How to Get Your Resume Ready For a Job Search

How to Get Yur Resume Ready For a Job Search How to get your resume ready for a job searchYouve decided to start your job search, but youve already reached a roadblock getting your resume ready.On the job hunt, your resume is your number one ammo, says Monster career expert Vicki Salemi, who spent mora than 15 years in corporate recruiting. When done right, your resume can open the door to your dream job, she bedrngnises.With stakes that high, its no wonder that a resume refresh also commonly fills people with existential angst. We get itcondensing your entire work history into a perfectly-worded typo-free single-page document that could potentially determine your entire career future is maybe just a little stressful.But what if we told you it doesnt have to be as daunting as you think? Monster has all kinds of resources to help make the whole process easier. Like you-dont-have-to-even-lift-a-finger-if-you-dont-want-to easier. Skip ahead to step sixif this sounds like you. But if you re mora of the DIY type, followthe seven steps to a perfect resume below. Youll be on the interview circuit in no time.1. Start with the right parametersResumes are not one-size-fits-all. The format you should use and the information you should highlight depends upon your field, for starters. So youll want to structure your resume to fit the industry standard for the job youre applying to. A quick way to start figuring this out? Check out Monsters resume templates by industry.Your experience also plays a part in structure. The answer to the age-old question of how long should my resume be? is that it depends upon how much time youve got under your belt. As a general rule of thumb, job binnenseekers with under three years of experience should aim for one page, but those with more years in the field could go up to two.Keep in mind that a recruiter doesnt have time to sift through the next great American novel. Back in her recruiting days, Salemi says she usually spent no more than thr ee seconds on a resume. Being succinct is key, Salemi says. Recruiters will lose focus and attention if you personenname every single responsibility youve ever had.Lastly, theres the question of chronological (jobs listed in order by date) or functional (jobs listed by relevance). We answer that question in the article Should you use a chronological or functional resume? but the gist is that functional typically makes sense unless youre a job changer, are just starting out or have gaps in your work history. Otherwise, go chrono.2. Get the basics rightNo matter the job or industry youre in, there are a few must-haves for every resume. They are work experience, job titles, responsibilities, and years worked in each position, Salemi says.Its important to show prospective employers a timeline, she says. Even if you use a functional resumeas opposed to a chronological resumeyou should still include years.Oh, and dont forget your contact info Believe it or not, Salemi says she has receive d resumes that include no way of contacting the candidate. (We think its safe to assume those were the people who didnt get called in for interviews.) While you dont need to include your home addressSalemi says recruiters may start making assumptions that the commute could be too long for youyou absolutely must include your phone number and email address.3. Use keywords to help you break through When recruiters post jobs, Salemi says, they typically dont read every resume that comes intheyll often start by having their applicant tracking system (a fancy name for recruiting software) filter out resumes based on keywords. Those keywords are terms or phrases the hiring manager has deemed to be valuable to the job.So youll want to pack your resume with keywords but you also need to be careful not to gooverboard, since a human will hopefully read your resume eventually.Thus, sprinkle those keywords throughout and provide a little bit of context with each. For example, a social media savv y job seeker might include the names of key platforms with some explanation such as,Leveraged Instagram to showcase happy customers, increasing followers by 10,000.Need help coming up with keywords? Take words and phrases directly from the job descriptionmirroring the ad in order of mention as the hiring manager will typically put the most coveted skill sets at the top, says Salemi. Watch the video below to learn more about using keywords on your resume..embed-container position relative padding-bottom 56.25% height 0 overflow hidden max-width 100% .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed position absolute top 0 left 0 width 100% height 100% 4. ersatzdarsteller up on numbers to up your oddsGetting past the applicant tracking system is like making it past the semifinalsbut your resume still has more hurdles to pass, in the form of those human recruiters who are trying to pick out the best of the best to bring in for interviews. Youll want to make su re you quantify your achievements to help them see the impact you made. If you had a choice between a candidate who developed sales leads and one who developed 20 new sales leads a week, wouldnt you pick the latter?Quantifying helps recruiters put a framework around the work you do and how you do it, Salemi says. Do you manage a team and how many? Did you save the company money and how much? Indicating daily, weekly, monthly meetings and deliverables attests to your ability to multitask and get the job done.Anything related to time, money or people offers a key opportunity to quantify.Watch the video below about quantifiable achievements to learn more about how to use numbers to make your resume seem more impressive..embed-container position relative padding-bottom 56.25% height 0 overflow hidden max-width 100% .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed position absolute top 0 left 0 width 100% height 100% 5. Make sure youre not a fashion faux pasJus t like you wouldnt show up to a job interview wearing jeggings or a suit with super-wide lapels, you dont want your resume to appear inappropriate or out-of-date.So delete that opening objective sectionand replace with a summary, which is now preferred. Cut that references available upon request clich (duh, of course they are) at the bottom. And while youre hitting the delete button, Salemi says to expunge basic computer skills like Microsoft Word and only include specific skills to your industry, like C++ programming. Youll also want to switch out that crazy font you think will help your resume stand out. (See Monsters picks for best resume fonts.)And check out this list of other missteps that make your resume look like a dinosaur.Its not all about taking out the trash. You can make yourself seem a little less square if you add in some hyperlinks, your social media handles (if SFW), and a splash of color.6. Bring in a wingman (or woman) to review your workIf youve gotten this far i n your resume makeover, its time to give your eyes a break. Youve probably spent way too much time staring at the document on your screen checking for misspelled words and other typos that it no longer even reads like English to you anymore. Its time to bring in a second pair of eyes to give your resume a once-over.First vorkaufsrecht Call in a mentor or a fellow job-seeking friend for whom you can do the same solid. Second and even better option You can get a resume critique for free (seriously) from the experts behind Monsters resume writing service. An actual resume specialist will review your doc, and, within a couple of days, provide an evaluation on ways you can improve your resume so that it will get through the robots and stand out to hiring managers.7. Make yourself discoverable to recruitersEver wonder why some people just get called by recruiters about jobs and why youre not one of them? Well, every day, recruiters search Monsters resume databasefor candidates for jobs th at arent even posted. By uploading your resume, you can be one of those people who gets found by a recruiter.Also, uploading your resume will help make your application process easier when you start applying to jobs on Monster. By having your resume already in our system, applying can be as easy as hitting the Apply button.So go ahead and get that resume uploaded to Monster, and give yourself a proud pat on the back for getting through this tough-but-important first stage of job search.Now youve just got to find the right job. But we can help with that toojust check out the next article in this series. Cmon, lets get you hiredREAD MORE IN THIS SERIESHow to find the perfect job for youHow to landthe job of your dreams100 top companies hiring on Monster now