Creating a resume is stressful at the best of times. It’s like trying to ace a class without ever attending a single lecture, at least that’s how I felt. My degree was in theatre, so I learned how to highlight my impeccable Russian dialect skill on a resume, but things that will help me get hired outside a Chekov play.
They didn’t really teach us “how to resume” in high school either, didn’t they? In fact, I would say I am far from the only person who has had to learn how to build a strong resume all on my own. Perhaps you are in that place right now.
Trust me, I know how hard it is to sort through all the resources out there on the internet. It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is trying to get you to buy their template or purchase their service. While these things aren’t bad, sometimes you just want a simple yes or no, right?
If you relate to that, you’re in the right place! From one clueless artist to another, here are the tips and essentials I have found in my own resume journey.
*My intern was kind enough to let us use his resume as a reference. I should really up his pay…
Related: Why Creative People Are Best Suited For Business
Use a template
There are literally thousands of templates out there! You can find them on places like Microsoft Word and Google Docs. You can even purchase them from a resume specializing website or a place like Etsy. There are tons of free options out there if you don’t want to spend anything- and really, you don’t have to in order to have an effective resume. I can’t say for certain using a template will increase your chance of getting hired, but it can certainly make your resume more noticeable and memorable.
I would recommend using Canva as a resume tool for anyone! Not only is it really user-friendly, there are tons of free and gorgeous templates you can use. It’s completely customizable for colors, text, and layout.
My only warning about using a template is that you have to make sure it’s functional for your purposes. While Canva’s templates are pretty aesthetically pleasing, I found that I had to edit them quite a bit to make sure all my information could fit.
Your priorities should be #1- communicating your experience well, #2- showcasing your experience well. Aesthetics shouldn’t take priority on a resume; that being said-
Using your picture isn’t taboo
Here is an easy and fun one: your face! Contrary to popular belief, putting your picture on your resume isn’t in bad taste. It certainly doesn’t hurt to put a smiling face to the name on your resume. However, there are a couple of caveats.
If you are using a photo on your resume, make sure it is a professional one! It will not help you, and probably hurt you, if you put a selfie on your resume! A professional photo will be a typical headshot frame with proper lighting and without any distractions in the photo (i.e. a choker and vampy lipstick.)
I had just had some professional headshots taken for my theatre resume when I start constructing my business resume, so I was able to double-dip. But honestly? even if you aren’t an actor you should have some professional headshots taken every other year at least. They come in very useful for any projects you have to take on, articles, business cards, or LinkedIn profiles.
Talk to an employer- any employer
Wouldn’t you just love to have the perspective of someone who has seen tons and tons of resumes? Well, why don’t you just ask? Chances are you know somebody who has had to conduct a search to fill a job before. They’ve had to put two resumes next to each other and decide which one will move on and which one will not. Pick someone’s brain and ask them all the questions you can in person.
For me, this was my dad. He has had to conduct job searches for his tiny veterinary clinic to fill positions. Here are the top things I learned from him:
- Employers can tell when you copy and paste on to your resume. All it takes is a quick Google search to fill the empty places in your resume, but the price you pay is that it will sound canned and glaringly obvious you just pasted from a resume website. Ouch.
- Typos and grammar matter. Have someone proofread your resume; multiple times. Bad spelling and grammar will instill no trust of your abilities to a potential employer.
- People can appreciate being genuine. Showing gratitude and that you are grateful to be considered will leave a lasting impression.
If you find out more from an employer in your own life, share what you’ve found! If you can find one in your field, that’s even better. My dad has had a very tiny pool of applicants compared to other employers. If you talk to an employer that has seen hundreds or more resumes, share the love in the comments!
Summaries are not always preferable
When I was looking at resume examples, I saw a lot that would have a small “summary” highlighting the person’s accomplishments. A summary is 2-3 sentences in length and is meant to encompass the highlight’s of someone’s resume. I like the look of them, but what I learned in talking to a staffing agency is that they are not always preferable to employers.
