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Get the Most Out of Our Builder Using the Following Tips

With millions of satisfied users, and years of helping users get hired, we’ve compiled our top 10 list of resume writing tips that will help you get the most out of our resume builder. Be sure to check these out to get savvy on the basics of resume that will get you hired!

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  Provide accurate contact information

  It may seem silly, but it’s easy to make mistakes when creating your contact information. Include your name, city and state of residence, phone number, and email address. You can also include a link to a portfolio or your LinkedIn page. Don’t include your physical address. Employers just need to know approximately where you live in relation to the workplace. Next, double check to ensure that you spelled everything correctly.

  Wait! You’re not off the hook yet. Examine your email address. Does it relate to a nickname or aspiration, like musclemikey89@mail.com? If so, you must set up a new email account and change it ASAP. Use your name or initials to create an email address that makes you look serious about finding a job.

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  Create a compelling summary statement

  Avoid the old fashioned resume objective. Instead, craft a succinct summary statement that tells your reader what you’re capable of doing for them in fewer than six full lines of text. Consider this your elevator pitch – something short and sweet you can summarize about yourself to a recruiter in a short elevator ride.

  Start by identifying yourself as a professional. A “driven bank teller” informs the reader that the applicant is interested in advancement opportunities, for example. Next, summarize your best skills and proudest accomplishments. Don’t use “I.” Instead, write statements like, “Offers exceptional customer service.” Our resume builder can help you build a great summary statement!

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  Write a list of relevant skills—emphasis on relevant

  Make a list of skills that pertain to the job. Don’t exceed eight altogether. Choose skills based on the employer’s needs, which they laid out in the job description. Skip irrelevant talents. If you’re applying for a job at a bank, then you don’t need to discuss your superior creative writing skills.

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  Organize your work history section

  Start with your most recent or current job position and work backward. Share the dates that you were employed. Be consistent. Don’t write “Apr. 2012 – Sept. 2015” in one section, then “July 16 – July 17” in another. You don’t need to include experience older than 10 years.

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  Focus on accomplishments, rather than duties

  Hiring managers can probably guess what you did by reading your job title, so don’t waste precious page space explaining the many ways that you filed paperwork. By all means, detail some of your duties to prove that you are capable of tackling the job at hand, but don’t create a laundry list. Instead, emphasize your accomplishments and include metrics whenever possible. For example: “Earned a 90% customer satisfaction score for two years in a row.”

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  Utilize strong action verbs

  Highlight your experience by starting each line of your work experience section with a strong action verb. See what we mean and spot the difference in the following statements.

  “Was responsible for a variety of administrative duties, including answering phone calls and book appointments.” VS. “Managed a variety of administrative tasks, including answering phone calls and booking appointments.”

  Though both sentences convey the same message, the second is much more attention grabbing, commanding and does a better job highlighting your skills. Consider using strong action verbs such as managed, executed, created, designed, facilitated, planned, initiated, reconciled, increased, and modified.

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  Education—be specific

  Unless your industry requires it, a robust education section can waste valuable resume real estate. So limit what you share. Start with your highest level of education. Identify your degree, and include other relevant studies and groups.

  Don’t discount including your experience with campus organizations—this can help hiring managers understand you better. If you have a college degree, then don’t include your high school diploma. Also, forgo your GPA unless you are a recent graduate or your industry values it.

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  What to leave out

  For starters, don’t share anything too personal. Employers do not need to know your marital status, or whether you have children (or dogs). Similarly, they won’t benefit from learning your religious or political affiliations. Don’t include your social security number. Unless the job post requests it, abstain from sharing references.

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  How to edit properly

  There are several ways to edit your resume well. Try reading it out loud. You’ll be surprised by how many mistakes you can catch when you say the words aloud! Another method is to read your resume from bottom to top, either silently or out loud. This requires more focus which increases the likelihood that you’ll catch a typo in its tracks.

  Pass your resume off to a friend who is knowledgeable about grammar and spelling. It’s not wise to rely on spell-check, but you can use it to catch some things. Sites like Grammarly and Hemingway App are better at identifying errors.

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  Emailing your resume

  Save your resume as a PDF and name it “[your name] resume.” When you save it as a PDF, you prevent formatting errors that may occur when you send a document. Naming it after you helps hiring managers stay organized (and they will thank you for it).

  If you submit your resume via email, then pay attention to the submission requirements. Do you see guidelines for the subject line, email text, or anything else? Unless instructed otherwise, your subject line should identify the position you want. You can throw in a line like “Experienced Branch Manager Application” to brand yourself, but it’s not required.