Having a strong resume is a great marketing tool to introduce your skills and qualifications to employers. Standout resumes convince them to extend an invitation to interview for positions within their companies. You will want to write a compelling document that will leave a positive impression on hiring managers. Follow the steps below to enhance your resume to help attract the attention of potential employers.
Create a Positive First Impression
It is important that your resume looks polished and professional. That means the formatting and appearance are uniform creating a document that is easy to read and follow.
- Reverse Chronological format is the most common and lists your work experience in reverse order starting with the most recent.
- Margins should be appropriately sized, around one inch on all sides. This creates sufficient white space and maintains a balanced layout.
- Good choice of font, like Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial. Font size between 10 and 12 points while section headers can be larger.
- Clear, consistent use of bold, italics, or underlining to make reading easy and good use of bullets.
- Consider the career level and goal when determining the length. No more than two pages and shows the last seven to ten years of relevant experience.
Include a Qualifications Summary
A clear career objective should be included toward the top of the resume in a headline, summary, or statement of qualifications, so the reader immediately knows the applicant’s value proposition. It should be geared towards your value proposition and not all about what YOU want. If this is a career change, it should be clearly stated with details demonstrating how experience is relevant to the new career.
Showcase Your Accomplishments
Do your best to not list daily duties. Instead, include a solid listing of your accomplishments to give a comprehensive overview for recruiters to get a sense of what you can bring to the role they are hiring for. Telling a good career story by showing your value will also demonstrate that you can analyze and evaluate your impact within the workplace.
Begin with enticing, strong, and varied action verbs to help highlight and describe professional achievements. Give details about your impact and major projects by using specific numbers, awards, percentages, and dollar amounts to show the positive impact you had in your previous positions.
Tailor for Each Job
Your resume should be geared to a specific career goal, industry, or position and not try to be a one-size-fits-all document. Emphasize relevant skills and experience based on the company and position’s needs. Use keywords from the job description to pass applicant tracking systems (ATS). Keep in mind that the content should also support your career goal.
UMGC Career Advising Specialists recommend using VMock, an AI-driven tool offering instant resume optimization feedback, allowing you to target your resume to a specific job description.
Proofread and Review
It is important to always check for grammar and spelling errors. Using spelling and grammar check tools like Grammarly or Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check can be helpful. Additionally, you can ask a friend, family member, or Career Advising Specialist to look over your resume for errors.
As always, keep in mind that UMGC Career Services is available to help you plan and achieve career success. Set up an appointment with a UMGC Career Advising Specialist for additional support in your career journey.
Rhoda Smackum is a manager in Career Services at University of Maryland Global Campus who enjoys working collaboratively in partnership with students and alumni to identify career issues, match values with career choices, and obtain meaningful work. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Bowie State University and a Bachelor of General Studies degree from the University of Maryland College Park. She is a Certified Master of Career Services (CMCS) and an Associate Certified Career Coach.
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