Clean Up Your Resume

Let’s be honest. No one likes working on their resume. Except. Maybe. Me. But honestly, I prefer helping other people with their resumes over doing my own. However, I find that it’s a satisfying experience to take the time to see what I’ve achieved. Hardly anyone takes the time to do that and as I’ve said many times before, small wins are important, both in your personal and professional life. If you don’t take the time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, how can you celebrate those wins? 

Think about updating your resume that way. It’s time to invest in yourself. Reflect. Define your small wins and then…celebrate! Before you begin diving in, write down what your prize will be when you finish. A glass of wine, massage, new purchase, TV show binge?

If you’re having trouble getting started, set aside an hour on a Saturday or Sunday and mark it on your calendar and do the same for the following Saturday or Sunday and the one after that. Tackling it on a weekend day is best since you’re less burned out from the daily grind and more well-rested. Doing it over a few weeks gives you a fresh perspective each time and isn’t as daunting as doing it for hours in one sitting.

As you read through your resume, imagine you are a hiring manager. Pretend you are reviewing an applicant’s resume and not your own. You can do that by asking yourself these five key questions as you read it.

1. Do I like this person enough to want to read it more closely?

It is only going to take about six seconds for someone to decide whether to read your resume more closely. You need to catch their eye immediately. How can you do this? Under your name and contact information, write a brief career summary that states your current job title, years in your field, and your strengths. This only needs to be two or three lines long. Eventually you will tailor this to the job description to which you are applying using the same idea. 

Another option to consider is putting your greatest accomplishments at the top. What are you most proud of? Select two or three standout moments to feature.

2. Do the bullets give specific examples of work she’s performed and/or outcomes?

The days of simply listing job duties are over. You need to get specific with your bullets, so instead of saying “wrote reports for top management,” give details. What kind of and how many reports? In what department is the top management for whom you wrote?

If one of your reports received kudos from a colleague or client, if it was referenced in a publication, or acknowledged by a top manager, that’s what you need to include in your bullet along with the report title. You need to keep in mind confidentiality rules, but if you can provide the name of a report and details, go for it.

3. Is the resume concise?

There is always debate about the right length, but one to two pages is still preferred. Strike out superfluous words and duplicate information. You shouldn’t need details for jobs over 10 years old unless they are significant for your target jobs. 

Are you using a simple font like Arial or Times New Roman? If not, change it to something easy to read. You may think you’re unique by choosing Symbol font, but truly, it’s only distracting. You don’t want a hiring manager puzzling over your fancy font instead of getting to know you. Size is also very important. Stick to font size 12.

4. Are there overused phrases?

Examples are: “excellent written and oral communication skills,” “demonstrated time management skills,” and “results-oriented team leader and player with the ability to get the job done.” Candidates write those things all the time, so you want to go a step further to stand out from the competition. Give specific examples of how you’ve demonstrated those great qualities on the job.  

5. Are there mistakes?

If you have even a slight mistake, it is a huge distraction because the reader will stop paying attention to you and will be looking for other mistakes. Managers are likely to weed out resumes with only a few mistakes or with minuscule or distracting font to whittle down the resume pile.

The best way to rid your resume of mistakes is to review it on paper. Once, twice, three, four, five times. Ask three additional people, family members or friends, to look at it for you after you’ve done multiple reviews of it yourself. Then you need to review it again after you’ve received their edits. This is so important, and yet, so many people send in resumes with mistakes.

Sending your resume to a company through a contact is not a guarantee for getting an interview. Your resume matters because that is ultimately your way in the door. If you don’t clean it up, you may not get there.