Spring Clean Your Resume: 5 Pro Tips

If your job search has stagnated or is just beginning, performing a “spring clean” on your resume is a great idea. Below, we share a few pro tips to get you started:

1. Add Keywords

More and more job seekers are using bullet points to list their job accomplishments and duties, and this is great advice. Start each bullet point with an active verb such as “collaborated,” but try to incorporate important keywords into your descriptions that stand out to hiring managers. These keywords are increasingly important as computers screen resumes and discard those that do not meet a certain quota.

2. Give Your Resume a Facelift

Looks matter more than ever, and there’s no better time than now to give your resume a new appearance! The change might even help you notice structural or contextual weaknesses that you can fix immediately.

3. Eliminate Old, Irrelevant Items

After giving your resume a facelift, any outdated or irrelevant content will become even more apparent. Examples include outdated terminology and jobs from 20 years ago. Keep your verbiage up to date, and streamline your resume to include only the job experience relevant to the position you’re applying for.

4. Focus on Accomplishments

As opposed to just listing your former job duties, use your resume to highlight your accomplishments and capabilities. Take 10 minutes to brainstorm what you have done in previous roles—for example, overhauling a staff program to streamline costs. Next, quantify these accomplishments with numbers whenever possible, and replace straightforward job tasks on your resume with these successes.

5. Practice Consistency

No matter what, it is important to be consistent. For example, use two fonts at most, bold type for headings and the same month/year format throughout your resume. Never underline, and always check that your resume looks good on whatever format you are using. And if you’re submitting it online, first check to make sure it shines on both computer and smartphone screens.