Sprinkles on the Cake: Tips to Fine-Tune Your Resume

Are you tired of having the same old boring resume, the same one that every other candidate applying for the same position is handing in? That’s right Orlando, you’re not the first person to have that one sheet (or 2 or 3) of white paper with black text in the same format, made from the same program, with the same bland appearance.

Problem is, HR personnel and recruiters like these bland sheets of paper. One thing that we are seeing is slight changes in the information and layout to make your resume ‘stand out’ amongst the crowd. Below are tips that we have found to be useful to bring light to a dark stack of paper. Use at your own discretion, and remember that online versions of resumes should be kept simple, due to the fact that different computers and email programs display different layouts. Good luck Orlando and make your resume the best it can be.

1. One great tip is using logos of past companies that are reputable. This gives eye candy to the recruiter and builds value in your past work experiences. Remember to be tasteful and also to use good resolution images.

2. Use quotes and testimonials from past employers and professional references. These go a long way and show skills and attributes that may not be seen on a typical resume.

3. Pull out quotes-a short selection of text that's "pulled out" and highlighted in large type. Use these to highlight certain skills or abilities that you want recruiters to notice when skimming through your resume.

4. Use of color. Pink pages might have been great in Legally Blonde, but in the real world, use of the white page is king. To add color, think about highlighting sections, like that above in color, or in your header or footer. More important than the other tips is to not go overboard.

I hope these tips were helpful and will get you into that interview door. Once you are in, it is no longer up to your resume to make a great impression but you and your skills, personality and ability to answer questions effectively.

The biggest key to resume writing is the content. Be sure to include all relevant information first, and then add the sprinkles to the cake. Misspellings and punctuation have NO place on a resume, no matter the quality of the layout.

For more information about tips for resumes check out the College Journal.

Have a great weekend and happy hunting Orlando!

-Greg Rollett