Resume Tips
Your resume is how you market yourself to employers. Make sure it promotes you to the next stage: the interview.
Think of your resume as an advertisement. As in any marketing piece, emphasize features, benefits and results. In other words, sell your skills.
Things to include
- Licences and certifications
- Languages
- Memberships
- Volunteer work
- Special training
- Clubs
- Community Involvement
- Awards
- Publications/performances
- Accomplishments
Emphasize results you achieved
When describing your work experience, emphasize the results you achieved. Here are some key words to get you started.
| Generated revenue | Saved time |
|---|---|
| Cut costs | Focused on customer's needs |
| Increased productivity | Utilized technology |
| Improved products or services | Motivated others |
| Introduced innovations | Improved Safety |
| Improved quality |
Useful tips
- As you compile statements for your resume, prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and relevance to the job you want.
- You will generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter so that they address the specific skills each employer requests.
- Write a different resume for each different job target. A targeted resume is much stronger than a generic resume.
Keywords
- Use keywords in your resume to emphasize skills and qualifications.
- Research requirements and vocabulary for your industry.
- Incorporate interesting and descriptive language
- Use power words
Certification
Emphasize your education, training, certification, licences, and professional development.
Contact Information
- Put your name and contact information at the top of every page of your resume.
- Make sure the employer can find you.
- On the first page, provide as many communication sources as possible: i.e., address, cell phone, email, and/or an alternative address or telephone number.
- Provide only professional contact information, such as phone numbers with a professional voicemail or email addresses with your name only.
Skills and results
- Give your resume the 30-second scan test.
- Begin each line with a keyword so employers can quickly identify your experience, and then support each skill with a results-oriented statement.
- Highlight results using numbers, percentages, and specific examples.
- Use verbs that demonstrate change (see table below).
Examples of verbs that demonstrate change
| Increase – Promote | Initiate – Introduce |
|---|---|
| Decrease – Create | Reduce – Sell |
| Eliminate – Expand | Revise – Solve |
| Improve – Implement |
References
Do not list your references on your resume. Your references should be listed on a separate sheet and brought with you to the interview. If you like, you may put the phrase “references available upon request” at the end of your resume, though it is not required. For more tips on references, pick up our references handout, as well as a sample reference list in GH108.