Professional Resumes

Building and maintaining a professional network will be an ongoing task throughout one’s career. Likewise, crafting a professional resume is a crucial element of the job search. In this section we’ll discuss the steps of developing your professional resume and how organizations use them during the hiring process.

A professional resume is essential in helping secure a job interview. Your resume must be polished, professional, and stand out from the many other applicants being considered for the position. The average recruiter or hiring manager will spend only six to seven seconds looking at a candidate’s resume (Indeed, 2021). Therefore, when designing a resume, it should be done using a template that is organized and visually appealing. Further, it should speak to the specifics of the job description and highlight your achievements. Most importantly, your resume must be free of grammatical or spelling errors.

There are many resume formats, styles, and designs that you can follow, and it may be challenging to determine which format to use. While there is no correct format, most resumes will follow one of four common styles.

1. A chronological resume lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent job and working backwards toward your first job.

2. The functional resume is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities. It emphasizes specific professional capabilities, like what you have done or can do. Specific dates may be included, but are not as important. This format may work well for new graduates entering a field with little to no actual work experience.

3. A hybrid or combination resume has features of both the functional and chronological approaches. It highlights relevant skills, but still provides relevant information about your work experience.

4. Video, infographic, and Website formats are best suited for people in multimedia and creative careers. Keep in mind, however, some human resource departments may not permit submission of any format other than paper based.

Remember, employers may spend only a few seconds reviewing each resume, so the best format is the one that allows a recruiter or hiring manager to easily review your previous work experience in a logical way.

Ideally, your resume should be limited to one, single-spaced page and make effective use of white space. As you gain more experience, your resume may extend beyond one page; but it remains important to use a consistent format and impressive design. Incorporate bold headings and make sure the content is easy to read and understand.

In addition to attention to format and design, you must be able to highlight your strengths in a way that speaks directly to the job call or description. What skills and accomplishments do you possess that help establish you as a qualified candidate? Be aware of the job description and then ask yourself how you match the preferred and required qualifications.

According to the Indeed video below, there are 5 resume tips that will get you noticed:

1. Incorporate keywords from the job description

2. Highlight your hard skills

3. Highlight your soft skills

4. Be specific when listing achievements

5. Spend time editing and proofreading

Resume Components

So where do you start with your resume? Start with a template. Most templates will walk you through the process. There are, however, some common components to include.

1. Your contact information: Name, address, phone number, professional email address (Note: Be careful with including too much personal information when posting your resume to unknown sites).

2. A summary of your skills: Include a profile or a summary statement of your accomplishments and what you've done. Because the person reviewing your resume may only glance at your resume, you need a quick introduction statement to catch their attention. Summarize your skills in a few sentences long and include key terms that match the job description. If you have limited work experience according to Indeed.com it is acceptable to have an objective instead of a summary.

3. Work experience: Include the title of the position, employer’s name, location, and employment dates for each position. To make your resume more effective, include specific numbers when listing your prior experience as opposed to using vague terms. For example, “significantly increased new client acquisition” is a broad statement. “Oversaw a 37% increase in new client acquisition” states precisely how you contributed (Indeed, 2021). When detailing your job responsibilities, avoid using terms from your background that others would not know. This is commonly referred to as jargon. Acronyms should also be avoided unless it is one that is commonly understood.

4. Education and training: Formal and informal experiences matter. Include academic degrees, professional development, certifications, and internships.

5. Volunteer experience: In the absence of work experience, volunteer experience highlights capabilities and leadership skills that will prove beneficial to an employer.

6. References statement: “References available upon request” is a standard phrase used on resumes.

Additional Considerations

One trend that is here to stay is a focus on skills in the resume. With so many companies moving to remote work, candidates should highlight the specific skills that make them a good remote worker. Do you have experience collaborating with others on shared projects? Have you used shared documents or drives? If you demonstrated these skills with an in-person team or even as a student, those experiences translate into the workplace and help showcase the skills you need to be successful at remote work (Pelta, 2020).

As you begin the job search process, make a list of individuals you might ask to serve as professional references. Although it is not necessary to list references on your resume, you should have specific individuals in mind who can speak to your work ethic, attributes, knowledge, and skills. A reference does not always have to be a former employer. In fact, you should reach out to your professors and ask them if they would be willing to be a reference for you. Be sure to keep track of changes in email addresses and phone numbers to ensure you can provide the most accurate contact information. Once you have applied for a job and been given an interview, contact your references to give them a heads up they may hear from the company to which you are applying.

It is a good idea to ask another person to read over your resume. Take the time to conduct a thorough spelling and grammar check, and review the entire document for format consistency. Your resume is a professional picture of who you are, what you have done, and what you can do for an organization.

Watch the videos below from Indeed to learn more about top resume skills and resume words to include and avoid.