Making your first resume is a daunting task. Even though some teachers give us a crash course, most of us need a little help to make our first. Today, accessing the required knowledge is easier than ever. Plus, the software helps you design the format. However, the fundamentals of resume design will never lose their relevance.
Fundamentals of Quality Resume Design
- Highlight Your Strengths Authentically
- Showcase Skill Sets and Unique Talents
- Honest Presentation
- Clear Messaging
Who Is Your Audience
In communication, the audience changes everything. Your submission might be perfect for Harvard. Nevertheless, the Goldman Sachs executive would not even open it. By understanding the reader, you can deliver the most efficient message. Developing this skill does take trial-and-error. The following tips will help you start honing your craft.
Academic Resumes
Academic resumes are easily the most commonly used resumes, as they are required for undergraduate and graduate school applications, and increasingly for charter and other primary and secondary schooling. Typically, people submit a college application before they leave high school. Consequently, this is the first time most of them need a resume. It never ceases to be applicable. More and more adults are returning to school. Therefore, submitting a quality resume is vital if you would like to stand out.
Key Items for Academic Submissions
- Include Recent Relevant Coursework: If you are applying to graduate school, you should list honors courses. These grab attention when applying to competitive lab positions.
- Projected Graduation Dates: Typically, students do not have a completed degree. Unless you already have a degree, list your expected graduation date.
- Current GPA: Only include your GPA if it is competitive. Having an average GPA does not mean you cannot get accepted. However, only draw attention to it if it makes a great impression.
- Academic Awards: These awards are a great way to show admissions departments you consider your studies a responsibility.
- Research Publications: Graduate students compete for research positions. Ultimately, publication listings are the most significant metric used by most professors.
- Letters of Recommendation: In some instances, distinguished professors write letters of recommendation for certain students. Depending on the professor, this could be the most important thing you could include.
Professional CVs
After you graduate, you still need this skillset. Nearly all jobs require either a CV or a Resume. Either way, a good template makes the entire process a piece-of-cake. If you are job hunting, and you are not 100% sure you know how to format your application materials you might want to consider using CV templates so you can be confident that you have it right.
Key Items to Include for Professional Resumes
- Degree Status: Lots of jobs have education requirements. List your degrees in an easy to find spot.
- Years of Relevant Experience: Experience is becoming even more important than education in many industries. Always include any relevant experience on your resume.
- Professional References: Most of the time, employers want to speak with your previous managers. That way, they can get a feel for how you are in a workplace setting.
- Personal Portfolio: Some professionals use portfolios to show all of their work projects. This is the most common in creative industries. However, technical professions also use them a lot.
- Certifications and Other Licenses: Depending on the industry, you cannot even get hired without the right license. If you hold any professional licenses or certifications, include them here.
Formatting Tips for Beginners
Remember, you want to convey a few ideas in your finished product. It should let the recruiter know that you read the job listing. Tons of people walk into an interview without doing the proper preparation. In some cases, they did not even read the entire job listing.
You should also let the recruiter know what makes you the best candidate. Of course, there are probably plenty of other qualified individuals.
However, why should they select you?
Conservative Color Choice:
One way you can hold the attention of a reader is with interesting format choices. Don’t forget that it is easy to go overboard. Changing the font color of the headers is not a bad idea. However, it should not be too ridiculous.
Make Text Easy to Read
Today, people read mostly on their phones. As a result, people do not have very long attention spans. If you try to tell your entire life story, you will lose their attention. It is vital for you to distill everything into as few words as possible.
Not only does this make the text more compelling, but your audience is also more likely to finish.
When It Is Easy to Read, People Read it More:
The less complex your resume is to read, the more recruiters will take the time to read all of it. At the end of the day, that should always be your goal. For that reason, we suggest using a single page. Unless you have over a decade of experience, you should not need more than that.
Say More With Less
Before you hit submit, do some proofreading. Check to see if any of your sentences need to be rephrased. A common mistake is to write with needlessly wordy sentences. Often, you can say the same thing with fewer words. Usually, people find this to be much more enjoyable when reading.
Impactful Statements Are Direct:
You might be a nervous person in social situations. Nevertheless, your resume is not a place to beat around the bush. Instead, you need to state things directly. Direct and honest descriptions engage recruiters better than anything else.
Working With Templates to Build Your First Resume
By using a template, you can start with what’s most important. Instead of wasting time setting up the page, you can begin filling it out immediately. Plus, you can rely on the expertise of other designers. Of course, you need to ensure that your resume is written well. Be authentic and speak to your audience.