
Don’t: Avoid using idioms or similes to make it look more poetic, remember the recruiter is neither Shakespeare ready to read the next big play nor Sherlock waiting for another case to crack. Difficult terms, complicated words, and complexly formed phrases would more likely cause confusion and ambiguity.
ATS Optimization:
Do: Make sure you optimize your resume for the ATS softwares. An ATS-compatible resume is a resume that has the relevant keywords that the ATS is programmed to look for. The main purpose of crafting an ATS-friendly resume is to get your application seen by the recruiter.
Don’t: Refrain from overstuffing, make sure not to overuse keywords. Do not overload the resume with a sea of keywords, just for the sake of putting the keywords in it. And ensure each part of your resume is easily readable and comprehensible by the ATS software while making complete sense upon being reviewed by the recruiter.
Length
Do: Make sure you write a resume that is only one to two pages long. The most effective resumes are short and exclude unnecessary details and information, as most recruiters only spend an average of 8 seconds on each resume during the initial scan to determine if it’s worth investing their time.
Don’t: Refrain from making your resume longer than two pages. If your resume length exceeds two pages, then it is highly advised to analyze and assess anything that can be eliminated, or shortened to fit the Two-page standard. You don’t need to include every position you’ve ever held and it is okay to show a part of your experience, the one that is relevant.
Proofreading
Do: Upon completing and listing down everything you wanted to mention in your resume, you must proofread it. Proofreading allows you to find any spelling, grammatical, and even formatting errors. Having an error-free resume allows the recruiter easy navigate your particulars while showcasing your eye for detail.
Don’t: Refrain from rushing to submit a resume that you have not carefully reviewed. Most ATSs are programmed to identify grammatical and spelling errors, and this may affect your score. As well as most recruiters have an eye for detecting errors are more likely to favor more polished and error-free resumes.