Spring Clean Your Résumé

With Spring in full bloom, it may be time to freshen up your résumé, especially if it hasn’t been getting the results you want. Colin Von Liebtag, Assistant Director for Alumni Career Development at the Rutgers University Alumni Association, offers the following tips to improve your job prospects.

1. 1. Prepare to be scanned. Hiring managers use ATS (applicant tracking systems) to scan your résumé for specific keywords and phrases that match the job to which you applied. To keep your résumé out of the reject pile, use language that closely mirrors the job you’re aiming for. That means paying attention to how a job posting is worded and borrowing from it when you describe your experience, job title, qualifications, and skills. This is especially true when you’re applying for a job online and you’re up against hundreds of other applicants.
   2. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Hiring managers are always looking for ways to filter out applicants, so even the smallest typo will signal to them that you lack the necessary professionalism and attention to detail to work at their company. Yet, a recent Career Builder survey found that 58 percent of résumés contain typos. Instead, proofread your résumé meticulously and run it through a spellcheck and grammar checker. Log on to the Alumni Career Services page to get free access to a premium Grammarly account. You should also ask at least one other person to review your résumé before you send it anywhere.
   3. Build a master résumé. You don’t have to create an entirely new résumé every time you apply. Instead, focus on constructing a master, or go-to, résumé. From there you can customize it to whatever position you’re going for. Remember, it’s important to mimic the sequence of responsibilities and skills listed in the job description. Ideally, the experience in your résumé should align with 85 percent of what’s listed in the job description.

Get a free 15-minute virtual résumé review. Sign up for a Coffee Break Critique now to get a professional assessment of your résumé. At each critique, Colin offers personalized résumé tips as well as everything you need to know to prepare your CV for the job you want.

Click here to book an appointment now.