Your resume is a view of you. It’s not the entire view, but rather it’s the view you want hiring managers to know about when seeking an opportunity. You have a page, maybe two to convey why you are a great fit for the job. You have a couple of sentences to grab enough attention that the reader makes it through your one or two pages.
Hiring managers may get a lot of candidate applications. They make judgements quickly on not only if they want to find out more about you but also if they want to read your entire resume. By quickly I mean a few seconds. I typically will spend a little more time reading resumes for internships and entry-level positions because I assume the writer isn’t necessarily skilled at resume writing. However, if right away I see something that doesn’t meet some criteria – like GPA – I’m on to the next one.
Bottom line: you need to grab attention in the first few sentences. If you are updating your resume for the first time in many years, you may have had an “Objective” section at the top of your resume. Here you described the type of work you are looking for. Although you need to have the objective/role in mind when writing your resume, describing this in its own section in prime real estate at the top of your resume won’t hold a hiring manager’s interest. They know you are applying for the open role they posted.
Instead, use a Summary section at the top of your resume. Here is where you will make the case that you are worth considering and that it is a good use of time to read the remainder of your resume. In the Summary (and, you do not have to call it “Summary” – maybe Qualifications or Profile suit you better) state your years of experience, relevant skills and accomplishments, and other information that supports your case for being a great candidate.
In the Experience section, keep your explanations succinct. Explain a challenge you faced, how you solved it, and the results. If you have numbers, great! If not, include awards or positive feedback you received. This section is going to take many edits to whittle down all your relevant experience into short sentences.
Typically, you’ll list your previous roles in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top. For your roles that are not relevant to the current position you are applying for, don’t give these a lot of real estate on your resume. And it’s ok to leave off some of your roles, especially ones from decades ago, unless these are relevant to the role you are seeking.
If you are getting tight on space, and still want to include a list of skills, consider using a horizontal list. A horizontal list looks like this:
Software Engineering | DSP | Embedded Software | Project Management | Process Improvement
Consider tucking your skills in between the Summary and the Experience sections.
In the Education section, it’s up to you if you want to add your graduation year. If you have graduated recently, you may want to add coursework or projects relevant to the role you are seeking. In this section you can also add certifications and other training you may have, such as online courses.
If you have links to projects, code, or samples of your work, include those! If a hiring manager is interested they very well may take the time to check out your work.
For more tips, see Ken Coleman’s post: 16 Resumé Tips That Will Get You an Interview | RamseySolutions.com.
Updating your resume is Step Two of the Q2 Qualified Candidate Framework. If you missed Step One: Get Specific, catch up here: 116: Why you need to get specific (before you update your resume) – Q2 Leader