Resume Do's & Don'ts

When composing your resume, it’s often easy to go into details that are not related to the opportunity.  Dataworkforce has compiled a list of things to include on your resume, along with a number of items to exclude.  When searching for a new opportunity, we want you to be successful and we have some tips to help you stand out against your competition.

Do….

Include contact information. A resume is worthless without it.  Make sure to include a good daytime contact number and an e-mail address.  If it is best to contact you after the standard 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. state this information in your cover letter and provide a good evening contact number.

Bullet your resume. This allows the recruiter to skim through the highlights of your resume.  Dense, wordy and fluffly resumes are a lot harder to read and take more time to review.  Be concise, articulate and state your accomplishments in a orderly fashion.

Use descriptive verbs. Give your resume some life with action words!  Begin each sentence with verbs.  Then, demonstrate your effectiveness with your accomplishments.  Some examples may be:

“Collaborated with the Operations team to streamline processes, which increased productivity by 7%.”

“Implemented a ‘Sales Pipeline’ which described all sales opportunities, the status of each opportunity and provided a status on the company’s progress regarding the various sales initiatives which allowed us to focus on the near term opportunities.”

“Monitored the Customer Service staff calls to ensure quality service was being provided.  This resulted in a company customer service score of 94%.”

State facts. Providing statistics is a great way to demonstrate your skills.  List the number of employees you have supervised, the number of accounts you managed, or provide other statistical data that demonstrates your accomplishments.  Remember, you are selling yourself to employers, and being able to stand out means effectively communicating your accomplishments.

Proofread your resume. Typo’s, misspelling and grammar mistakes are often noted by employers.  If you are not able to successfully put together your resume, how will you stand out from the rest of applicants?

Don’t….

Lie or overstate accomplishments. If a recruiter asks you about a task on your resume, that you may have over-exaggerated a bit, imagine how you will stumble when trying to describe something you haven’t done.  Being confident in an interview is essential to securing a job.  Fumbling through part of it will not leave a good impression.  Set yourself up for success by accurately stating your accomplishments.

Ramble on. Your resume should be 2 pages maximum.  If your resume is longer than that, it would be wise to review it, and ensure each line item is pertinent to the position you are applying for.  Cut out all the extras and focus on the job you are attempting to secure.

Include outside activities. Stay focused on the job description and your experience that is relative to the position.  It’s nice to have hobbies and guess what, we all have them.  Only include your hobbies as part of your resume if it supports your qualifications for the job.

Title your resume, “Resume.” How are recruiters going to be able to find you in their database if your resume is titled, “Resume?”  Use your name and if needed, date it.  That way, you will know your most recent resume, if it’s time to update it and the recruiter will be able to locate it easily when they remember you!