390 words. 4-minute read.
Your resume is your chance to make a good first impression. Follow these simple steps to make sure yours don’t end up in the recycling bin.
The average job posting in 2017 receives over 150 resumes.
Here’s how to make yours stand out.
What makes a good resume or cover letter?
1. It is free of simple errors
- This includes spelling, grammar, formatting and contact information
- See our post on avoiding mistakes here
2. It is an appropriate length.
- Should NOT be over 1 page long.
3. List accomplishments, not duties
- Present your achievements, not your job description. For example:
4. Tailor your experiences and skills to the job posting
- Employers expect you to clearly demonstrate how and why you are the right candidate for the position and organization.
- Review the job posting and determine what skills the employer is looking for. Then, emphasize sections of your past employment that pertain to the opening.
- Be honest. Highlight your relevant achievements, don’t invent them.
5. Quantify your impact
- Companies love to see measurable success
- “Dramatically increased website traffic from 2,000 average monthly visitors to more than 12,000, as well as nearly doubling social referrals from 90 average monthly referrals to 165 as Social Media Manager for CareerJSM.”
- Need more help?
How We Can Help
We know that building or updating a resume can be stressful and frustrating, that’s why we built the CareerJSM Resume Builder.
With our tool, it has never been easier to create and edit beautiful resumes. After selecting your desired format, simply fill in your information and the builder will do the rest. You can save hundreds of versions to your CareerJSM account, which makes tailoring to a specific employer a breeze. When you’re finished you can export as a PDF or Word Document directly to your computer.
You can watch a video tutorial on the Resume Builder here.
Bottom Line
Your resume and cover letter make your first impression on an employer, make sure it’s a good one. Hiring teams often receive huge amounts of applications for an opening. In order to be noticed, we recommend tailoring your resume to the employer, as well as providing short, skills-based details about your impact.
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