When applying for jobs, every detail matters.

 

From crafting the perfect (and tailored) resume to fine-tuning your cover letter, it's easy to overlook seemingly minor details in the rush to submit your application. One often overlooked detail is the name of the document containing your resume.

Believe it or not, a poorly named file can make a big difference in how your application is perceived. 

Pour a cup of tea because it’s story time! 

Imagine a hiring manager, Sarah, who receives hundreds of resumes for an open position. She downloads each file to review later. Among them is a file named "Resume_Final_Version_Updated_July_2023.pdf." Another file is simply named "Document.pdf."

Which one do you think Sarah will find easier to identify and open quickly? Unfortunately for Lisa, the applicant who named her file "Document.pdf," her resume might end up lost in Sarah's sea of applications, overshadowed by those with clear...

In today’s competitive job market, having a well-crafted resume is like having a golden ticket to an interview for your dream job.

It’s not just a piece of paper—it’s your personal marketing tool that showcases your skills, experiences, and personality to potential employers.

But you gotta do it right! You’re competing with dozens, or even hundreds, of other talented people for the same job opportunity.

So here are 10 things NOT to do when writing and updating your resume. Avoiding these mistakes will help you stand out and create a powerful resume that captures the attention of hiring managers. 

1. DON’T Neglect Customization

Picture this: You are deep in the job search and decide to send out your trusty generic resume to a bunch of companies. The more you send out, the better….right? Surely, at least one of them will like your resume! 

But guess what? Crickets....

Photo by Christina on Unsplash

Today pivoting careers and job-hopping have become common. On average, employees stay with their companies only for about 4.2 years before they move on to a new job. While the idea of starting in a brand-new field may seem exciting, pivoting careers has its own challenges that you need to take into account.

With jobs becoming less linear and more flexible, changing them could mean having to deal with substantial pay cuts. You may very likely have to start from the bottom, and not everyone can afford to do that, especially with a great deal of financial uncertainty and emotional instability involved. However, there are a few ways you can change careers while making sure that you stay in a relatively “experienced” salary tier.

Use Your Existing Skills To Your Advantage

If you are thinking of changing your career, the expected demands and requirements at your new job may scare you at first. It may very well seem like a nightmare...

We’ve reached the final installment of the Resume Your Way to a New Career series. You can go back and read the first two installments on the Career Summary and Key Skills sections of the resume. 

Ahhhhhh! The Achievements section! I love this section! If you've ever wanted to flat-out brag about yourself and your achievements with impunity but without people giving you serious side eyes, this will be your favorite section too. This is also the section for which  I have the hardest time getting clients to give me information. I so often hear “But I don't have any real accomplishments” or “I haven't achieved anything specific that's worth putting on my resume.” Nonsense! You didn't get where you are by doing nothing well and living la vida sans achievements. Yeah, saying you have no specific achievements is as nutty and nonsensical as me mixing 3 languages in that last sentence! You've done stuff. You've even done specific and...

I’m back for the second installment of my Resume Your Way to a New Career series! You can check out the first installment of the Career Summary section here.

It's time to talk about the Key Skills section (KSS) of your resume. This section is where you match your skills against those sought after by your prospective employer. You can't get more straightforward than this section. Your bullet points should be short and clear.

How do you know what to use as bullet points? You get that bullet points from 2 sources, your experience and the description in the posting for the job. Highlight the keywords and phrases in the job description. How do you know which words and phrases are keywords and phrases? Simply look at the words and phrases used to describe the position’s duties and requirements. Then compare those words and phrases to your skills and include the matched skills in your KSS.

Below is an example of a KSS that I used for a legislative analyst...

Hey guys! I'm so excited about this three-part series on resume sections that often aren’t discussed in depth: the Career Summary, Key Skills, and Achievements sections. These sections should serve as highlighters of your career experience and skills. Consider them “career captions” in that they each describe your career and jobs in short snippets.

Let’s be real. A resume is essentially a sales document. It’s your opportunity to unabashedly sell your knowledge, skills, and expertise. This is NOT the time to be shy or humble. Show our prospective employer what you’ve done and how you can be an asset to their company. It’s time to werk it, dahling!

First things first. Your resume should be tailored to the position to which you’re applying. You should have a resume template (or templates, if you’re applying to different types of jobs) and tailor it to each specific position. There’s absolutely no acceptable...