As a recruiter, I have seen a lot of resumes in my time. Although there are hundreds of articles and tips around the internet with Resume writing advice, I have created a personal list of my MOST IMPORTANT resume “do’s” that I would like to share with you:
- Do choose a simple resume format and be consistent.
Resumes with many sizes of fonts, italics, bold and uneven indentations look cluttered and will distract from the point of your resume. Print a sample copy of your resume and make sure the little things like capitalization and alignment are correct.
- Do bullet your resume.
Long, detailed paragraphs are difficult to get through and will not grab a reader’s attention. Stick to organized, succinct bullets to make sure your experience comes across in a clear way
- Do include a few day-to-day responsibilities for each position.
A case manager is slightly different at every company, so make sure you clearly explain what your day-to-day responsibilities are, even if you feel like it should be obvious. We regularly have clients send resume that aren’t thorough enough back and ask for more detail.
- Do include all special skills, certifications, or languages you speak.
You never know what may make the difference for an employer, so include everything that might distinguish you.
- Do Include the most important information in the first few inches of your resume
Employers do not spend a long time reviewing resumes, so your most important skills and experience needs to come across right away to give you the best shot at getting an interview. Sometimes a short, one sentence summary at the top is a good idea in order to focus the reader on what you bring to the table. “Bilingual social worker with 10 years of managed care and home care experience”
(to be continued…)
Alison Kuhns
Director – Healthcare
