Writing a Concise Resume

Writing a Concise Resume

Having a resume that highlights your experience, skills, and education is extremely important. Whether you are looking for a new role, applying for a promotion, or just keeping your resume up to date, it is essential to have a resume that is accurate without being too lengthy. A concise resume is easier for recruiters to quickly evaluate and can also help the hiring manager understand your experience. Having a resume that is simultaneously detailed and concise requires some skill. See the tips below to assist you in drafting the perfect resume.

Take out content that is not necessary. If the information on your resume does not relate to the job that you are applying for, it should be removed. Past jobs or academic experiences may seem important, but leaving unrelated items on your resume makes it harder to read and can be confusing for the hiring team.

Combine sections of your resume. Each section normally requires a header and bulleted list, so if you can combine sections, you will be saving a substantial amount of space. Skills, accomplishments, and other similar sections can often be combined. However, the education and experience sections should never be combined.

Highlight relevant experience/accomplishments. You should list job duties for each role that you have worked is relevant to the position you are applying for. You can reduce space by only highlighting accomplishments that are relevant to the position you are applying to. Include metrics and specific examples, but do not elaborate or throw in extra information.

Eliminate the skills section. In some cases, the skills section can be a great way to highlight skills that you have acquired that are not directly tied to a role. This section can also be great for recent college graduates who may not have a lot of work experience. However, if you are a seasoned professional, you can often remove this section and include skills by tying them to work experience.

Proofread. Do not ever finalize or submit a resume without having someone else read over it. This helps to avoid spelling and grammatical errors. A proofreader may also be able to point out areas that could be removed or eliminated.