When writing a resume, it’s sometimes easy to get carried away and overlook the basics. With 2020 only three months away, now’s a great time to review your resume to ensure a solid foundation for the new year. 

Update the Basics

Make sure your address and personal information are up-to-date and accurate. While you’re at it, make sure your email address is professional enough to appear on a resume (say goodbye to cooldude420@gmail.com). 

Format Consistently 

Don’t be afraid to italicize or bold your text (like keywords or skills). Just make sure you’re consistent with your formatting choices since formatting mistakes are typically noticeable. A lack of attention to detail is a common and very avoidable resume mistake. 

Keep Your Job History Relevant 

Like most areas of life, it’s important to keep it tight and focused. Learn to edit to ensure you’re only keeping the most relevant and important information on your resume. Remove old jobs or skills that aren’t relevant to the job posting – you’ll need that real estate for other things. 

Use the Best Resume Format For Your Situation 

There are no one-size-fits-all resumes. There are three different types to choose from (reverse-chronological, combination or functional/skills-based). Make sure you select the best option for your career. 

Try a Template 

Gone are the days of plain-Jane resumes. Today’s candidates are crafty and able to produce a sharp-looking resume with great content. Check out these 5 Colorful Resume Templates.

Name Your Files Correctly 

When submitting your resume, ensure you name the file properly (ex – John_Smith_Resume.pdf). It’s likely your document will be collected with a dozen others, if not more, all named ‘resume’. Help the recruiter out by including your name in the file. 

Use Action Verbs

Managed, responsible for, led… These tired works appear on everyone’s resume. 

Stand out by using action-packed verbs like operated, organized, designed, developed, initiated, conserved, etc. 

Save Your Resume as a PDF 

Simple but great advice. Saving your resume as a PDF prevents any formatting issues that may arise when files are exchanged from older to newer software editions or operating systems. 

Quantify Your Accomplishments 

Increasing revenue is a great point on any resume, made better when quantified (ex. Increased sales by 15% year-over-year). Add numbers wherever you can to show the true measure of your worth. 

Proofread! 

Use a proofreading tool like Grammarly, or better yet – have a friend read your resume. Improper verb tenses, spelling mistakes, and formatting issues are all easily avoidable but can be deadly when not discovered.