Importance of a strong resume

Resumes matter, don’t let anyone tell you any different. Why? Well, first and foremost, they can get you job interviews. Furthermore, resumes give employers a summary of your professional career. It tells your story; who you are, what you want to do, and what you aim to achieve. How else are employers supposed to consider you as a potential employee without reviewing your resume.

So, before you start (furiously) applying to jobs be sure to update your resume and polish it to perfection. Recruitment experts believe that outside opinions matter. So, try to get peers or someone that has been working full time to review your resume. Through your own eyes, the resume may already look good, but, what are others’ opinions about it? Accept constructive criticism and take them into consideration.

At AIP, we understand that a resume is a door for opportunities. Hence, we offer to help improve and enhance your resume to perfection.

Tailoring your resume

Is it better to tailor your resume towards the job description? Yes, it is. Tailoring your resume shows that you have actually dedicated some time to the job. You clearly did some research about the position and most importantly, your resume is not just something “basic”. Tailor your resume the right way and it puts you and your application in a good position.

Here are the problems that arise when you do not tailor your resume:

• Don’t judge a book by its cover: Anyone seeking a job goes on making a resume to make it look as impressive as possible. Hate to break it to you but, your employers do not really emphasize on “how nice your resume looks. Employers are not evaluating how impressive or smart you are. What they’re really doing is; they are taking your resume, putting it next to the job description and deciding if your work experiences and skills resonate with what the job requires. It is important that you can actually perform when you show up to work on the first day, and your employers need to make sure of that.
• Outlining your work experience: It’s good to include all the work experiences you have. However, make sure that they relate to the job description in some sort of way. Whenever there’s a disconnection between your work experiences and the job description, that is a bad sign.

Remember, when you tailor a resume to a specific job, it becomes about the company and how they operate. Don’t be generic, be specific and unique. There are certain steps you should take to ensure that you have tailored your resume in the best possible way. Here’s how.

• Recognize what is most important to the company: Mirror your resume based on what the job description is expecting. Read thoroughly and understand the responsibilities that come with the job. Make sure you meet the criteria to be a qualified candidate.
• Matching the content of your resume to the job description: This is the most important part. The content of your resume. Too long and it’s boring, too short and you haven’t elaborated enough. It’s tricky. Start the tailoring process by matching the most important things on the job description to the most visible strengths on your resume. In search of your first job? No problem. Match your accomplishments in school with the job description. Follow up with your individual accomplishments; what awards did you win while studying, your personal attributes, your strong work ethic etc. Do not forget to tailor the summary of yourself to the job description too!

Things to include/not include

Each time you update your resume, it should always be better than the last one. A resume is a document that you just keep adding work experience onto. Like everything else, only include necessary information on your resume.

Things to not include:

• Excessive information: Have you ever read extremely long emails that just babble on forever? This is within the same scope. Your potential employer will read hundreds of resumes a day. It isn’t fun. What do we recommend? Get straight to the point. Only include necessary information that resonates with the job description and yourself.
• False work experiences: Do not lie and go out of your own way to get a job. It’s never a good start towards your professional career. If your employer actually interviews you, they will realize that you are falsifying your claims and statements. Long term, that does no good for you.
• Inadequate personal information: Here are some things about yourself that should be put on your resume; your name, contact information (phone number, email address, home address etc.), and date of birth. Your relationship status, weight, or anything of that sort DOES NOT do good on your resume at all. A resume should highlight your accomplishments and most importantly include sections as to how you can contribute to the company. Think within that perspective.
• Too much emphasis on hobbies & interests: It is true that during interviews, your employer will ask you about your hobbies & interests. However, it should not be something that you heavily emphasize on. Ask yourself this question, how does your hobbies or interests resonate with what you are asked to do.

Things to include

• Contact information: Never forget to include your phone number, personal email address, and home address. Remember, you want your employers to contact you. Do not give them any reason to start doubting your interest in working for them.
• Summary/objective: A strong summary of yourself will grab the employer’s attention. Don’t be mundane, be distinct! Start off strong and summarize your skills, and eagerness to learn in a few sentences. Make your employer feel that there is a sense of purpose in what you have done and what you will be doing.
• Work experience: This is the bulk of your resume. First of all, a resume should not exceed one and a half pages. Try to limit yourself to one page. Anyways, include a list of relevant jobs you have had in reverse chronological order. This means you start off with your most current job. Describe each of the jobs you listed in bullet points. Bullet points are more neat and they get the reader straight to the point.

Apply for an internship with AIP!

Strong resumes lead to internships. A good internship leads to possible employment. Let us help you achieve that goal. Your professional career starts off with a strong resume and we’d be more than delighted to help. Apply for an internship with AIP now.

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