I’ll break down my resume tips by targeting parts of the resume, as well as general tips.
Today, let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, I’ve heard.
Headers are the top of a document, but I’ll focus on the header of a resume, which is the top area that will come before all of your education and experience. Do this wrong and you’ll get trashed before you can list your third phone number.
1. Decide what info is relevant for YOUR resume, which will not be the same for everyone else.
Home address is not important to include unless position has residency requirement or says ‘local candidates only’ in posting, but that can always be indicated on cover letter. People will assume you’re local in general if you have a local phone number to where you’re applying.
2. Cell phone, email, and a website are sufficient info for line 2.
You might want to include a link to your linkedin profile or other professional profile, especially if there are others with the same name as you (and especially if they come up in searches in an unfavorable light).
3. Catch the Resume Viewer’s Attention. Use an attractive yet professional font for your name. OK if different from rest of resume, however make sure it’s easy to read and looks clean (no fonts that look like handwriting I beg!).
4. Header Format should be condensed to 2 lines:
NAME, LARGER FONT, CENTERED, BOLD
Phone number ( do not write ‘cell’, or the words ‘phone number’ ‘email’ or ‘address’ – people can tell from the format what you mean. @TwitterName or http://personalwebsite.com, Spaced with •
Mine for example is:
SHARON TAUBLIB-SIEGEL
646-554-6711 • s@sharon.cc • http://sharon.cc
5. Make sure you’re easily reached at your contact places. Phone number should be where you can be reached during the day, not your home if you’re not there; email should be a professional address (no luvkittenz4eva@yahoo.com) and if you have to create one, make sure you check it everyday to not miss contacts.
You don’t want to miss opportunities because you’re hard to reach. Some places will not leave messages and will move on to the next candidate if they don’t reach you.