Include a Summary vs. Objective
The Summary or Objective section is typically the first part of any resume, and it’s important to start with a good opening.
We generally recommend including a Summary vs. Objective. Although including your Objective will give a Hiring Manager a sense of your intentions and desired career path, it often times doesn’t answer the key question “What’s in it for them?”. A Summary section typically will. However, if you need to explain a career shift, we’d recommend including an Objective vs. Summary.
Write your resume with your audience in mind. Do your research and find out what matters to the Hiring Manager, so you can include that information within your summary section. When a Hiring Manager is going through your resume, they’re trying to find out why they should hire you and why would you be a good addition to their team. Often times there are clues to what they’re looking for in the job description itself. The company you’re applying for may also have a Careers blog where they talk about what they look for in a candidate.
Work Experience Matters More Than Education
Put Work Experience before Education. A lot of resumes our recruiters come across from recent grads will include Education near the top, right after the Summary or Objective section.
It’s advantageous for you to include it after the Work Experience section. Hiring Managers are more interested in your practical work experience than what you’ve learned at a university. It’s the difference between theory and practice. In school you learn concepts, but you often aren’t held accountable for applying them until you are in an actual work setting.
New Grads are often told they don’t have enough experience. The struggle they often face is getting experience if no one gives them a chance. Internships, volunteer and freelance work may be a way to build up some relevant work experience. Transferable experience is also good. If you worked in the retail or hospitality industry, you have customer service skills. You’ve probably have problem solving skills and have dealt with conflict resolution in stressful situations. Think about what skills are applicable in your new role and emphasize those.
Formatting & Length
Use a good template that doesn’t get too fancy. Pick a font that’s easy to read. Make sure your margins don’t move by exporting to a PDF. With a stack of 50 resumes to review, a Hiring Manager will appreciate a neat, well organized and easy to read resume over ones with images and harder to read fancy fonts.
A good rule of thumb is one page for every 10 years of work experience. As a new graduate, one page is your limit. Be specific, intentional and concise. If you’re running out of room, select the most relevant experience and skills to the job you’re applying for and leave the rest out.
Check for Typos
Don’t forget to spell check and grammar check! Have someone review your resume. You have been working on it for hours and probably creating multiple drafts, you may not catch typos as easily as a fresh set of eyes.
Include Quantifiable Information
It’s advantageous for you to include figures within your resume to give prospective employers an idea of scale so they can gauge how much experience you have. They may have internal KPIs, so sharing performance metrics can help illustrate that you have a track record of success in previous roles.
Were you a team lead? If so, how many people were you supervising? Did you respond to emails or tickets? If so, about how many per day? Were you in charge of a cash register or keeping track of sales? About how much were you responsible for keeping track of? Did you have defined quotas, goals or objectives in previous roles? Were you able to meet them on a regular basis?
Looking to Relocate
So you just graduated and you’d like to get a job somewhere else. This is a common desire. Something to help you get your dream job in a different city is to put that city on your resume and LinkedIn profile. I would only recommend this to job seekers who’ve already
seriously thought about moving to another city because your prospective employer may want you to start right away. They may also want to bring you in for an in-person interview. Not all companies will sponsor your travel costs, so travel costs are something you should factor in if you’re applying for jobs in a different city.
Bonus: Cover Letter Tips
Although most employers nowadays do not require a cover letter with your resume, it’s important to know how to write one if they do. A cover letter is like a personal essay on your work experience and why you think you are the best fit for the job. Summarize your unique value proposition, why you want to work for the company and how you could help them further their mission, vision and goals.
Keep it short and sweet. The Hiring Manager may be going through a lot of resumes and cover letters, so try to be concise and memorable. A cover letter is also a good place to highlight your personality. If your prospective employer requires it, they may also be trying to gauge culture fit/add, so it’s an opportunity to tell them a little bit more about yourself.
2 reasons you should consider including a cover letter even if it’s not required:
- If you need to explain gaps in employment or short stints at different companies – Many recruiters and hiring managers may see red flags go off at long breaks between positions and short-term, non-contract roles can be off putting to some. Including a cover letter that directly addresses these concerns puts you back in the race.
- If you need to explain a shift in your career. If you’re trying to shift from being a Graphic Designer to a Software Engineer, you may want to provide some context behind the shift.
Cover letter alternatives:
- LinkedIn Profile.
- Your portfolio or website. It’s helpful to include links to your GitHub and Stack Overflow profiles if you’re a Developer or Behance and Dribble if you’re a Graphic Designer.
- Google and Social Media. Google yourself and see what comes up. If there are things posted that you don’t want seen by prospective employers, you may want to make your social media profiles private or take down certain images and content.
