How to Streamline Your Resume
A resume may not get you a job, but it can certainly lose you an opportunity if it looks like you don't know how to conduct your job search professionally
Up next in How to Find a Job (28 videos)
Improve your job search and increase your job opportunities with the advice in these videos.
You Will Need
- A computer
- Clear objectives
- Language skills
Steps
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Step 1
Remove excess details
Remove short-duration jobs from your resume. Insignificant details dilute the picture of the talents you are marketing. Keep your resume no more than two pages long. Even your mother wouldn't read more than that, and she loves you.
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Step 2
Eliminate old jobs
Eliminate jobs that you held more than 15 years ago. You don't need to cover every job you've ever had. You can mention these jobs in the interview if need be.
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Remember that prospective employers are overwhelmed with applicants. Make the facts about you easy to find.
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Step 3
Forgo the personal
Leave out irrelevant information that can make your resume read like a personal ad. Employers don't care that you like to ski and collect stamps or walk in the park.
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Step 4
Reconfigure the objective
Combine the Career Objective and Summary sections into one Career Summary to save lines and reduce redundancies.
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Don't expand the document margins to artificially reduce your resume without actually streamlining it. Pros can spot such tricks.
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Step 5
Use simple language
Use descriptive but simple terms and stick to an active rather than passive voice. Avoid flowery descriptions, which make you sound like you're hiding something.
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Step 6
Edit community service
Limit Awards and Organizational or Community Activities sections to recent or current activities. Only mention involvements that reflect on your qualifications for the new job.
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Step 7
Leave off reference statement
Remove "References available upon request." It's understood, unnecessary, and takes up space.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in September 2009 that the number of unemployed has doubled since 2007.
