There are things you can do to ensure your resume is more up-to-date with today’s standards of resume writing.
Below is a brief list of 10 Do’s and Don’ts for creating your resume.
DO include your LinkedIn address on your resume with your contact information. By providing your LinkedIn address, (and hopefully your profile is complete) you give an impression that you are current with what is happening in technology/self -marketing today.
DON’T use an objective statement; instead use a targeted position title or branding statement.
DO include a brief paragraph or two (no more than four lines each) describing your value to the potential employer under your target position title.
DON’T state the fact that you have over 20+ years’ experience, unless they are looking for a candidate with a 20+ year history. As a general rule, you need only list the past ten to fifteen years on your resume. There are exceptions, however; what you did twenty years ago is usually not relevant to today.
DO have a competencies section in the upper third portion of your resume (usually listed just below your paragraph/summary describing your value to potential employers). Use keywords or key phrases to list your strengths, areas of knowledge, and talents.
DON’T include your date of college graduation unless you graduated three or fewer years ago. If you went back to school and received your MBA more recently, my recommendation is to leave off the graduation date.
DO use action verbs when describing your accountabilities under each position title, rather than “Responsible for” statements.
DON’T use words like “I, my, we, they, our, us…” Pronouns are inferred. For instance, you would not write “I am an achievement driven professional…”, rather you would simply state “Achievement driven professional…”
DO use bullets to highlight accomplishment statements, rather than responsibilities/accountabilities. Use a brief paragraph (no more than four lines) to describe your scope of accountabilities and use the bullets to highlight your accomplishments.
DON’T sell yourself short by trying to adhere to an outdated “Rule” that a resume should never be longer than one page. Two (or even three pages in some circumstances) is acceptable, depending on your credentials, industry, and position level.