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Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Improve your resume using these tips

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Last week, I had a chance to join CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield on the air to provide tips for job seekers. We went over some “before” and “after” resumes.  Here’s part 1 of a several-part series dedicated to brushing up and improving your resume.

Review these suggestions to see if there are any changes you may want to incorporate in your resume.

OLD HEADER

Jill Jack
123 Main Street – New York, NY – 212-555-0000 – [email protected]

Objective

Innovative, highly motivated, dynamic team player with extensive experience, stellar writing skills and the ability to effectively manage concurrent projects seeks opportunity to contribute in Fortune 500 Company.

What’s wrong with this header?

  • It does not include social media references, and relies on an old-fashioned email address. (While I, personally, don’t discriminate against an “AOL,” or “Hotmail” address, it can make you appear a little dated and not in tune with modern technology.) Consider a Gmail account, with the added benefit of a Google profile.
  • I do not recommend using an objective. Your objective is to get the job. Use that space to include headlines and bullet points describing your fit for the job. In addition, the objective here uses overused words (innovative, highly motivated, dynamic extensive experience). These words are not very descriptive; avoid “empty” words in your resume.
  • It doesn’t have a clear focus or specific job goal.
  • It’s difficult to tell here, but the font is Times New Roman. Consider choosing a more updated font, such as Trebuchet, Verdana, Calibri or Tahoma.

NEW HEADER

Jill Jack
123 Main St. – New York, NY –  212.555.0000 – [email protected]
http://www.linkedin.com/in/JillJack – @JillJack – gplus.to/JillJack – JillJack.com

Multimedia Manager — Communications Strategist — Content Developer
Market savvy, writer/editor experienced in producing profitableonline, video and ezine content.

“Jill combines a flair for the creative, an intuitive understanding of market trends and consumer needs with her unbeatable technical, writing, editing and management skills. I’ve never known anyone who can evaluate the landscape, design a strategy and execute on plans as well as Jill.”
– Peter Pan, Overseeing Editor, XYX Company (View this and other endorsements via LinkedIn)

What’s better about this header?

  • It incorporates social media URLs – indicating this person is involved online and up-to-date. By inviting the reader to review her Twitter stream and LinkedIn profile for additional information, it’s clear (no matter how old this job seeker may be), the candidate is an early adopter (showing a Google+ account) and clearly willing to learn new things. Only showcase these URLs if you are using social media professionally. However, don’t assume no one will find your Twitter and other social media outlets.
  • Notice this resume includes a link to the job seeker’s personal website/social resume. Having this online portfolio really demonstrates she is using technology and is up-to-date.
  • This header uses important resume “real estate” at the top of the document to hone in on important points: job titles and key skills. It avoids “empty” words that don’t describe a connection between the candidate and the job. It’s important to select KEY words from job descriptions, company websites and LinkedIn profiles from others in your industry.
  • It includes a recommendation from someone found on LinkedIn. This is a great way to help tell your story and to prove your qualifications from an outside perspective.

Watch the video here:

Stay tuned for more tips to help you evaluate and improve your resume!

photo by cobalt123

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