In the past year I have seen over 250 résumés. Since your résumé is the first thing a recruiter sees, it’s important to be remarkable in a positive way. Or at least not stand out in a negative way. Here are six tips for a winning résumé:
Written by: Genaud Solisa
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Check, check, and double check
Applying through email can be done with a single click of the mouse. And once it’s been sent there’s no turning back. So make sure that you are sending what you actually want to send. Check, check, and double check. Don’t just look whether you’re sending an attachment, but whether it’s the correct file. A recruiter won’t send an email stating the wrong document was sent.
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Use the correct form of address
Letters I receive often start off with “Dear Mrs. Solisa”, even though I am a man. These candidates usually land on another stack, since it indicates a certain carelessness.
How much trouble is it to check this over the phone? Search who you are applying with online through LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook to verify whether you are using the correct way to address them.
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Do not write down your whole life story
Sometimes I find a CV of 15 pages in which every work experience and training is explicitly stated. This is of course way too long; a résumé of 2 to 3 pages should be fine. Keep the information relevant for the job you’re applying for and let your personality shine through. What can you say about yourself that really fits the profile? Try to articulate this as concise as possible in how you write about yourself.
"How much trouble is it to check this over the phone?"
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Photograph?
The most obvious mistake that’s made when making a résumé is adding an unprofessional picture. A bad photo can reduce your chances for an interview to next to nothing. If you have a good professional picture you can consider adding it. When in doubt it’s probably best to leave it out.
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Watch out when using templates
There is nothing wrong with using a template CV, but always change the title of the document. You wouldn’t believe how often this goes wrong. Always check if you haven’t left anything like “fill name and address here”.
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Ask for help
Always let someone else read your CV to remove any spelling mistakes. In the end there is no ‘best résumé’, but hopefully these tips will go a long way. Good luck writing it!
