How to Improve Your Resume and Boost Your Chances of Getting a Call Back
Have you applied to many (if not hundreds) of jobs but haven’t heard back? Stop stressing out! Try our tips below to improve your resume today.
Update your resume with relevant work experience only.
Make sure your resume lists your most recent and relevant work experience that’s related to the specific job or field you’re trying to apply for.
Exclude any work experience that doesn’t directly benefit the position you’re applying for. Sure, you might have worked as a lifeguard for three summers in college, but that work experience isn’t going to benefit your job search for a management position in finance.
TIP: Don’t have relevant work experience? Focus on the skills and previous responsibilities that you’ve had that are related to the position you’re applying for. For example: if you have retail experience but want to apply for an admin position, then focus on your customer service skills, organizational skills, and excellent communication skills. These are all skills that will benefit any admin position.
Tailor your resume and cover letter for each and every position you’re applying for.
It seems tedious, but it’s actually necessary. Employers can tell when you’re sending out your resume en-mass to everyone and their mothers. Like you, employers don’t appreciate being just another nameless cog in the machine.
Tailoring your resume can be as simple as matching the job listing’s keywords. Is XYZ Company seeking an Administrative Specialist? Then make sure your resume also says Administrative Specialist — not Administrative Assistant.
You should also tailor your cover letter accordingly. If a job listing asks for a cover letter, then don’t skip it. Offering a cover letter will show that you can follow their directions and that you care enough about the job to explain why you want that specific job.
TIP: In your cover letter, you should offer one or two things that you like about the company. This shows that you’ve done your research, and you’re not just applying to a million other nameless companies out there.
Limit your resume to one page only.
Unless you’re applying for a highly advanced position, you should limit your resume to one page only.
Employers don’t have the time nor desire to read a multi-page resume. In fact, most hiring managers merely glance at your resume before deciding on whether or not to add you to the YES or NO pile. Don’t waste their time with multiple pages when one page will suffice.
TIP: Think of your resume as a brief and concise showcase of your qualifications. The interview process is where you discuss your qualifications in detail.
Update your resume’s design.
A well-designed resume can capture an employer’s attention.
Your resume doesn’t need to look like it was designed by a professional graphic designer. However, your resume should look simple, direct, and yet pleasing to the eye. It shouldn’t look like you just opened Microsoft Office and pounded away at the keyboard without giving a second thought to your resume’s layout or font choices.
Our design tips:
Put your name at the top of the resume. Include the position you’re applying for as well as your contact details. Make it super easy for employers to find your contact details if they want to call you.
Use bold headings to separate each section of your resume.
Make sure job positions are in bold.
Use legible fonts like sans-serif or serif. Avoid hand-written or script fonts.
Utilize white space. Make sure there’s enough space between each section so that your resume doesn’t look like a large jumble of text.
Use colors very sparingly. It’s fine to use a legible color (like blue or navy) for your headers but otherwise, limit your colors. Too many colors are merely distracting, and they might not print well. You want your resume to look great even if it’s printed in black and white.
TIP: We recommend sticking to black font color on a white background. It's legible and printable. A resume using colors might not read or print as well — especially if the employer is using black toner.
Leave your references off your resume.
There’s no need to add references to your resume, or to add “References available upon request” to your resume. It’s automatically assumed that you’ll provide references if requested.
TIP: Before every interview, have your references ready on a printed document that includes your reference's name, job title, company name, phone number, email, and their relationship to you. Try to use professional references only if possible.
Get a second pair of eyes on your resume.
If possible, ask someone to help review your resume — preferably someone who has experience with resumes.
When you’ve worked on one document for so long, it’s hard to catch spelling or grammatical errors because your brain has auto-corrected them in your head. Getting a second person to review your resume will help eliminate spelling or grammatical errors. As a bonus, the second person might be able to recommend improvements for your resume, too.
TIP: Don’t have anyone to help review your resume? Leave it alone for a day. Then come back and look at your resume with fresh eyes. This will help you catch any last-minute mistakes that you might have missed previously.
Have your resume available in different formats – PDF & Microsoft Word.
You should always send PDF copies of your resume and cover letter unless otherwise specified. A PDF format will preserve your resume’s formatting much better than a Microsoft Word format. Also, a PDF format is usually smaller, easier, and safer to send electronically than a Microsoft Word format.
However, it’s helpful to have different formats of your resume available in case the employer prefers a different format (e.g. Microsoft Word). Also, an MS Word format will be useful if you have to copy and paste your resume onto an employer’s electronic application.
TIP: It's tedious to have to fill out an electronic job application as well as submit your resume, but you must follow all directions exactly, or you risk jeopardizing your application as being incomplete.
Save your resume’s file name as “Resume of [YOUR NAME] [JOB POSITION] [COMPANY]”.
You’ll thank yourself later for labeling your resume’s file name in such a specific and efficient manner. This allows you to easily locate a specific resume for when you receive a callback for an interview request.
As an added bonus, this will allow employers to easily identify your resume from the masses. A resume with a file name of “John Smith Finance Manager XYZ Company” is preferable to “John Smith Resume”.
This also allows employers to track your resume easily. “Resume of John Smith Finance Manager XYZ Company” is preferable to “John Smith Resume”. It saves the employers’ time from having to open and reread your resume to see which position you’re applying for.
TIP: Using a specific file name for your resume will also make you look more professional and efficient.
Happy job hunting! We hope these tips will be useful for you.
As always, at MetroWest Staffing, we’re here to help. If you’re struggling with your job search, get in touch. We’ll be happy to help you find the perfect job for your skillset, and we’ll even help you polish your resume and prepare for your job interview!
