Resume Basics: 7 Tips to Set Yourself Up for Success
These are some basic tips on how to format your resume and track your professional progress so you can easily and quickly prepare successful resumes and job applications.
1. Don’t call it a resume
You do not need the title “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae” as a heading on the document. Your prospective employer knows what it is. The heading should be your full name.
2. Don’t make it generic
I have a whole article on how to customize and tailor every resume you submit. Your resume and cover letter should speak precisely to the language and requirements used in the job description. Check out the specifics here.
3. Do select your most relevant experience
Focus on what matters to the employer. This doesn’t mean just cut and paste the job description - but make sure you’re using their language and showing you understand the larger company by highlighting relevant experience, skills and training.
Especially as you progress in your career and gain varied experience, listing every single accomplishment in each role isn’t helpful. Identify the aspects of your past role that most relate to the future you want to have and highlight those accomplishments.
4. Do let the past go
On the same note, please do not tell the employer every single professional, volunteer and educational activity you have undertaken over the course of your life. I understand you may be proud of certain accomplishments, but do not distract your potential employer with irrelevant information.
Exception: if you are early in your career and have only had 2-3 jobs, you will likely need to put all your past roles on the CV.
As you advance in your career, please focus on your most recent and relevant work. Once you are past entry level, the employer does not need to know about your summer job at DQ when you were fourteen or your progression through the summer camp counsellor hierarchy. This is why you will use the heading “Relevant Experience” to show you are selecting relevant roles.
As always, there is an exception to every rule! If you are applying for work with children, in education or in recreation, and your summer camp experience is super relevant to establishing your qualifications, do include this on your CV.
*The exception to guidelines #3 and #4 is the academic curriculum vitae or CV, where you are expected to list every single thing you have ever done, so if you’re applying to academic jobs, ignore the above advice.
5. Do keep track of your wins
Ok, so I do NOT believe in general (non-tailored) resumes. BUT, I think there is huge benefit to keeping a general archive of your career accomplishments and wins!
We all have recency bias, in that whatever we worked on most recently is fresh in our mind. Past accomplishments are lost in the haze of time.
If you have not been keeping an archive of accomplishments – no worries! You can often cobble this together from old job applications.
Checking your Sent folder in your email with the search terms “application” or “resume”. This should unearth old job applications and remind you of skills, proficiencies and accomplishments from the past.
Why is this important? Reflecting on the BREADTH of your past experience will expand your perception of which jobs and opportunities you are qualified for.
Having a “general” bank of all your workplace projects, metrics, achievements and responsibilities will make it very easy to prepare a custom resume for a new role. All you have to do is select the most relevant experience from your general resume bank and transfer it to your tailored resume, and voila! Application complete!
6. Do be specific
I get more specific about specifics in the article linked here, but just a reminder that when you are adding your recent workplace to your general resume bank, be sure to include the details. This involves quantifying your accomplishment, e.g.
If you plan an event, specify…
· # of attendees;
· # of speakers/panelists;
· % of positive evaluations;
· revenue generated (if relevant)
If you oversee the re-launch of a newsletter, specify…
· # of people / departments you consulted;
· how you developed your promotional and content strategy;
· % growth in subscribers for a newsletter you re-launched;
· how newsletter contributed to sales / fundraising / engagement
If you work in retail or sales, specify…
· # of customers or clients served at your place of work;
· your sales targets and performance (revenue);
· rationale and impact of initiatives you undertook to improve operations;
· examples of successful training and mentorship you provided
Do believe in yourself
Do approach new opportunities with a positive outlook. Believe that you are an outstanding candidate. Believe that you can make a difference for this prospective employer. That belief will come across in your application materials.
