Free Resume Writing Help – How to Improve Your Resume by Understanding Some Simple Resume Facts
Let’s start at the beginning. Whenever people ask me for some free resume writing help, what they are often really saying is that they don’t have a clue where to begin in the first place. Oh, sure, they have their employment history all written out, they know what their responsibilities have been in their job, and they’ve lined up a bunch of references – but that’s about it.
For starters, please – if you understand nothing else about resume writing, please understand this:
The purpose of your resume is to entice the employer to bring you in for a job interview.
Did you get that? Your resume is not supposed to get you a job. Your resume is supposed to get you a job interview. That’s it.
That’s right. Your resume is your “brochure” so to speak. It is the advertisement that will – if properly created – convince employers that they simply must bring you in for an interview.
Now, think of your resume as a newspaper advertisement. Let’s say your resume is stacked in the classifieds section of your local paper alongside a couple dozen or a hundred other resumes. One right after another.
How will employers know to look at yours? Here is a little gem to help improve your resume immediately:
Think “white space.” If the classifieds section has hundreds of resumes, how can yours stand out?
Answer: By making sure it has lots of white space and no clutter. Your resume will stand out if there is less print on the page than there is white space. In another article I mention using bullet points. The use of bullet points is extremely helpful in ensuring that you keep things organized, to the point, and using less text.
So, now, picture your resume among the many others in the classifieds section. Because yours looks different than all the others – and because there is a “break” (meaning the “white space”) in and around your resume, yours will likely get a second glance.
A common misconception many people have about resumes – whether they are paying for resume development services or simply asking for a little free resume writing help is that their resumes need to be kept to one page.
This is no longer the rule. Why not? Well, to answer this, think for a moment about a person who has 15 years experience in the workforce. This person is likely to have a lot more to say about his or her experience than a young, fresh out of high school, entry level employee.
So, while it is easy enough to keep your resume to one page if you are more-or-less just starting out, chances are you may need an additional page or two.
Finally, spreading things out over two pages helps you create that all-important “white space” and non-cluttered appeal. I hope that this dispels the notion, once and for all – that it’s OK if your resume needs more than one page.
All resume professionals will agree on these resume facts: you’ve only got a few seconds to get readers’ attention. Make those few seconds count by giving readers something that is easy to read, non-cluttered, and to the point.
At the same time, please don’t overdo it by going on for 5 pages. It is the rare individual who needs any kind of resume that goes on for more than 3 pages. You don’t want to give everything away in your resume – just enough information to let your readers know that:
- You are a direct match for the job
- You are qualified
- You have what they need.
Finally, if you take nothing else away from our free resume writing help discussion here today, please take this information to heart:
Since the purpose of your resume is to get you an interview, waste no time in bringing to your reader’s attention the fact that you are a direct match for the job, you are qualified, and you have what they need.
You will get the feeling for what they need when you do your due diligence by researching and learning as much about the company as possible.
Then, if you “mirror” back to them, in your resume, the language and wording that they use while showing them how you have what they need, you will stand out among the competition.
Because the company will see, right away, that you know who they are, and what they need. And these simple resume facts alone will improve your resume a great deal.
