Quick Tips for Making a Great Resume

You may have to do your best self-selling at an interview, but first, you have to score that interview. And your resume is the key. Employers use resumes as a convenient way to wade through a pool of job applicants, narrowing down the possibilities to a reasonable number of candidates to contact for an interview. That's why following these tips for making a great resume is so important.

Without sticking to some basic best practices and avoiding some all-too-common mistakes, your chances of getting called in are slim. Here are some simple, effective ways to stand out, look like a professional, and increase your odds of making it past the paper stage when looking for a job.

Important Resume Writing Advice

Tailor your resume to the specific job you're applying for every time, putting emphasis on experience, skills, and goals relevant to the position.

Put your name, contact info, and a brief title reflecting what you do at the top of the page.

Open with a personal statement that gets attention and helps you stand out in a positive way; most hiring managers form an impression within seconds of looking at a resume.

In general, keep a resume to one page or two at the most.

There's no need to go back more than 10 years in your job history, but include any post-high school education, even if it was further back.

You can omit completely irrelevant or especially short past jobs, but always be ready to discuss them if asked about gaps in your employment history.

If you're short on relevant experience - or any professional experience, for that matter-focus, instead on your strengths and skills.

Keep your resume easy to scan, with logical bold subheadings and bullet lists.

Use a standard 12-point font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier New, and stick to just one font.

Avoid using color, but you can try a small amount of one color for something like your subheadings-but keep it tasteful.

List your employment history in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent position.

Include one or two sentences describing each of your previous and/or current jobs.

Then, emphasize your accomplishments rather than simply listing job duties.

Avoid empty words and phrases like "hard worker" and "team player."

Don't start multiple bullet points in a row with the same word.

Definitely include any volunteer experience you have.

Also include some interests or extracurricular activities that are relevant to the job as a strategy for showing some personality.

Put a few professional references down.

Have a few people proofread your resume; it's easy to miss your own mistakes, and typos and spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes make you look unprofessional.

Always email your resume as a PDF file to ensure the formatting remains intact.