You’ve spent hours and hours toiling over your resume. And then you wait. And you wait some more. If you’re not getting invited for interviews, several things could be happening.
Your job search strategy might not be working. Your targeted industry might be uber-competitive. Your resume might have gotten lost in cyberspace. Or your resume might be a little out of date.
Here are five signs that your resume might be outdated according to a Professional Resume Writer as well as simple strategies to update it so you stand out as a candidate and land an interview faster.
Unless you’re making a big career change, the general rule of thumb is to ditch the objective statement and write a targeted, keyword-rich professional summary instead.
To quickly communicate the “wow factor” when describing your experience, start your phrases with action verbs such as delegated, managed, oversaw, and facilitated.
You’re Writing “duties include” When Describing Your Experience.
You’re Not Including Your LinkedIn URL on Your Resume.
If you’re not making it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to access your LinkedIn profile, or if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile (gulp), you’re automatically removing yourself from the applicant pool.
Unless these old positions relate to your current career objective, it’s best to leave them off your resume. Focus on highlighting your most recent, relevant work experience.
If you want to get ahead of the game, start gathering LinkedIn recommendations and see if current or former colleagues can act as references. Try to ask colleagues who know you well and who you know will write you a detailed, thoughtful recommendation.