12+ Resume Dos and Dont’s | Resume Tips
Your resume is the most important document in your job search process. It is a marketing tool to highlight your experience to the hiring manager, and first impressions matter. According to Human Resources managers, it takes a glance of about 15 seconds to decide if they need to go through an entire resume or not.
When you submit a resume to a potential employer it should include your contact information, a summary of your professional experience and achievements, and details that showcase your skills with examples of accomplishments.
Here are some resume tips for jobs in the U.S. to help you create the best initial impression.
Resume Tips for International Students
Do
- Highlight your most relevant experience and achievement for each role.
- Emphasize results and accomplishments delivered, not tasks. Show the impact you had.
- Customize your resume to match the specific job requirements. Use keywords that, at a glance, will show the hiring manager that you are a good fit.
- As a new international student graduate without recent work experience, write about your project work and volunteer experience that showcase your skills, through demonstrated results, that tie directly to the role you are applying for. Use data whenever possible, quantify results and achievements. Show how much, how many, percentage increase or reduction, etc. that quantify the impact you have driven
- Use data whenever possible, quantify results and achievements. Show how much, how many, percentage increase or reduction, etc.
- Use action verbs. Start each sentence with an action verb.
- Optimize for applicant tracking systems. Use appropriate keywords, format properly, fancy graphics, fonts, and elements should be kept to a minimum.
Don’t
- Don’t write in the first and third person. For example, write “Collaborated with a team,” not “ I collaborated with a team.”
- Don’t use text and chat abbreviations or emojis like “@” for “at.”
- Don’t include obvious skills like Microsoft Word. It is a given that corporate job seekers can use Microsoft Word.
- Don’t go overboard with formatting. Stick to a clean, easy to read format.
- Don’t make a general claim without backing it up with examples. For example, instead of saying “team player,” provide information that reflects this skill.
- Don’t misrepresent your education and experience. It’s key to showcase your global education as an international student while making sure each detail is accurately reflected.
Is your resume getting results with employers calling for an interview? If not, start editing or rewriting to improve your resume.
If you need a second pair of eyes, contact us at path2success@mpowerfinancing.com
