Whether you are going out on the job market for the first time as a recent college graduate or an unemployed individual halfway through your career you’ll know how difficult it is to get ahead in the arms-race that is getting a job these days. Many people are taking some extreme measures to improve their chances of getting hired—like graduate school or technical courses. The best thing that you can do that won’t cost a dime or much time is to improve your resume!
Your resume is like a first impression of the corporate world. If your resume is great you might have a foot in the door for your dream job even if your accomplishments don’t quite add up to those of your competitors. We’re here to help you make the best first impression possible; so get out a copy of your resume and a red pen and get ready to make some improvements with these simple tips!
Be consistent with grammar usage
Throughout your resume you’ll have to construct lists explaining your responsibilities and accomplishments at your previous jobs. Make sure that these lists are consistent in their grammar construction both within individual lists and throughout the resume.
For example, if there is a segment of your resume that says something like:
I was responsible for directing the PR relations team on a number of projects, I improved company profits by 50%, and I was responsible for creating the kitchen cleaning schedule.
You should change the sentence so that all of the verb tenses are consistent. A more effective sentence would look something like:
I directed the PR relations team on a number of projects, I improved company profits by 50%, and I created the kitchen cleaning schedule.
The fewer words the better, because this will mean a more direct statement. Although I am never one to degrade the passive voice, I would suggest that you avoid using it in your resume if only because this practice will make your sentences shorter in general.
Make sure that you are consistent with articles. If you have something like:
I was the head of the outreach project, the head of online communications, and captain of the company softball team.
You can easily improve this part of your resume by changing it to something like:
I was the head of the outreach project, the head of online communications, and the captain of the company softball team.
Or:
I was head of the outreach project, head of online communications, and captain of the company softball team.
Whether or not you decide to use articles is up to you, just be sure to be consistent!
Clarity counts!
There are countless styles of resumes to choose from. Choose the style that best fits your accomplishments. If possible choose the style that is most used in your professional field. Whatever style you go with though, make sure that you are consistent!
It is important that you do not mix and match different stylistic choices throughout your resume in order to avoid confusion. Choose a style and stick with it! Clarity and consistency are a vital way to make a great first impression. The last thing that you want is to start out a relationship with a potential employer with confusion.
The key to making your resume as great as it can possibly be without spending any money in the process is to make sure that it is clear and consistent throughout. By doing a quick read through of your current resume with our tips in mind you’ll be able to clean it up in no time! Making these quick changes to your resume will prove to potential employers that you are an organized and clear thinker with great writing skills—which will surely land you the interviews you’ve been waiting for!
Do you have any tips for writing a better resume?
Share them with us in the comments below!
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