An effective resume will tell a reader the story of your career. It should not be generic—instead it should be tailored to your industry of choice. Your resume should be clear and should be able to be understood by anyone who reads it. So, how do you write a job-winning resume? Continue below for tips you can implement today to strengthen your resume.
Have a resume header
This section of your resume should be at the very top, and it should include your first and last name. Your full address is no longer needed, listing your city and state is sufficient. Be sure to include a professional email and one phone number. Also include any URLs that showcase your work, like your LinkedIn profile and/or a portfolio. Finally, include a job headline that clearly states the title of the position.
Create a professional profile
This summary clearly states your years of experience, your relevant skills, and the position of interest. The profile should be no more than four to six lines and should focus on what you can bring to the employer.
Highlight your skills
In the areas of expertise section, embed keywords from the job description and showcase your hard and soft skills. For better readability, use bullet formatting. Also, avoid general terms like “dependable” and “hardworking.” Instead, highlight the skills that make you unique.
Clearly state your experience:
Include your current and past roles but keep limit it to the last 10 years. Include the full job title, month, and year in which you held the position(s), and the company name with the city and state. When creating the job duties, use strong action verbs to introduce each one. Focus on relevant skills and responsibilities using industry keywords. Highlight your accomplishments by using quantifiable data (percentages, numbers, and dollar signs) to show your impact.
Showcase your education
Include the type of degree you received and your major. Also, add the month and year of graduation or the anticipated graduation date. Be sure to use the entire University name along with the city and state. You can also highlight special projects, relevant coursework, and your GPA if it’s higher than a 3.5.
Including these essential areas in your resume, along with the following tips, will help you to create a job-winning resume.
The secrets to becoming a resume champion:
- Tell your career story
- Create a tailored resume for the industry
- Resume is clear, concise, and easy to read by anyone
- Resume is free from spelling and grammatical errors
- Use quantifiable data and highlight relevant skills
- No more than two pages (private sector resume) and shows the last 10 years of relevant experience
This information and more was covered in the recent webinar, How to Write a Job-Winning Resume. If you need assistance, check out the career services resume tools. If you are still finding yourself overwhelmed by the resume process, then your UMGC Career Advising Specialists are here to help.
Isa’ Martinez is a Former Career Advising Specialist in the Office of Career Services at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She has over ten years of experience in Higher Education in enrollment services, student and faculty support and career development. She has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University, where she practiced counseling for a year and discovered her passion for career counseling. Isa’ is committed to putting students first, educating students on career services and believes in the power of an education.
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