Category: lifehack

yet another Top 10 tips to make your resume employable

Stupidly you have a resume and are prepared to use it.

Okay so you decided you didn’t like my previous article and want to have a resume. I will still like you as a person but only so much. Regardless, I am here to help you adjust your resume and make it super. These are my tips on making your resume outstanding:

1- Don’t have a stupid email address, babypichachu@yourmom.com is not that appealing to employers

2- If you are in college please do not use your high school activities. Have you done nothing? If you were so occupied with Xbox and Family guy that you have nothing to show for. GO do something. Start a video game club.

3- Use the full page, top to bottom & left to right. Do not have white-space on your paper. You want to make sure you are getting a fair chance to explain everything about yourself.

4- Bold either the job title or the company and do it throughout your resume. Choose whichever is more important for the new job.

5- Be consistent with your dates, formatting & style. Self-explanatory

6- Make it unique. I have looked at over 100 resumes and many are Microsoft Word templates. I DO NOT think it is bad to add your image to your resume or do other things that make you stand out. I heard one story where someone put a post-it note on their resume saying, “I like this one –J�. It got through the loop and they got hired since the hiring manager assumed “J� liked the resume, cool huh�

7- Have something original. I like interests section, not cause it will get you the job but cause it gives you something fun and appealing to talk about in your interview. For example, my gf writes that she has run 2 marathons even though she is a computer programmer, this dedication and perserverance is a very hireable characteristic

8- Suit your job and background. Realize that technology positions want details on programming languages while other positions might want separate data.

9- USE #s. I want to measure your success, revenue, subordinates and anything I can compare against other people.

10- Don’t lie. One time a friend put they spoke Spanish and the Hispanic interviewer asked some questions in Spanish to an English only friend. Yes he did not get the job…

Bonus: Possibly organize your resume by functions rather than companies. This is a new strategy in resumes where you don’t organize your resume chronologically by jobs but more so by roles.

Further explained by a Microsoft Recruiter: I would call that “experienceâ€? over “function”. People want to know what your experience has been an in the past they look at company and role in a myopic way. Some experience categories might be “global business experienceâ€? or “emerging marketing experienceâ€? or “turn-around experienceâ€? or “management experienceâ€?.

I also like the idea of making that experience into a grid and showing employers how well rounded you are visually and also, where there are gaps that align to that job you are applying for.

Bonus 2 Have a problem writing what you want to say? Don’t just use action verbs since that one website tells you to. You need to tailor your job descriptions to the position you are applying for. Write them with the thought of how you addressed the problems and the way you solved it. For example, Improved Customer retention by 20% by creating an online customer service program. Wow you are saving lives and helping retention, HIRED!

Here are my friend’s original resume and the revised version.
Here is my RESUME FORMAT in case you are curious: Noah Kagan’s Resume
Email me at noah [at] okdork [dot] com with yours if you want me to proof-read it. I freakily enjoy editing them.