Part One – Getting Started
You are ready to look
for a new job and would like to work at a Start-Up, but your resume needs some
work. Where should you begin? You can get off to a good start by
following our “Crafting Your Resume” blog entries! Today we will list 3 basic steps you can use to get started
on your resume, and in the coming weeks we will follow-up with blog entries
listing more detailed advice on topics such as: length, format, and what to
include/what not to include.
(1) Starting Over
• Hiring managers will get their first glimpse of you from
your resume – make sure that you do everything you can to make that first
impression a good one! We can’t
emphasize enough just how important this is, but we can tell you that an
outstanding resume can quickly get a candidate in for an interview, while a
good candidate with a mediocre resume can easily be passed over.
• Come on strong with your
resume! Showing solid drive and
motivation to both do the work required and join a particular company will help
you to craft a winning resume.
• Start Fresh – You have an
old resume, but you are looking for a new job. You can use your old resume as a reference, but don’t just
do a bit of editing and submit it.
Your resume will feel more authentic if you write a new one. This will also give you the chance to
create a more engaging format and make sure that you have taken out older
information that is less relevant today.
(2) Make Them Interested
• Does your resume draw the
reader in and make them want to learn more about you? If not, it’s time to work
on crafting a new one!
• The top-half of your
first page is critical here – you have limited space to captivate the reader’s
interest and make them intrigued enough to want to meet with you and continue
the conversation.
• Make sure all your
highlights are on the first page – then read it and ask yourself why someone
would want to meet you based on this information.
• Make sure your resume
projects the image of yourself that you want people to see, and one that will
make them curious to learn more.
• Realize that not all
readers are “technically” minded, so craft your resume so that even a
non-technical person will be interested in speaking with you.
(3) Think About your Reader
• Make your resume easy to
read -- use a legible font, choose a consistent, easy-to-follow format, and
leave some white space on your resume -- packing the information in too tightly
will not please your audience.
• Be clear in what you are
trying to say.
• Keep it concise, but not
too short! You still have to
capture people’s attention and make them want to meet you and learn more about
you.
• While length is important,
we don’t have an exact recommendation.
We will address this topic in more detail in an upcoming blog entry.
• Again, consider the
non-technical reader, and carefully explain your projects and achievements in a
way that will impress this person as well.
We hope that these steps
will provide a helpful framework in crafting your new resume. Please let us know if there is a
specific topic you would like us to address. And please look for the following topics coming soon: length,
format, what to include/what not to include, and more!
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