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Recommended reading: The Career Coward's Guide to Resumes
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In any economy, your résumé is a vitally important document. But, now that the market is more intensely competitive than we have seen in quite some time, you should be extra vigilant in making sure your résumé is in top shape.
In a recent interview with Katy Piotrowski, MEd, author of “The Career Coward's Guides to Resumes,” she offered tips for internship and entry-level job seekers to help get their résumés on the right track.
1. Decide on a focus for your job or internship search. What you choose to include on a résumé that you send to an advertising agency may be very different from what you might include on a résumé going to a bank. Ask yourself, “What type of experience do I hope to gain from this first step in my career, and where am I most likely to find that?”
2. Ask a few people who know and support you to help you brainstorm some of your best successes. It’s easy for us to forget our strengths and where we shine. Tell a teacher, friend or parent about the kind of job or internship you’re hoping to land, and ask them, “If you were me, and I wanted to describe my best qualities and achievements on a résumé, what would you suggest that I include?”
3. Find examples of résumés in books and on the Internet. It’s far easier to create a strong résumé if you can see how others have done it before you. Borrow ideas for formatting and phrasing. As you consider which pieces of information to include, keep asking yourself, “Will this piece of data help, or hold me back?” A hiring manager would want to know that you were rated, “Most valuable team member” for a project you completed with others in school, but they may not care about the “Best in Show” dog award you won with your schnauzer.
4. Have your résumé proofed by someone with excellent writing and editing skills. One typo can eliminate you from consideration, and weak sentence structure may misrepresent your communication skills. An advisor in the career center at your college, or a family friend who works in human resources, would be an ideal resource to proofread your document.
5. Track your résumé’s results. Statistically, you can expect one interview for every 10 résumés you submit. Keep tabs on how your résumé performs. If you're called in for an interview less than 10 percent of the time, consider making changes to your résumé until it generates better results.
For more advice from Piotrowski, listen to her interview on JobRadio.fm.
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