Preparing a resume that stands out from the crowd is the only way to avoid the black hole that is our clients’ Job Application Portals. We’ve all been there. You send out as many resumes as there are stars in the sky and never hear a peep from any of the companies. There could be a plethora of reasons why your resume hasn’t made it to the top of the list or avoided the trash pile. Our recruiters have put together a list of 5 tips that will push your resume to the top.

While our list is extensive, here are 5 tips that our expert recruiters at JBC offer to our candidate pool and share with you.

1. The Truth: Don’t lie. Honesty goes a long way. We live in a social world and its too easy to verify the facts. From dates on your resume, the education you have achieved, to where you have worked. Lies will lose you opportunities, the truth though will allow you to earn the opportunity.
2. Work Dates: Always specify months, not just years when it comes to dates. In our business, our clients tend to be turned off by applicants who list “2013” or “Jan 13 to Aug 13”. When your working on your resume its important to put yourself in the shoes of your interviewer. How would you feel if you had an applicant send you a resume that said “2012” on it? Would that give you the confidence to believe that they were employed for the full year? It’s all about transparency and alleviating question marks. No one wants to walk into an interview with a “?” over their head.
3. Education: If you have a degree, list it. If you have not yet accomplished that degree, don’t list it or at least note that it is “anticipated” or “expected” at some future date. Unless you are entry level (first job) your education should be listed at the bottom of your resume.
4. Objective: This is one of those things that seems to never be going away. So if its not going away, get on board. There is nothing worse then a candidate who does not take the time to update their objective to fall inline with the job they are applying for. Make sure to change your objective based on where you are sending your resume and use some thought and care or simply don’t use an objective. Brought to you by advocates to lose the objective on a resume foundation.
5. Buzzwords: If your resume does not speak to the job, why apply? Your resume cannot possibly be written for every role you apply to. Take a moment, review the job spec and understand what the client you are applying to is looking for. Once you have digested the job spec, update your resume to reflect the job requirements the client is looking for, but DO NOT LIE!

At the end of the day, every job is different and every recruiter and/or hiring manger will have different expectations as to what your resume should look like to reflect the position that is being offered. Keep a resume master list on your computer where you keep any information you’ve ever included on a resume: old positions, bullet points tailored for different applications, special projects that only sometimes make sense to include. Then, when you’re crafting each resume, it’s just a matter of cutting and pasting relevant information.

Don’t get discouraged! Sometimes it might mean you need a little more help getting that dream job. That’s why using a well-qualified team like JBC is recommended.