Learn the differences between the Chronological, Functional, and Combination style of resumes (register for Next Stop Canada to get more details about each one). Each markets and highlights your information differently. You need to select one that will overwhelmingly highlight your strengths, while minimizing or masking your weaknesses.

Detail your points by fully explaining the job’s duties and using numbers when possible. A point that says “Helped customers with questions” is far too general.  A point that says “Supported an average of 50 customers per day with general inquiries pertaining to sales, services, and concerns in person, over the phone and online” has depth and detail.

Consistency is key.  Use one font style. If you bold headings, bold all the headings. If you use dates with months and years, do that for all dates. If you deviate between different ways of doing things…it will make the document look untidy.

Today, going beyond friends for editing support is quick and easy; with spell checkers and other grammar checking software/tools, submitting a well-written, error free document is a must.  It speaks to being detail-oriented, professional, and having good writing skills.

There is no one size fits all resume. You should have multiple resumes if you have multiple job goals. When approaching employers, a resume should be aimed at the job you are seeking and reflect the company and industry as closely as possible. Switching the objective on a resume does not mean it’s suitable for a different role; invest the time to have different versions to apply to different positions.  It’s unlikely that a resume that highlights customer service experience will resonate strongly with a company looking for an Administrative Assistant.

The job market has never been tougher so invest the time and energy up front in developing the resumes that you’ll need for your jobs of interest. By delivering an exceptional resume, you will put yourself at the top of the pile and increase your odds of drawing an interview.