Resume Tips

By Lev Novak

So, you want a job or something.

Did you know that, to get a job, you generally have to hand over a piece of paper called a Resume that shows them how awesome you are. Back in the old days, they just took your word for it, but now they want it all printed out. Personally, I blame Jimmy Carter.

That said, resume-writing can be a difficult proposition. How do you reduce all your accomplishments to only one page? Or, on the other side: how do you exaggerate your accomplishments to fill an entire page?

1. Prioritize

You’ve got to keep it short. Nobody wants to read everything you’ve done. It can feel like a betrayal to leave some things off your list, but remind yourself: you can always bring up your bonus skills in an interview, super casual-style.

Put all your most important jobs and relevant work first. Order them in terms of yearly relevance, as well. I’m super proud that I wrote, produced, and acted in a play I wrote about Flava Flav in high-school, but, despite how awesome that is, it’s not timely enough to make my list. Keep that in mind when you make yours.

2. Customize

You should have one central resume that you use as a template for every resume you send- and this one can be longer- that you alter and edit for each job.

A job in communications, for example, means to put an emphasis on the relevant jobs and skills you have in that field. A job in advertising needs the same, and while those two fields are similar in many ways, they’re equally distinct. Sending each one a custom resume is the best way to put yourself in a good position.

3. Make Them Understand

Sometimes, your job on paper doesn’t sound too impressive. That’s why we use buzzwords.

Hold up: don’t over-use buzz-words. But, at the same time, don’t underestimate the importance of lofty terms. For example, if you worked with friends selling lemonade, that’s not enough. Were you in retail? Managing the other employees? Working with the suppliers? Managing the finances? Working in client management, with disappointed customers?

“Selling lemonade” can have many different components, and you have to make them understand what you did there, and why these skills will carry over to your next job. Using the proper language can help you be precise with it.

4. Show It To Somebody Better At This

Ultimately, just send your resume to Angela.

Angela is a friend of mine who worked at my college’s career services and is happy- often, too happy- to correct my resume mistakes. She knows all the little rules I can’t list here and catches all the typos I missed, and you need that, too.

Now, don’t send this to Angela- she’s busy- but find your own helper. Because when you have someone look at your resume, you get an instant reaction and instant help. At the very least, you’ll be more confident when you send it out into the world. Having another person help your resume in person is always more helpful than using an impersonal online guide, simply because all resumes and people are so different.

All the advice above is helpful, but ultimately, a resume is a personally thing, and every job is personally tailored. The best advice you can get, then, is from a person. Pairing a person’s touch with the general good advice a website can give will make you a (metaphorical) job-getting-superstar with (metaphorical) laser-vision.

Share this article: