Man Confidently Hits Send on Worst Job software Company Has Ever Seen is probably my favoritearticle from The Onion.
For instance, my first professional resume in college was a train wreck.
I lacked any work experience sans a server job.
Students walk to class at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
I had no idea how I was supposed to fill an entire page.
I used a lot of white space, clashing fonts, different verb tenses you name it.
And then there was another time, one far more recent than Id like to admit.
There, headshots are required on resumes.
Both of those examples are huge no-nos, according to the career experts I spoke to.
Below are other key areas that college students and early career professionals fumble on.
(But even if youre well into your career, this advice applies.)
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But what you might have is some part-time work and volunteer experience.
Learning how to talk about your experience constructively is key.
Well, you didntjustwash dishes.
says John Sheehy, a career adviser at Stetson UniversitysOffice of Career and Professional Development.
You were actually maintaining sanitation to specific state and federal guidelines.
Just a Jimmy Johns driver?
Just a baby sitter?
Wait a minute, there are transferable skills there, says Shouse.
You were a baby sitter?
Someone trusted you with their child.
The same goes for other side gigs like grass-cutting and au pair programs that students frequently overlook.
Study abroad trips, relevant coursework and volunteer experience are fair game, too.
1 deficiency for [early career professionals] is the inability to properly articulate their skills, Sheehy says.
Theres a reason youre there to do that [job].
Think about why your old job exists and identify the key areas that you had responsibility over.
If you want bonus points, give a shot to quantify some positive outcomes.
Showcase your skills, says Shouse.
Dont just list them.
Quantifying the data is always a wonderful thing, Sheehy adds.
Its a loophole that most students arent doing enough of.
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Keep Your Format Clean
Rule of thumb: Simple is better.
And just, no photos.
I had one student put their family picture on the resume, which was interesting, Sheehy says.
Another student had a picture of her pet.
It was a dog.
If youre feeling lost, a simple business resume template is a good place to start.
ensure your bullet points align, verb tenses agree and dates are all to one side.
Look up examples of resumes for the industry youre interested in and compare.
If your resume looks drastically different, consider changing it.
The exception is if youre applying to a graphic design or creative industry, Sheehy says.
But 99% of the time you should probably follow the standardized procedures.
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If this is your first time hearing about ATS, youre not alone.
Seniorresume writerEric Burch says many of his clients arent aware of it.
Burch is also a Reddit moderator forr/Resume, which offers free resume advice from the community and screened professionals.
He highly recommends writing resumes with the ATS in mind.
So what should you do?
Shouse recommends using similar language to the job listing.
Compare the job description to your resume, she says.
What words are they using?
Are you using those words?
But dont over do it.
Make it flow naturally.
And at the end of your resume, nix the references available upon request line.
Its antiquated and takes up space.
Instead, Burch recommends including your LinkedIn profile URL.
Dont Write a Book
Keep it short.
Your resume should only be one page long.
The employer doesnt need to know your life story yet.
Save the stories for your cover letter and interview.
Theres no reason we shouldnt have just a one-page document, Sheehy says.
you’re free to get more concise that way.
Focus on the core aspects of each job and tailor your resume accordingly.
This may require making multiple versions of your resume.
Whatever you do, dont just send out the same one to every employer.
Shouse recommends keeping a master resume, or a document that has all of your work experience.
Six seconds… are they really going to make it to the next page?
With every rule, there are exceptions, of course.
In that case, throw in away.
Otherwise, most U.S. businesses expect a one-page resume of your most relevant work experience.
You brew coffee at home, you dont walk into Target and you refuse to order avocado toast.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
In the software, I referred to the organization as a non-for-profit.
I didnt realize the mistake until I re-read it a few days later after no reply.
Not even an automated response.
You might get excited when you see a perfect job pop up on Indeed.
The more eyes you have on it, the better.
Everyones going to read it a little differently, Shouse says.
But whenyouread it, your brain doesnt register [the typo].
So heed Shouses advice.
Dont end up like me or the guy from The Onion article.
Adam Hardy is a reporter, editorial assistant on the Jobs Team at The Penny Hoarder.
He lives off a diet of stale puns and iced coffee.
Read hisfull bio here, or say hi on Twitter@hardyjournalism.
