In my ideal world, I would put sleeping, watching Netflix and being an expert at drinking way too much bubble tea on my resume. Unfortunately, I can’t do that.
There are many things that make up a Girl Boss—for example, leadership, passion, ambition, the list goes on. A resume is a key document that showcases yourself as a badass Girl Boss. Typically, resumes detail your education, past experiences, involvement and skills. It’s basically a TL; DR of who you are.
If I’m being honest, editing my resume was always a chore to me. I hated all of the “action words” and filling in all of the details that seemed tedious. However, when I reframed my resume as a chance to showcase myself as a person and a valuable asset to any team or organization, I started to love editing my resume.
Whether you like them or not, we are all going to need one. Oftentimes, your resume is the first impression that bosses see. You want to make sure your resume is as perfect as possible in order to make sure your full potential shines through.
Resumes are typically one page. The shorter, the better considering no boss is going to spend 20 minutes on your resume. Beyond the just using “action words,” here are some quick tips to improve your resume.
1. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
This is simple, but it cannot be overlooked. The people that are hiring you won’t take particular notice if your resume has perfect grammar and spelling, but they will 100% notice any glaring spelling or grammatical errors. Show the job recruiters that you took the time to review your resume and make it is as perfect as possible. Doing this right gets your foot in the door.
2. Cater your resume to your field.
A resume for a journalist is going to be different from a graphic designer and that resume is going to be different from lawyer. The important thing is to Do. Your. Research. Reach out to advisors and career centers to make sure your resume is appropriate for your given field. Talk to people who are in your field and take note of what is in their resumes.
3. Use resume paper.
Most resumes are going to be submitted digitally, but on the chance that you go in for an interview and/or need a physical copy to submit, take the extra step to print it on resume paper. It’s a small detail, but it shows that you care. It boosts the chances of your employer taking a couple extra valuable seconds to look at your resume, just because the material is different. If you can go just a little bit above and beyond, always take that opportunity.
4. Have other people look it over.
Resumes are basically professional Tinder profiles, and you want it to be as appealing as possible. Your resume can be a very personal thing. It’s a representation of who you are and everything you’ve done. I know that I personally used to be very hesitant about sharing mine with other people because I felt like it wasn’t good enough. Sharing your resume with others shouldn’t be overlooked, though. Having a second pair of eyes go over everything means that they can catch any mistakes or anything that may be awkwardly worded.
5. Customize your LinkedIn link.
You know when you’re trying to sign up with a username and the one you want is taken so you add a weird combo of letters and numbers to the end? Yeah, you don’t want your LinkedIn link looking like that. And if you do need to add numbers, make it as short as possible with the fewest numbers. Make it easy for employers to find you on any social media platform.
6. Make sure you can speak about everything on your resume in detail.
Do not put anything on your resume that you cannot comfortably speak about. If an employer asks you about a specific experience and you can’t explain it well, that will reflect poorly on you. Triple check to make sure you could answer any questions about anything on your resume to set yourself up for success.
7. Check your layout.
You don’t want the format of your resume to be irregular. Make sure all the words are in line and in column and the formatting is consistent.
It may seem like a dread to work on and edit your resume, but think of it as a way to advertise yourself. You are a person made up of many experiences and skills, and your resume is an opportunity to showcase that.
Here’s the important thing to remember: You are never going to be done editing your resume. Your resume is a living, breathing document that will change as you further your career. Just when you think you’re done with your resume, you’re not. There’s always a way to improve the wording of something or add to your experiences. Get working on those resumes!