Resumes & You: Resume Tips

The unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year olds has been dropping since the height of the pandemic in the U.S., but it is still at 9.2%, which is almost double the overall unemployment rate of 5.4%. However, 82% of employers plan on hiring in 2021, so if you are looking for work, now is the time to polish up your resume for applications.

Your resume is the most valuable piece of your job application and can make or break your chances of getting an interview. Recruiters and hiring managers read hundreds, if not thousands, of applications for open positions -- it is important that you make yourself stand out in a good way. Here are a few tips for building a better resume.

Make it look professional. In general, it is best if your resume is to the point and looks like a professional document. In general, it is better to skip the graphics or bright colors and use easy-to-read fonts like Times New Roman or Arial. Professionalism includes your contact information as well; use your student email address or a professional-looking personal email address. Do not use the email address you made when you were 9, even if you are webkinzgurl99 in your heart.

Keep your resume concise. Your resume should be one page at the most. Additionally, most recruiters only spend about 10 seconds skimming resumes, so only list your most relevant information. The four parts of your resume should be your most recent work experiences and core responsibilities at those jobs, your education, your skills, and your contact information. Anything else is expendable information that will likely be skipped. Keep your information concise by using bullet points instead of full sentences and only listing the most relevant skills for the job to which you are applying.

When you feel confident that your resume is complete, save it as a PDF File and title it with “FirstName LastName Resume.” This will make your resume easier to find and view for the hiring manager. Think about it: if every job applicant submits their resume with the same title, every document looks the same. If you use your name in the title, it makes it easier for a hiring manager to find your specific file. Additionally, PDFs are more universally accessible than other file formats, and the formatting will not change when they open the file.

A professional and organized resume is a key tool for securing more interviews and, ideally, job offers.