Job seeker webinar: 10 things to remove from your resume right away

There is not much time for job seekers to make a great impression with their resumes. Job seekers have around six seconds to impress recruiters with their resumes if they expect to become potential job candidates. Part 1 of this three-part webinar series, 10 things to remove from your resume right away, informs recent college graduates and career changers of 10 things to eliminate from their resumes to improve their job searches. This webinar also provides resume tips and advice when applying for jobs.

This three-part webinar series features Amanda Augustine (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchamanda), Career Management Expert who helps recent college graduates and accomplished professionals reach their full career potential. The webinar is moderated by Andrea McEwen Henderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreamcewen), former National Account Manager for College Recruiter.

Key takeaways:

• When you only have six seconds to make the right impression, make every word on your resume count.
• Create an email using a provider like Gmail reserved exclusively for your job-search and networking activities.
• Choose one phone number for your resume where you control the voicemail, who picks up the phone, and when.
• Your resume needs to get past two sets of gatekeepers: an entry level HR sourcer and an electronic one known as an applicant tracking system (ATS). Keep this in mind when editing your resume.
• Craft your resume with your target job in mind. When describing your experience and skills, highlight the most relevant information based on job goals.
• Consider the top third of your resume to be a snapshot explaining what type of role you’re targeting and why you’re qualified for it.

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How do you highlight certain information? Am I actually highlighting or bolding it in the resume?

It’s really about what you choose to point out or not to point out. Consider putting in boldface keywords to emphasize your skill set. Use bullet points for bragging points.

What are the most common mistakes people make with their resumes?

Don’t treat your resume as a recipe, writing out every ingredient. Instead of writing out everything you can do or have done in the past, write what is most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

I want to target several different types of jobs – does that mean I need several different versions of my resume?

While you could write multiple versions of your resume, you still have one LinkedIn Profile. Pick a target career area where you can apply for different jobs. Make a concrete set of job goals as a foundation for an effective job search. Consider informational interviews to pinpoint a specific career area; write one base resume and tweak it for various roles.

What if I don’t know what type of job I want to target?

You are not alone. Think about what you liked and didn’t like about certain college courses and/or internships you had as a starting point for your job search. Find people whose careers interest you and ask for informational interviews; they are great for networking and learning more about a career field.

Amanda Augustine is a Career Management Expert who helps recent college graduates and accomplished professionals reach their full career potential. Her goal is to get professionals into the right jobs sooner through personalized job search and career guidance. Amanda offers consulting, speaking engagements, and training sessions to all professionals ready to advance their careers. Follow Amanda on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JobSearchAmanda, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchamanda, at http://www.jobsearchamanda.com/, or on The Ladders.com at http://www.TheLadders.com/AskAmanda.