Resumes: 5 Ways to a Great First Impression

It’s been said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression! Your first time meeting someone is very important, but what if I told you as a job seeker, you have two chances to make a first impression? Your first impression with your potential employer is key to helping you land the job. Think about it. Your potential employer see hundreds, if not thousands of candidates. What makes you different than the rest of them? Job seekers must make powerful first impressions to stand out from the crowd! The first opportunity that you have as a job seeker to make an outstanding first impression is your resume.

Resumes are arguably, the single most important part of the hiring process. Without it, you cannot land the interview that will land you the job.

Here are my top five ways to make an excellent first impression on your resume:

Plain Vanilla Won’t Cut It: How do you stand out in a market of the largest pool of unemployed people in decades? It’s really simple…. Be different. Put in the extra effort that others won’t, by creating a resume that is different in appearance and content.

Follow the Unwritten Rules: There are tons of rules that you should adhere to, but a few are vitally important: Ensure that everything on your resume is truthful; don’t take up two pages when it can be written on one; and don’t abbreviate or use acronyms.

Be Specific: No one likes a story without the specifics. It’s no fun. Don’t just say that you increased sales last year. Rather, say that you increased sales 15% to produce the best year in company’s history. Your experience should make the reader say “wow”.

Know your Audience: Tailor your resume to the job for which you are applying. Submitting a technical resume to company that is looking for managers doesn’t help.

Value your Real Estate: Don’t waste the space that you have on the 8.5 x 11 paper with useless things like references. If they really want a reference, you can provide it to them separately. Instead, use all of your space to explain why they should hire you instead of the other candidate.