Any employer will tell you that they have seen the good the bad and the ugly of resumes. Here are the best ways to make a great first impression on paper.
Style is important.
The layout of your resume is incredibly important. A resume that is properly spaced, in a readable font at a logical size will grab the attention of an employer and show them that you are an organized professional. A resume written in comic sans size 16 font will tell an employer that you are a birthday party clown or a 13 year old girl who used a computer for the first time when you decided to type up your resume.
When it comes to the style of your resume, you can also benefit from fluctuating font size and bold lettering. For instance, maybe you want your name to be slightly larger than the rest of the resume, and decide to put your headings in bold.
Little white lies are not worth it.
“Oh who cares? There never going to check.” –Unemployed Person
They are going to check, and if they don’t check it’s because they weren’t impressed by the information anyway so why bother including it. Being upfront and honest right from the start with a potential employer is important for your own personal mental health. You don’t want to live every day in fear that someone is going to bring up that your resume claims you won a dunk contest. It is never worth it to lie to someone who is going to be giving you money.
Keep your personal interests to yourself
If your employer is getting really excited that you “like to chill with your friends and listen to music” it is probably not a company you want to work for. Your personal hobbies and interests are things your coworkers will learn about you when you actually get hired. If you are lucky enough to get an interview, that is going to be the time to talk about what you do in your spare time. Your interests on paper are never as interesting as they are when they actually come out of your mouth.
Show creativity but don’t force it
Don’t try to turn your resume into an opportunity to show the employer something they have never seen before. If you think you have a genius idea to print your resume on lime green paper and scent it with your favorite body spray you are probably trying too hard. The creativity on a resume that you can play with is the language you are using to describe what you have done and who you are. Boston College has a great list of words you should use within your resume.
There you have it. A guide to creating a successful resume that will surely get you into the job of your dreams.
Patrick Merryman is an Author for the Total Mortgage Blog. Total Mortgage is a online lender located in Milford, Connecticut.
