Tips on what to change in your current job application process

A quality resume can go a really long way for a college student or recent graduate. When crafting a resume for the first (or thousandth) time, there are common mistakes that happen. These tips will help avoid these and build an application-ready resume.

No templates

One of the more common mistakes students make when they write their first resumes is using a template to do so. Their resume ends up looking generic and ultimately doesn’t highlight their skills as best as they could have had they created the document themselves.

Everyone will have strengths in different areas. You should build your resume around what you feel exemplifies you best for the job you’re trying to receive.

On top of this, templates include many unnecessary elements, which can actually end up hurting you. Colors, photos and the wide range of formats templates provide will actually distract employers from what you want them to be looking at.

Keep it simple when it comes to formatting and design, and it will be your skills and qualities on display rather than the flashiness of the document.

Formatting can be difficult. If this is what stops you from building your own resume, simply prepare the material you want and then deal with the issue of formatting. Whether it be a friend, YouTube or the North Dakota State Career Center, there are numerous ways to improve your formatting.

Also, done is better than perfect. Just get the actual material ready and then worry about what it looks like.

Focusing your resume

Employers can spot the difference between a resume that has been tailored to what they have to offer versus one that isn’t. The purpose of your resume is inherent, but if you’re not giving each employer a specific resume made for the job, it will be tossed aside with the other duplicates.

There are a number of ways to change your resume to profile the traits that should be highlighted for that specific job. Swapping various jobs in and out based on the experience an employer is looking for is an incredibly easy way to do so.

The next step is to look at all aspects of the job description provided and then match relevant experiences you have had at those jobs with what you feel are the most important parts of the job you’re after.

Bullet points

From here, how you describe and talk about your experiences at each job is crucial. “A common mistake students make is listing skills in their bullet points,” Olivia Scott, senior career coach at the NDSU Career Center, said.

Scott is describing what should be talked about in the bullet points beneath your past jobs. Including just skills makes sense, but it doesn’t help your case because it dumbs down the feel of your resume, which will only turn employers off. Instead, state the differences you made on the job, and the skills you want to exemplify will be implied.

Resumes are the ideal time to show off accomplishments and let employers know what you’re capable of. However, how you talk about your past work experiences and what it’s done to shape you as a professional is one of the larger indicators to recruiters in regard to how personalized you made your resume. Be specific and try to include measurable differences, and don’t worry about coming across as overconfident.

Length

Length is another area students frequently mess up. “Anything longer than a page is definitely unnecessary as a college kid. What are you trying to prove?” Liz Trainor, a career mentor at the NDSU Career Center, said.

At the Career Center, resumes that are two or three pages long are commonly seen, according to Trainor. Just because you give employers everything does not mean they want it. You don’t need to include more than two to three past jobs, and they should only be jobs that are of utmost relevance.

No one coming out of college will need more than a page. If you do, the job will be asking you for a curriculum vitae (CV), a document that includes any and all experiences in relation to one’s career. Resumes on the other hand are most effective when they’re short and sweet.

The easiest way to deal with the stress of slimming a resume down to one page is to have an overarching resume. You should then pick and choose which sections you think will showcase you best for the role you want rather than building a new one for each position.

Traditions aren’t necessary

Scott explained how references should not be included on your actual resume, despite what used to be the norm. They take up valuable space on your lone page, and if an employer does wish to reach out to references, they will never hesitate to ask.

Objectives are another section that is traditionally included. However, if you need the space, they can be nixed given that your reason in sending the resume should be made obvious in your cover letter and the rest of the document. As stated before, build your resume around what exemplifies you best.