Tips for Writing a Resume

Making your First Impression

With the Internet dominating recruiting, it is more important than ever to have a perfect resume out there representing you. Your resume is your first impression. No longer can you stand in front of a potential employer and talk him or her into giving you a shot. Today, your resume does the talking for you.

Recruiters look at hundreds of resumes a day and sometimes the smallest mistake can mean the difference between receiving a phone interview or not.

Resume Grammar and Spelling

The spell check function is a useful tool, but it can sometimes miss errors. Always proofread your own work and give it to someone else to review as well. Misspelled words are an indication to a potential employer that you lack attention to detail.

Your current work experience should always be written in the present tense. Previous jobs should be written in past tense. This may seem simple enough, but it is often overlooked.

Tailoring your Resume

If you choose to put an objective on your resume, you should always make sure the objective reflects the job for which you are applying. We often receive resumes for our entry-level Sales Development Program only to discover that the candidate’s objective is to be in sports marketing or some other industry. However, when we read an objective that expresses a desire to be in sales, that person often receives an immediate phone call.

Save Something for the Interview

We know you have a lot of accomplishments, and you want to make sure potential employers read about all of them, but someone just starting their career should limit their resume to a single page. List all relevant accomplishments based on the job for which you are applying and leave the rest for the interview.