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Make Your Resume Stand Out

By Terry Stroup


It's amazing what a well-written and nicely presented resume can do for your job search. Before you send yours out, follow these tips to ensure you are sending out an excellent quality representation of yourself.

List things backwards - An important thing you should keep in mind is to start from the latest information and then move backwards. Start from your recent education and mention the subjects studied at your college, school, courses, etc. Similarly, start from the latest job responsibilities you are holding.

Punctuation - Check for proper use of commas and semi-colons. Again, if you are unsure, refer to the Gregg Reference Manual.

Get focused - Nothing kills a resume like being to general. Showcase the skills that apply to a specific job role. If you want to apply for multiple positions, then make multiple resumes. Do NOT make a resume that you want to try to use across multiple industries and jobs.

Consistency - You must be consistent with your number usage (dates, money, numbers), plurals, and abbreviations. For example, don't list one date as 8/2004 and then list another date as 3/15/2004. Also, be aware of listing software consistently (abbreviation use). MS Word and Microsoft Outlook are both correct, but not consistent.

Hyperlinks - All e-mail and web addresses that you list need to be deactivated in your resume. To do this in MS Word, highlight the link, go to the "Insert" drop down menu, scroll down to and click "Hyperlink", and on the lower left-had side of this screen there should be a little button that says "Remove link", when you find it, give it a little click and voila! Alternatively, you can highlight the link, right click on it, and scroll down to "remove link" to deactivate the link.

Whatever you do, don't blend in to the rest of the resumes on the stack. Use powerful language, color, and stories to stand out. Trust me, the person reading it does not care too much about exact dates and section headings. Tell them a story and appeal to their senses, interests, or whatever you can. Strike a chord with them and they will strike a deal with you.




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