Career Resources

Career Resources

Why Your Resume Isn’t Working

Posted May 16, 2013 & filed under Resume

Why Your Resume Isn’t Working

You’ve probably heard the term “resume black hole” before, and unfortunately it’s no joke. With hiring managers spending mere seconds per resume, we’re willing to bet that for every 10 resumes you send out, just half are being glanced at, and only one or two are being read thoroughly.

The problem is clear: The reason your resume isn’t working out is because it doesn’t stand out. We’re not suggesting you pretty it up with fancy fonts, high-res selfie-photos, or fluorescent colors. Instead, we suggest you abide by the following tips:

1. Embrace the white space
The more text you have on a page, the less chance each word has of being read. A simple concept, right? Yes, you want to highlight all your responsibilities and achievements, but we don’t need a detailed run-down of your day-to-day schedule for the last 10 years. Be concise and minimize the amount of text you have on a page. The correct balance of white space to text should help increase the time a hiring manager spends reading your resume.

2. Highlight important points, but don’t go overboard
Bolding, italicizing, capitalizing… None of these are inherently bad but if you start using these tools on every line, your resume is sure to end up in the trash. Make sure you’re highlighting only the important facts; your job title, skills, and education are just a few examples.

3. Focus on achievements rather than responsibilities
It’s great that you were responsible for a team of 50, but that fact alone says nothing about your successes or achievements with that team. Instead, briefly explain how you lead a team of 50 to successfully execute a critical project before the deadline and under budget. Get the idea?

4. Keywords, buzzwords, and all that jazz
Using keywords in appropriate places can help you get past any software a company may use to screen resumes, but packing your resume full of jazzy buzzwords (such as “innovative,” “effective,” “problem solver,” “exceed expectations,” etc.) is a resume fail. These words are ultimately empty of meaning and take up space you could be using to actually explaining your accomplishments.

5. The danger of templates
There are a million samples and templates out there for you to follow when crafting your resume, but you want to make sure that your final layout is the right choice for you and your career. Is your design conservative and traditional or contemporary and unique? It depends entirely on you, your profession, and what type of company you’d like to work for. Don’t be afraid to break out of the mold a little in order to stand out (but again, stay away from fancy fonts, selfies, and fluorescent colors!).