If you had a job interview or a date to go on, I can guarantee you one thing, male or female, you are not going to walk out that door without checking the mirror first. Nobody wants to look like they don’t care about their appearance, even just a little bit. So, why would you send out a plain looking resume that basically sends the same message? You can equate a boring, half-hearted resume to not looking in the mirror before you leave the house for somewhere important. It’s just not a good idea. I have to remember, of course, that not everyone gets excited about resumes and job hunting as much as me. I’m the unusual one here, I know that. Hence, my career choice. So it is understandable that this is a challenge for a lot of people. Throwing together a resume and cover letter is an obligation for most of the population. A necessary evil. The good news is that there are very simple, quick techniques that will instantly improve the look of your resume, which we all know will improve the chances of it being read for more than four seconds. So here are Lorraine’s quick and dirty tips for taking your resume from boring to classy:Tip 1: A large, bold headerYou might as well equate the heading of your resume to a handshake. When you meet someone, you want to have a firm, strong handshake because it’s part of their first impression of you. If the person reading your resume has never met you, then the heading of your resume is your handshake. No one wants to do business with someone who shakes hands like a fish. Therefore, your name and title on your resume should be quite a bit larger and more pronounced in order to give off a strong, confident feeling. Tip 2: A matching header for your resume and cover letterYou’ve heard that consistency is important in a resume, but that doesn’t just refer to the spacing and punctuation. The resume and cover letter should complement each other and that means the style and formatting should be the same. That beautiful new header you made? Make sure to put it on your cover letter too. The cover letter is what gains their interest and makes them want to read the resume. If it doesn’t evoke the same sense of confidence and strength, then this is all a moot point. Tip 3: Describe yourself in 10 words. A recruiter should be able to look at your resume and know the essence of you who are in about five seconds. A simple, but well constructed tagline under your name is a great way to do this. It’s essentially your sales pitch, so make it count. Your resume needs to convey a professional, sophisticated look that makes it easy for someone who doesn’t know you, to get to know you. One size never fits all though. Always tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Very rarely would sending out the same resume to every employer get you good results. If you want more help on what that looks like, then contact me about individual coaching sessions and I’ll walk you through how to transform your resume from boring to classy!
