Joana Pinzon-Coimbra, Account Executive
Resumes showcase a lot about who you are as an individual, and especially an employee. When writing a resume, you should think of it as a marketing tool to pitch yourself to potential employers. It’s a great way to “brag” about your skills and accomplishments. The point of a resume is to demonstrate your capabilities and show employers what makes you stand out from the rest of the applicants. When composing your resume, make sure to consider these essentials:
- Use Action-oriented Language
Skills and achievements are best highlighted in a parallel structure. Action verbs and phrases should be included to present yourself as a “doer.” Make sure to avoid passive writing. Some examples of good action words are –– informed, developed, adapted, assisted, etc.
- Include Transferable Skills
Employers look for someone with both technical/hard skills and soft skills. Soft skills include strong communication, adaptability and flexibility, work ethic, and more. These abilities can be used from one job to another and can make or break your chances of landing that position you want.
- Showcase Your Strengths
Here’s your chance to shine! However, you need to make sure you don’t overdo it. Make sure to prioritize your advantages and qualifications. What have you done that has given you valuable experience that would help you be a great asset to any company? Any club involvement? Leadership positions? Internships or co-ops? Include all of that information in the sections that highlight your experience. But remember to keep it all in moderation. Your qualifications should be relevant to the job applied for so it all makes sense to the employer.
- Visually Appealing
There are many resume templates to choose from. When writing your own, allow yourself to use formatting strategies that highlight rather clutter. Be consistent with the font, sizes, capitalization, etc. Make sure the margins look appropriate and organized for the layout of your resume. The last thing to do is to print it out and confirm that everything looks the way you want it to. Printing the resume out and handing it to an employer, along with your cover letter, is the best way to guarantee that he/she will see it and consider you as an applicant. Although companies are now accepting electronically downloaded resumes, it still shows importance and prioritization when you go above and beyond expectations.