Resume Development
How to Create Your Own Resume Bank
- See the example resume bank here: Example Resume Bank
- Download the eGuide: The Resume Bank: A Guide for College Resume Mastery
- Watch the 6-part set of video tutorials on how to design various sections of your resume bank.
Resume Design Tips
Summary of the 5 Key Learnings:
- Resumes with a LinkedIn profile see higher interview rates, but only 48% of resumes included a LinkedIn profile.
- Candidates only included 51% of important keywords and skills, heavily under-indexing on soft skills.
- Measurable metrics improve resume outcomes, but only 26% of resumes included five or more metrics.
- Research show the ideal resume length is 475-600 words, but 77% of resumes fell outside of that range.
- Fluffy content takes away from a resume's value, but 51% of resumes included buzzwords, cliches, or incorrect pronouns.
Skills to List
Most important are hard-skills that are listed in the job description. Technical and software skills are very important. Avoid general software skills that are assumed (e.g., Word, Google searching, PowerPoint). But a few job-relevant soft-skills are important too. Put five or more skills (hard and soft) total, and do not exceed 10.
The 10 Most In-Demand Skills Employers Want to See on Your Resume
Source: CNBC 2023
- Management
- Communication
- Customer service
- Leadership
- Sales
- Project management
- Research
- Analytical skills
- Marketing
- Teamwork
Top 8 Most In-Demand Soft-Skills (And the number of job posts listing that skill)
Source: CNBC 2022
- Communication skills (6.1 million)
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Customer service (5.5 million)
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Scheduling (5 million)
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Time management skills (3.6 million)
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Project management (2.8 million)
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Analytical thinking (2.7 million)
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Ability to work independently (2 million)
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Flexibility (1.3 million)
Resume Mistakes to Avoid
The 8 Mistakes:
- Leaving out important details at the top (portfolios, LinkedIn, media profile, etc.)
- Forgetting a resume summary (highlighting your most important skills setting you up for success in the role and to meet their objectives)
- Including hobbies and references
- Leaving out a skills section (only use about 5 specific skills tailored for each job)
- Inconsistent or busy design
- Describing work experience without impact (What did you accomplish? Use action verbs)
- Ignoring relevant unpaid work (especially for students, internships and volunteer experience are great)
- Using the same resume for every job application (Tailor each one, for quality over quantity!)
The 5 Mistakes:
- Putting the education above the work experience section
- Not showing impact
- Failing to include meaningful metrics
- Not tailoring resume to each application
- Overlooking the small things
The 16 Mistakes:
- Bright graphics
- Avoid infographics
- Avoid columns
- Avoid photographs
- Avoid personal identifiers (unnecessary demographics)
- Unprofessional email addresses
- Full physical addresses
- Irrelevant work history (or anything over 10 years old)
- Jargon
- Excessive education details (unless you are entry level)
- GPA (unless recently graduated and it is very high)
- Internships (unless entry level)
- Avoid references in resume or writing "references available upon request"
- Salary history
- Universal or generic skills
- Generic fluff or cliche jargon (e.g., team player, quick learner, positive attitude)
