Let’s face it: resumes are important. They’re your first impression for new prospective employers, and they need to be absolutely perfect. However, the standards for what makes a “good” resume changes a LOT! And an out-of-date resume can easily set you back against other applicants.

Don’t take any risks with your next resume – make sure it’s perfect by following these resume dos and don’ts. 

When it Comes to Your Resume, DO:

-Include a “Summary” statement at the top of your resume. It’s my personal opinion that a summary helps “connect the dots” in the brand story and ALL your different work experiences & highlight YOUR unique strengths & unique selling proposition as a candidate. The goal here is clarity.

-Include a “SKILLS & SPECIALTIES” that list out specific hard and soft skills. My reason for doing this is: many job applications and resumes go through a digital screening software that looks for specific keywords before they even get in the hands (or in front of the eyes) of an actual person. Including these in bullet point or list form also make your skills more clear, and easy to take in – for both human & machine.

–Include a software experience section. This is dependent on your industry, but for the most part, it always helps to include relevant software & platform experience. Again this is valuable for both human and machine – applicant screening softwares may be looking for specific platform experience on candidate resumes, so do yourself a favor and add in any and all relevant tech experience. Examples: marketing software, database management, and project management software, CRM systems.

-Use numbers to quantify your experience. Use numbers as much as possible to give specifics to your Work Experience bullet points. For example, instead of saying, “Helped increase output of my team,” quantify by saying “Increased output by 42% for team of 12 sales leaders.”

-Consider adding in an “Activities” section. Many companies, specifically startups and those with modern company cultures value adding well-rounded employees to their teams. Including some of your outside-of-work interests can help show better culture fit.

-ALWAYS always deliver Resume to employers as PDF, not Word doc. This will ensure that no formatting gets wonky between systems (Word is known to do this between different editions…)

When it Comes to Your Resume, DON’T

–Include your address. This is not necessary, and could actually prevent you from getting interview requests if an employer pre-judges that you live too far away. Include just your city and state if you want to include location.

-Pre-judge your experience. Women are notorious for selling themselves short in the job search process. If you see a job description that piques your interest – that you would LOVE to do? Apply for it! Even if you don’t check ALL the boxes on the job description, it’s okay. Normally those descriptions are just an initial guideline for employers anyways. And if you don’t try, you’ll never know – you may be the EXACT candidate they’re looking for!