Summaries can kind of put you in a box. Especially if you are young and just starting out in an industry or changing industries, a summary may not be applicable for you.
I would recommend using a summary on your resume if 1) you have extensive experience in a specific field or in a specific role or 2) your experience matches the job you are applying for almost to a T.
*Vito of course has a summary on his resume because he is an expert in his field
Use Keywords Effectively
Keywords baffled me for a long time. When I finally started getting a grasp on how to effectively use keywords I started interview invites. Think of keywords as the things that would stick out if your were skimming a resume or searching in a database.
For example, if you are looking through resume’s for someone who would be a good office cat you may be looking for words like cute, fuzzy, and house-panther. Vito would then stand out in my search because he has those keywords on his resume.
But how do you know what keywords to include? You can take keywords directly out of the description of the job you are applying for and incorporate them into your resume. Obviously, make sure they apply to your experience and provide examples, but this should otherwise be a surefire way to match a job description that much closer.
Some of the keywords I use in the resume that got me my current position were detail-oriented, excellent written and verbal communication, and excellent problem solving skills. You will probably want to focus on keywords personalized to your experience and the position you are applying for.
Lastly, the Skills section on your resume is a great place to drop those keywords. Check out this masterlist of keywords if you get stuck.
Have multiple versions of your resume
If you are at the point in a job hunt like I was where you just need anything, don’t be married to a particular version of your resume. I had at least two or three versions of a my resume since I was applying for a variety of positions. Believe it or not, I actually have quite a bit of experience at ropes courses and rock walls, so I had a separate resume for these kinds of jobs. Although a lot of skills crossed over into my administrative experience, I thought it was best to create a separate resume in this instance.
If you have experience as a graphic designer your resume better look pretty different from your research assistant resume. (Also, you better show some of your design skills on that resume! Research assistant, not so much…)
It is far better to put the time into making multiple resumes than to be counted out of a job too early because you didn’t take the time to customize it. I eventually landed on a pretty strong resume for all my administrative applications, but it did involve omitting experiences that I valued, but wasn’t related to the job. C’est la vie, right?
Quantify when you can
This was probably the most frustrating thing I encountered when I was trying compile my resume. It’s especially frustrating when you are just starting out and don’t have many statistics to color your resume. Some resume help websites say suggest you say stuff like this:
- Singlehandedly developed a sales model that increased company revenue by $10k a quarter.
- Increased client satisfaction by 40% in the first three months of employment.
If you are in your twenties like me, chances are your part time job in college didn’t provide you with stats like this to put on your resume! Worry not, here’s what you can do instead.
I found this hard, but I bet you can think of quantifying elements if you tried. Did you train in new employees? Say how many you were responsible for training in over a certain period of time. Did you answer phones at your last job? Give an average of how many calls you took a day and why you were successful.
Basically, if you can numerically show your experience rather than just generically sharing, you will stand out much more. Let’s check out some of Vito’s examples:
Name and save your resume properly
This should be a given, but you would be surprised how many people overlook this element. Every job I have applied for in my adult life has been a digital application. Gone are the days of dropping off your resume in person to company. Actually, it’s not unlikely that solely using physical resumes would hurt your chances of getting hired because so many hiring systems are digital. You’re application wouldn’t fit in their system.
Likewise, you probably won’t make a positive impression if your resume shows up in their system as RealPersonResume.pdf. (Which is how most of my non-acting resumes have started out 😛 ). You can’t go wrong with a simple FirstnameLastname-Resume.pdf. If you are using it for a specific position out of many you are applying for, you could go with something like Lastname-AdministrationResume.pdf.
Also make sure you are saving your resume’s as a PDF! This is generally the most widely accepted document.
Let’s see how Vito saved his.
You should be all set to send out some killer resumes now! If this post was helpful, you’ll definitely want to check out these posts:
The Best Resources You Should Be Using in Your Job Hunt
