Many of us have been there, and if you haven’t, you’re probably there right now. It’s stressful, a little discouraging, and even painful. But fear not my friends, here are some sure-fire “do’s” and “don’ts” to make sure your resume makes it into the “call-back” pile. If you’re a new college graduate, follow these tips for how to write a successful resume and cover letter to get the interviews you want.
DON’T make your resume longer than one page. Employers want to be able to quickly scan through it. In the U.S., long resumes are a turn-off. Once you’ve had 10 years of experience, your resume can be two pages.
DO play around with the font (we recommend easy-to-read fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, and Helvetica), margins, and spacing to make sure everything fits neatly.
DON’T list part-time student jobs that are more than five years old if they aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.
DO have a cover letter and keep it brief. Aim to convey what you can bring to the table and not why the job is perfect for you.
DON’T regurgitate your resume in your cover letter. Let your resume show off skills that are relevant to the job, and use your letter to convey your personality.
DO insert keywords (action verbs, adjectives, skills, etc.) from the job description into your resume and cover letter.
DON’T have a generic opening in your cover letter. You need to grab the reader’s attention in the first sentence, so read through some samples online, and then write something a little different!
DO use action verbs, everywhere. Don’t use adverbs on your resume; save them for the cover letter.
DON’T use a thesaurus to make every word sound “smarter.” An employer wants to be able to glance over your resume and know exactly what you’re talking about without the jargon.
DO your research and find out who will be receiving your resume so you can address it directly to them.
DON’T send out a universal resume and form cover letter. Personalize it for the company and position you are applying to.
And lastly,
DON’T forget to proofread, and ask others to give you their feedback too! The smallest typo or punctuation error can be the difference between IN and OUT!
DO stay positive! It is expected to have a lot more rejections than call-backs, and that’s A-OK. As long as you keep trying, you WILL eventually find the perfect job for you.
For other job hunting tips specific to getting into PR, check out http://theprcloset.tumblr.com/FAQ.
