Spring Clean Your Resume
Spring is here! And it is high time to spring clean your resume. Say what? Yes, your resume! You spring clean your house, car and office. How about spring cleaning your resume? Chances are you only look at your resume when it is annual review time. That’s usually the end of the year. Well, spring is as a good time as any to blow the dust off your resume and give it a very good scrubbing.
Here are my 7 ways to spring clean your resume
List only relevant jobs — Keep it short 1–2 pages max.
If you are a seasoned professional, your job experience may span decades. However, list only the relevant jobs for the positions which you are applying. Brevity is key. No one wants to read a screenplay. Keep it 1–2 pages max.
Use Relevant Keywords
Read your resume and cross reference your verbs and phrases with your industry’s latest publications. The reason why I recommend this is because your they are using the latest phrases. If you are using dated phrases (robust skill set, I am a fast learner,), your resume will get tossed! I don’t want that happen to you so use only relevant keywords.
Add newly acquired skills and certifications
If you have taken any new training related to your current or future jobs, add them to your resume. You’d be amazed at how many people overlook adding new trainings. These new trainings and certifications show that you are actively pursuing personal and professional development. These are attractive to HR and employers.
Bonus — list meetups and professional organizations seminars and workshops. People often neglect meetups because they are free. Meetups have industry practitioners whom are in the very fields that you want to be in. You are also learning the latest technology making you an attractive candidate. Ask for a recommendation or what the hottest job trends are while you’re at these meetups too.
Remove outdated skills and certifications
If we are adding, then we also must subtract. Remove anything that’s expired or outdated. I have several certifications. If you haven’t renewed them, remove them. Keeping expired certifications on your resume makes it look like a liar. It is false advertising. The last thing you want is to tell the interviewer that your certification is expired and that’s a typo. The company will feel tricked and HR will add a code in the computer to never interview you again. Moreover, you can gain a bad reputation and not even know it. Human resources are people too. People talk with other HR professionals. Best believe they have a black list of candidates who lie. Don’t get on that list. Remove all expired and outdated skills and certifications.
Use the active voice
Do you want employers to actively call you? Then use the active voice. The active voice is the simple present, past and future tenses. Active voice = program Linux databases. Passive voice = am programming. Your resume should be vibrant and jump off of the page! The active voice accomplishes that.
Have someone else proofread it.
Sometimes you are too close to your resume to be objective. Another pair of eyes will give you an objective opinion about your resume. He or she may pick up on what you miss. Look at it this way: the HR is another set of eyes. Getting someone else to proofread your resume before submission, saves you time and embarrassment. Incorporate the feedback into your resume.
Survey your industry’s current landscape.
This is part of number 1. Employers hire people with current skills. Current skills mean that you are solving current problems. Companies want problem solvers. When your resume reflects your ability to solve problems, you’ll get hired. Surveying your industry’s current landscape has an added benefit. It lets you know where the new opportunities are. You will know which areas are growing and contracting. You are aware of the growth industries, you can draft the best resume to position yourself to be hired.
Let your current and future career blossom by using these 7 steps to spring clean your resume.
Like my content? Join my mailing list! www.carlarjenkins.com/mailinglist
Like me on Facebook
Originally published at carlarjenkins.com on April 2, 2018.
