7 Tips to Declutter Your Resume

Many SoCal residents make New Year’s resolutions as January begins.  Often, these resolutions have to do with improving our lives in some way, such as by getting more exercise or decluttering our homes to provide a more restful space.

If decluttering is on your to-do list, don’t limit it to your basement or bedroom.  Take some time to declutter your resume as well.  A focused, organized and streamlined resume can help you grab a hiring manager’s attention more quickly, improving the chances of landing the all-important interview – and the job.

Here are seven ways to declutter your resume:

  1. Go back in time. How far back does your resume list your jobs? In most cases, you won’t need to go back more than ten years – or if you do, reduce jobs past the ten-year mark to a single line.   Jobs within the last ten years that aren’t relevant to your application can also be reduced to a single line.
  2. Reorganize your details. Job title, name of employer, location, dates worked…. If not carefully organized, many of these details can make a resume look visually cluttered and bury your important information.  Consider omitting less-important details, like employer’s locations, and reorganize other details for consistency and ease of reading.
  3. Skip the objective. An “objective” section is increasingly outdated in many industries, and it wastes precious space your resume could use to highlight your accomplishments and abilities. Hiring managers know you’re looking for a job in your field; don’t clutter up your resume with a reminder.
  4. Focus on accomplishments. Anyone can list job duties or skills on a resume. Stand out by showing how you used those skills to get results.  List one or two major accomplishments in each job and how you achieved them.
  5. Bullet it out. Bullet points make a resume easier to scan. They also force you to stay concise when describing your job accomplishments – no more than one or two lines per point.
  6. Embrace the white space. Leaving white space between lines and paragraphs helps the eye “scan” a resume more easily, picking out things that matter most. (Don’t believe us?  Imagine this blog post as a single block paragraph.  Would you have read this far?)
  7. Delete the last line. If your resume still contains the line “references available upon request,” delete it. Hiring managers will ask for your references if they want them, whether or not you mention them.  Use this space to talk about your accomplishments instead.

The SoCal-based recruiters at Marquee Staffing can help you keep your New Year’s resolution to find a great new job.  Contact us today to learn more about our job opportunities in Carlsbad and beyond.

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