3 Ways to Make Your Resume Look Brilliant

If you’re a recent college graduate, you’re probably looking for work.

According to data conducted for The Associated Press, half of young college graduates in 2012 were unemployed or underemployed. This issue could be compounded if recent graduates don’t have enough experience to get a job in their fields, which brings us back to that classic conundrum: You can’t find a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job.

That’s not always necessarily true, though. In fact, if you spice up your resume, you might realize you have more experience than you once thought or have acquired more skills than you previously realized.

Here are three ways to make your resume reflect the most awesome version of yourself.

1.) Keep your resume as concise and neat as possible

If your resume is super long or cluttered, it doesn’t matter what’s in it: The employer is going to move on. While there’s debate on one-page resumes vs. two-page resumes (three or more is generally considered too much), it really depends on your field and your level of experience.

The point is: Keep it concise. Employers aren’t interested in your entire life story. They just want to know if you’re right for the company and, more specifically, the job. Also, neatness counts when it comes to resumes. Your resume should strike a balance between being too flashy and too plain. There are plenty of resources online and templates for a great looking resume. Something as simple as the right font and symmetry go a long way in impressing a potential employer.

Once you’ve chosen a design for your resume, Purdue Online Writing Lab suggests getting someone to look at it for 20 seconds (the 20 second test) and see what they learned about you. Ideally, get someone who doesn’t know you well.

2.) Maximize all of your experience and education

Maybe you’ve only done unpaid internships or irrelevant on-campus jobs. So what? List them and don’t just list the job duties: List which skills you acquired through the tasks you performed. Think about it: If you were a waiter while in business school, your interpersonal skills are through the roof.

Don’t list rate of pay (or lack thereof) with either paid or unpaid work. According to Lynn Friedman, Ph.D. in the Washington Post, it’s a mistake to differentiate between paid and volunteer experience on your resume.

Friedman wrote, “Employers care most about what you can do for them — not where you acquired the skill or whether you were paid to learn it. Describing experience as a volunteer is a way of minimizing it, especially in a society where some measure self-worth by the size of their paychecks.”

Of course, don’t lie about pay if asked, either.

While you’re at it, flaunt the heck out of that bachelor’s degree. If completing that degree program looks more impressive than any internship or job you’ve had, put it toward the top. If you did a big school project or won an academic award, mention it. Academics don’t just show you’re good at school but that you’re able to successfully complete a number of complex tasks over the course of a few years. That’s an ability any employer can benefit from.

3.) Use active verbs and appropriate language

The use of passive verbs in your resume is boring, whereas active verbs capture the employer’s attention.

Use words like “oversaw” and avoid phrases like “The job included…” or “My responsibilities were…”. You can have a fantastic resume design and relevant work experience but lose the employer with dull language. It’s like an advertisement with stellar production and lame content. There needs to be both in a resume.

Some in the recruiting industry suggest analyzing the wording in the job description and mirroring it. For example, if a specific job posting is looking for “a dynamic self-starter with a commitment to innovation,” consider customizing your resume for this particular potential employer using the terms “self-starter,” “dynamic” and “innovation.” You can also check the company’s website for the corporate mission statement and the “about us” page to find more buzzwords the company’s human or automated resume screener may be on the lookout for.

While it may seem like a lot of work to customize every resume to the employer’s liking, taking the extra time to do this could mean the difference between getting the job and staying unemployed or underemployed. If your resume and cover letter look recycled, then those documents may be trashed, digitally speaking.

Follow these three tips and your days of searching might be over. Imagine: No more job postings, no more stressful networking events. Just a beautiful resume and a sweet paycheck. Oh, the glory.

About the Author:

Jon Fortenbury is an Austin-based freelance writer who specializes in higher education. He’s been published by the likes of the Huffington Post and AOL.com and has visited nearly 50 college campuses (for fun). He is also a contributor at Schools.com. Check out his life-changing blog.