Resume Tips

 While competing with others in today's job search it is essential to have a resume that will maximize your potential. Review the points below to see if your resume measures up.

PSA: If you are one of millions of people looking for work and haven't received a call-back for an interview, the problem could be YOU, not the company. Maybe you need a resume makeover. Here are a few general tips....

1. Avoid language that may identify your age, race/nationality, religion, or parental status. You may be setting yourself up for discrimination. Some companies don't like to hire folks with kids or people who are over age 40. Let your experience speak for you.

2. Don't add education you haven't received yet, unless you are within a semester or two of being done and the job you are applying for requires it. Sometimes, the more education you have, the less likely you are to get a call-back. You are considered "over-qualified."

3. Don't use resume templates. They can mess up if you have to upload to a company's website. Most company's want you to upload your resume, not submit a paper resume or application. Design your own resume.

4. Don't give employers your "freakygirllover@email.com" email address. Use something simple as your email address like your name@email.com.

5. You do not need a 3-page resume! Condense it to 1-2 pages and only include the important stuff. A person's attention span can't handle 3 pages.

6. If you graduated college, who cares that you went to Backyard High School? There's no need to include high school information, unless that's all you have.

7. PROOFREAD YOUR RESUME! It will get thrown in the trash if it has misspellings, grammar issues, different fonts, etc.

8. If you have an online portfolio of your work, include the website in your resume header. This is a great way for employers to see what you can do before they bring you in for an interview. This works best for photographers, web designers, writers, etc.

9. Make your resume reflect the job you are applying for. You can't send a cookie-cutter resume to 100 different types of companies.

10. Don't post dumb stuff on your FB or LinkedIn page. Employers like to search these sites to see what kind of person you are and if you might be a good fit for their company. If all you talk about is booty-shaking and gettin' high, consider yourself still unemployed. You never know who's watching!!

Special Thanks to Sharon D. Smith who allowed this post from her Facebook page to be shared on this blog. 

Sharon D. Smith is the author of Love and Liberation (2007) Strapped (2009), and Still Strapped (2011). She is also the founder and chief editor for Seven Stages Publishing House, LLC. She is the publisher on record for Fina's You Think You Know and has worked with other Atlanta writers as well. Sharon has a BA in English from Ga. State University (2002), an MA in Organizational Management from Univ. of Phoenix (2005), an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Univ. of Phoenix (2012), and is currently a Ph.D. student in I/O Psychology at the Univ. of Phoenix. Sharon is currently working on the establishment of a non-profit organization to assist men and women who are fighting breast cancer.