3 ways to improve your resume
So what's up with the resume?
Here's a few common questions that come up when discussing the resume:
How important is it really? Pretty important
Do you need to customize every time you apply? Not really
Can you get interviews by cold applying? Yes, 100%
Creating a successful job search hinges on how well your resume resonates with the job you applied for. Recruiters receive hundreds of resumes, spending a few seconds on each resume to determine if it’s a potential fit. Even though the resume is NOT the only piece of the job search process, it is a very important foundational piece.
The resume is your very first contact with a company. So that means it's a pretty important element of the job search. In my experience, if you have the right resume, you can get A LOT more interviews from simply applying on the company website.
You can increase your chance of interviews dramatically by creating a focused resume.
A focused resume has 3 important elements:
Uses keywords from job description
Keeps each job description on the resume short (a short summary + 3 bullets)
Includes a list of technical skills (as applicable)
Not only these elements are important, but additionally, you will want to:
✅ Choose only the most relevant job experiences (ex. DON’T list all 15yrs of your jobs, DO list your top 3 most relevant job experiences)
✅ Keep the job descriptions short and to the point, highlight business outcomes and your contributions to business decisions
✅ Keep the resume to one page. WHY? because recruiters spend seconds on a resume to decide whether to talk with the candidate
Want an example: here's my Linkedin profile that is targeted for a Product Manger role. Need more examples? Look at other people's Linkedin profiles who have the job you want.
Not sure how to put the words together to create this kind of resume? Send me a note and we can talk - I'd be happy to consult on making your resume stand out.