Top 20 Secrets To Create a Standout Resume

When you apply for a job online, you're competing with about 200 other resumes. Sometimes the gatekeeper is an Applicant Tracking System (aka picky robot) that screens out resumes using keywords and algorithms. Little details can determine whether or not you get the interview. Some hiring managers will ditch your resume if you don’t know the 20 resume secrets below. Even worse, the Applicant Tracking System may screen you out before your resume is even seen by a real person (damn robots...). Beat the pesky robots with these 20 secrets.

1. Make sure everything on your resume is related to the job.
2. Include your contact information on every page.
3. Go matchy-matchy. Use the same look, feel, font, etc on your resume and cover letter. Think like this: resume, cover letter (and anything else you are submitting!) is one cohesive package.
4. Your font should be at least 12 pt. Don’t make the recruiter squint.
5. If you think your font is boring, you’re using the right one. Arial and Times New Roman are always a good idea.
6. Your resume should be one page if you have under 10 years’ experience. Two pages (max) if you have over 10 years’ experience.
7. Your resume should include at least 5 keywords from the job description.
8. Formatting matters. Make sure all bullets are aligned neatly.
9. Instead of job duties, the bullets under each job title should be what you accomplished in that job.
10. Use Key Performance Indicators in your descriptions whenever you can. Go from ‘grew business’ to ‘grew business by 10% over two years’.    
11. Only include hobbies and volunteer activities if they are related to the job.
12. Exclude graduation dates. No one needs to know how old you are.
13. Too many acronyms end up meaning nothing. If you’re using an acronym the recruiter may not recognize, spell it out. PMP, CPA, CMA, SHRM, CPHR, MBA, OMGGGG
14. Exclude your street address. No one is sending you a letter.
15. That intro paragraph is your ‘Profile’ not ‘Objective’.
16. Your profile is your elevator pitch. Write it last because it will probably be the hardest part.
17. Excluding some information is not lying. Your resume is a short marketing document. It’s not realistic to include everything.  
18. Don’t include a photo. That’s weird.
19. ‘References Available Upon Request’ isn’t really a thing anymore.  Don't include this.
20. There are no ‘official rules’ or ‘one size fits all solution’ when it comes to your resume. Use common sense. If you don’t have any, or have a limited supply, hire me.

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❥ ABOUT SHAUNA COLE

Hi, I’m Shauna.

I want to help you get the job of your dreams, no matter your race or where you’re from. I know first-hand that racism shows up in the workplace in lots of ways. It’s the hiring manager who uses the n-word. It’s the colleagues who make off-colour remarks because they think I’m white, like them. It’s those vague but powerful prejudices that run like currents below the surface of office politics. 

It's f***wrong. But so is perpetuating the dishonesty that bias is history. So I’ve taken everything from my personal and professional experiences to create programs that confront racism head-on to move the dial for BIPOC people. If BLM has taught us anything, it’s that pretending racism doesn’t exist is one of the most dangerous attitudes of all. 

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