When you sit down and read your resume, does it paint a picture of who you are? Does it give an idea of what values and gifts you bring to your work life? All of us contribute our own unique
collection of talents and life experiences to our occupations. A resume should illustrate to potential employers not just the education, duties, and responsibilities you’ve taken on, but also your capacity for creative thinking, your problem-solving abilities, and your passions.
Many articles online offer great advice that highlights how to improve your resume. If you plug “how do I make my resume better” into a search engine, you’d come up with a lot of the same results. And some of the most common advice is common because it is excellent! The most effective tips we know follow below, along with All You Branding’s best recommendations for success.
One of the easiest ways to improve the impact of your resume is to use action-oriented verbs. Instead of “was responsible for,” use ”supervised” or “oversaw.” Words like “achieved,” “developed,” “created,” or “designed” are effective. Harvard University has a great online resource with tips and an entire page of action verbs for resumes here.
When you are submitting a resume for a new position, be sure your resume is tailored to the job you want. You wouldn’t showcase the same skills for a management position as you would for a job in data analysis. Review the job description and be sure the skills that are instrumental to the desired position are highlighted prominently in your resume. A professional resume review can be extremely helpful for this! Visit our Services page for more information or to book a consultation.
Don’t just list duties and responsibilities. While it is important to highlight tasks you regularly complete as part of your work, that doesn’t communicate how you show up as a team player at
work. Did you develop a new process for completing a regular duty? Did you notice a need and find a way to meet it? Do supervisors trust you to complete special projects? Did you spearhead
an initiative, group, or collaboration? Make sure you don’t just list the day-to-day, but also the creative or group efforts you’ve undertaken.
And while you’re thinking about ways you’ve innovated, reformed, or diagnosed issues, don’t forget whenever possible to highlight measurable accomplishments. If you came up with a new process, how did it affect business, provision of care or services, or efficiency? Was there an uptick in sales? Did test scores go up? Did data quality improve? Is patient satisfaction on the rise? Use hard numbers—percentages or amounts—whenever possible!
Not sure where to start? All You Branding can help! Our Personal Brand Identification and Career Counseling services will help you put your best face out into the world. Ensure your
brand is uniform and professional across your social media profiles, on your personal website, and in your resume. Be YOU! Learn how to identify and showcase what’s unique about you, and
you’ll be sure to wow the world!
