Your resume is often your first contact with your potential hiring manager. You need to make it spectacular in order to leave a positive impression. Most hiring managers, myself included, usually only spend about 10 seconds or less on each resume. I quickly scan to see if the candidate has the qualifications that I’m looking for. I’m not necessarily looking for the best candidate at this point. I’m only looking for those individuals that meet my minimum standard for an interview. You have 10 seconds to catch my eye. How are you going to do it?

Well, I’ll tell you. Here are ten tips for a solid resume:

1. Make sure that your name and contact info is easily located. I know, this is just like going back to elementary school, but it happens. Either the name is too small that it gets lost in the text or people leave off important information like their email or phone number. I recommend including at least your email and cell number. Remember that you want the hiring manager to be able to contact you as easily as possible by whatever medium they prefer. Also, make sure you test your phone number and email. I’ve tried to call phone numbers before on resumes that were disconnected. Don’t miss the opportunity because you’ve recently changed cell numbers.
2. Use a simple file name. 90% of the time you submit your resume through a website or email. That means the first thing the hiring manager is going to see is the file name for your PDF or Word document. Please make sure it’s something professional. I recommend something simple like “Jake Lindsay Resume 2014-03.” This way a hiring manager can quickly search for your resume on their hard drive and it will pop up. If you name it something like “My Resume,” or “Project Management Resume,” or “3-4-14,” it will be lost forever.
3. Add some color. Don’t go crazy. Find a tactful way to include it to highlight key points like job titles or section headers. It helps guide the hiring manager’s eye to important places on the resume. Most of the resume should still be black and white. It’s easier on the eyes and easier on your printer.
4. Add a logo. Again, keep it simple. I recommend some kind of watermark or simple logo. The easiest thing to do is use your initials. If you are self-employed or own your own business, you might consider using your company logo. Don’t use someone else’s logo. You’re only giving them free advertising.
5. Leave some white space. Leave some space on your margins. Your hiring manager will likely have your resume in front of him or her in your interview. Give them some space to take notes so they can remember the awesome things you’ve done.
6. Create clear section headers. This is where most people go wrong. They try to fit so much onto the page that things tend to get smashed together. Create a clear flow that is consistent throughout the resume. You might consider including lines that go the full length of the page to separate your sections.
7. Align your acronyms. If you want the best chance of getting an interview, make sure to tweak your resume for each individual job that you apply for. Read the job description several times and circle keywords. Then go through your resume and make sure you have all of the same keywords in easy to find places. The first place to start is acronyms. If they have something like HTML/CSS or PMP on the job description, you better have HTML/CSS or PMP on your resume, preferably in a few different places if you want to get called in for an interview.
8. Use results language instead of activity language. In reviewing my clients’ resume I often find that their bullet points describe actions that they performed rather than things they accomplished. Managers are looking for people who don’t just go through the motions. They want people who are going to drive results. For example, instead of “Posted content daily on social media accounts” use “Increased likes on company Facebook page from 2,000 to 200,000 through daily posting and frequent review of social analytics.”
9. Include data points. It’s not enough to say that you’re a team player or have a strong work ethic. Everybody says that. Go the extra mile and prove it to me. Give me some numbers that show how hard you worked. Numbers make your argument more convincing.
10. Set yourself apart. What makes you different from everyone else? Why should I hire you over the next man or woman? If you look like everyone else, then you’ll end up in the reject pile with everyone else. Take some time to gather a list of your wildly successful projects from past jobs. What are a few assignments that you really knocked out of the park, so much so that your manager told their manager about it? Gather your top three to five WSPs and make sure that they are placed in high-profile places throughout your resume. You might even put them right at the top to catch the hiring manager’s attention. Also consider including any awards you may have received like “employee of the month” that show you have a pattern of excellence.

Sometimes we get too attached to our own resumes. Don’t worry. I do it too. They are the product of many years or even decades of work. We’ve been adding new bullet points to them each year as we get a new job or finish degrees. It’s almost too hard sometimes to look at them objectively. We tend to miss typos because we’ve read it so many times. Before you apply to any job, make sure to have at least two or three people look it over. One person should be familiar with the industry that you’re applying to work in. One should be unfamiliar with it. That way you can make sure it’s both accessible and targeted. If you’re ready to spice up your resume, let’s talk.