CAROLINE ARENDT

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Tips + Tricks to Help You Tailor a Standout Résumé

It’s almost that time, it’s almost RÉSUMÉ SZN!

The holidays are almost here, and then the spring semester! I may be a couple of years out of college, but trust me the last thing you want to think about during your last semester of college is tuning up (or creating) your résumé so that you can start applying for jobs.

I’ve always had this weird interest in helping people strengthen their résumés and LinkedIn profiles (seriously, I did a 45-minute presentation at my first job on boosting your LinkedIn game), so here are my tips and tricks for having a standout résumé:

  • Keep it to 1 page

    I’m completely serious. This is pretty much standard across all industries, no one has time to look through/keep track of multiple pages! Highlight your most recent accolades only and if there’s room, briefly talk about other accomplishments. (usually your most recent 3).

  • Keep it consistent

    If you highlight 3 of your past work experiences, highlight only 3 volunteer experiences and so on and so forth.

  • Always send in .pdf format

    It’s almost always 100% the case that if you send anything other than a .pdf it won’t open correctly or look as good on the other end. That’s an automatic way to get your res thrown in the trash. Play it safe and always send docs as .pdfs.

  • Have a minimum of one person review your résumé, after using Grammarly of course!!

    A fresh set of eyes can catch spacing, spelling and other errors. Even if you’ve looked at it a hundred times have a roommate, a parent, a mentor or literally anyone look it over to make sure!

  • Make sure your LinkedIn profile reflects your new résumé

    Bonus points: link your LinkedIn profile to your résumé by providing your profile URL! You want to look cohesive online and on paper (or .pdf!).

LASTLY, If you’re like me (in a more creative field) it’s good to have a designed résumé that stands out but also matches your personal style. Pinterest is a good place to start when needing inspiration!

Some creative resources + templates to jazz up your res:

Was this remotely helpful? Do you want me to help walk you through building an online portfolio? Let me know below in the comments!

Good luck!

Xx Caroline