3 Tips to Improve Your Resume

A friend of mine works in HR and sometimes we like to pretend we know what we're talking about and "talk shop". I am very familiar and comfortable with resume creation. I have utilized many different resume types, styles, or formats.

I'm also someone who firmly believes that jobs are not so hard to come by; at least, not as hard as some people would like you to think. My resume is typically updated and I create a new one every 6 months or so; or to highlight my skills differently, depending on the job I'm applying for.

Anyway, these are the three things that have stood out most to me from the discussions I've had with her about resumes and from my own experiences job searching.

Don't forget your name.

Okay, this seems obvious, right? WRONG! I'll never forget the day, my HR pal said: "I got a great resume today, except they forgot one thing...THEIR NAME!" I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you should get your name and contact info on that resume before anything else; because no one is going to be hiring you if they don't know who you are or how to get a hold of you.

Don't use the same old printer paper as everyone else.

I always print my resumes on the thicker, heavy duty paper or card stock. My HR pal agrees that if someone turns in a resume that strays from the traditional, flimsy printer paper: it makes an impression. That's a good thing! Trust me. In general, doing something a little extra, a little better, or a little different is going to leave an impression on the person looking at your resume.

Skip the objective.

This one might be a little more controversial among HR reps or anyone who might give you advice on a resume. However, unless your objective is something that really makes you stand out, don't bother including it. My HR pal says she usually skips right past that part of the resume. It might be at the top, but it's not getting first priority. Most HR reps have read the same old objective spiel a million times.