10. Redesigned layout to be more recruiter and ATS-friendly
"While it may be tempting to jazz up the design of your résumé, it's important to remember that recruiters are accustomed to looking for certain pieces of information in specific areas of a résumé document," Augustine said. "The less time a recruiter spends hunting for information on your résumé, the more likely you are to make it to the next stage of the hiring process."
Augustine said that applicant tracking systems — the bots that scan your résumé and decide if you're a good fit for the position — tend to have trouble reading and parsing résumé information when it doesn't follow a traditional layout.
To solve this, Joe streamlined Lucy's résumé overall so that recruiters and hiring managers may review information quickly.
"With clearer headings and more organized content, it will also play well with the ATS software," Augustine said.
9. Eliminated GPA from Education details
"At this point in Lucy's career, her education takes a back seat to her real-world experience," Augustine said.
As a result, Lucy's education is listed at the bottom of her résumé and her GPA is eliminated entirely.
"Once you're no longer a recent college graduate, there's no reason to list your GPA on your résumé," Augustine said.
8. Used bullet points to call attention to results and contributions
Lucy's old résumé used bullets to format all the information listed in her Work History section. While this practice isn't uncommon, Augustine said it doesn't make for a visually-appealing résumé.
To make Lucy's résumé more aesthetically pleasing and still informative, Joe restructured each job under her Work History section into two parts:
1. A short blurb that describes her position.
2. A few bullets that call out the information employers care most about like key contributions and achievements.
7. Removed internships from Professional Experience section
Now that Lucy is no longer an entry-level professional, Augustine said there's no need to reference her internships on her résumé.
"Your college internships, while valuable, will only serve you during your first year or two after graduation," she said. "After that, employers will look to your most recent work experience to gauge your fit for their open position."
6. Created an Areas of Expertise section
Joe also created an Areas of Expertise section that is full of relevant keywords and technical proficiencies.
"Not only will this section make it easier for a recruiter to quickly scan the top of Lucy's résumé and get a good sense of her capabilities, but it will also help her application make it past the electronic filters, known as applicant tracking systems, that pre-screen applications before they are passed on to HR for review," Augustine said.
5. Reinforced bilingual skills at the top
"Language skills are often considered a valuable selling point in the job market," Augustin said. "If you speak more than one language, be sure to highlight this information on your résumé."
To emphasize Lucy's bilingual skills, Joe added them to her professional summary, in addition to the Education and Credentials section to ensure a recruiter won't overlook these highly marketable skills.
4. Developed her professional summary
Crafting the perfect elevator pitch is an important way to sell yourself as a job seeker.
"Regardless of your profession, everyone becomes a marketer when it's time to look for work," Augustine said. "And your résumé will become a key part of your personal marketing campaign."
Joe created a professional summary at the top of Lucy's résumé that summarized her qualifications for the reader. In addition to highlighting her most marketable and relevant skills, this professional summary reframes Lucy's experience and sets the tone for the rest of the résumé, Augustine said.
3. Made job goals clear
Since Lucy held several different positions over the past few years, Augustine said her job goals weren't obvious at first glance of her old résumé.
Joe added a professional title and subhead to the top of her new résumé to clearly spell out her immediate goals and set the stage for her professional summary.
2. Removed street address
"Gone are the days when you're required to include your full mailing address at the top of your résumé," Augustin said.
In fact, she said that many security-conscious professionals intentionally remove this information out of fear of identity theft.
If you're searching for a job close to home, Augustine suggested including your city, state, and zip code at the top of your résumé and excluding your street address. Otherwise, it's best to leave the entire thing off.
1. Added LinkedIn profile
Lucy already had a LinkedIn profile, but she hadn't added this information to her résumé.
Joe made sure Lucy customized the public URL for his LinkedIn profile to include her name before adding it to her new résumé.
"LinkedIn is not only a great place to build your personal brand and make connections in your field, but employers expect to find you on there," Augustine said.
She pointed to a Jobvite survey, which found that about 90% of employers use LinkedIn to search for and evaluate job candidates.
Source: Business Insider India