Does your resume contain everything but the kitchen sink? If you do, you should stop. Take the best elements and leave out the rest. The more information you put on your resume, the harder it will be for the reader to find the most important parts of your career. Let your accomplishments shine.
You don’t have to waste anything that you choose to omit from your resume. Utilize this knowledge going forward and during the hiring process to add value. In your cover letter, during the interview, or in a subsequent email, you can provide more details.
- Include contact details that are relevant and not just for formality’s sake.
Do not include where you live and stay, out of respect for your privacy. Nobody needs to know your exact address. You’ll likely speak with potential employers by phone and email.
List your city and county if you are looking at opportunities in the area in which you are currently located. Consider leaving the city and county off your resume if you live in Kakamega and are looking for work in Mombasa. You want to put an end to any doubts about your commitment to moving. (If the person reading your CV is interested in knowing where you are located, they can look at the location of your current job.))
- Make sure your objective statement is succinct and objective.
The majority of objectives are overly long. Consider using an “executive phrase,” which is two to three lines that succinctly describe your experience and how it relates to what you want to do next. Make it simple for the reader to make the connections.
You have the chance to introduce yourself to the reader in the executive summary. If you give the reader too much information at this point, they might not see your worth and be unable to place you. Let people know the most important things about you.
Be objective as well. Avoid employing “assertive” or “critical” words in your executive summary. Contrary to popular assumption, these adjectives take up room and diminish your qualifications. You are trying too hard and putting words in the reader’s mouth. The more objective you are, the more impressive you will appear.
- Pay attention to achievements rather than job descriptions.
Frequently, comprehensive and in-depth employment descriptions are included in the experience section. Instead of concentrating on everything that the role requires, consider what you accomplished in it.
4. Utilize bullet points.
When people only have a short time to look at your resume, it can be hard to read the information in paragraph form. Information is easily digestible when presented in bullet points.
Consider a retail establishment. It may be too much to take to see so many products. You are unsure of where to begin and occasionally just skip it altogether. By not making your resume readable, you run the danger of turning the reader off. Make the content simple for the reader to understand.
- Display the data in terms of numbers.
The reader of your resume will better grasp your influence if you include numbers. It is a clear and effective way to communicate your successes. For instance, you may say, “In 2016, I completed 113% of the yearly target,” rather than, “Consistently achieved annual sales goals through good client management and excellent opportunity discovery.” Utilizing a lot of words to convey what you did is less successful than using numbers to make your accomplishment speak for itself.
- Try to avoid bringing up Microsoft Office.
Don’t mention your familiarity with computers or technical tools like Microsoft Office. It is assumed that you know how to use common applications, for better or worse. Discuss your role-specific technical skills and abilities that are less common.
Less is more when it comes to your resume. Avoid the impulse to stuff the document full of data. Let the reader enjoy your best qualities. Additionally, don’t worry if you omit certain details. Use this information in the future to keep the conversation going and keep adding value.
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