In the final part of this resume series, I’m bringing up what may seem obvious, but deserves a moment to be talked about:
Relevancy of the information you’re sharing on your resume
[as I’ve shared in prior posts, these are my own personal opinions; you’re free to disagree, agree, share your reactions, etc]
Your resume is not your life story.
It’s not something that should include every single role you’ve held, every skill you have, every volunteer opportunity you participated in…
It should accurately describe who you are and the experience you hold without needing to describe everything you’ve done. This is especially true if you’e someone who is a bit further along in your career.
When you’re thinking about what to include in your resume, especially if you’re in the midst of applying to jobs (and not just simply editing your resume because it needs updating), then I’d recommend considering:
What job are you applying for and how does your experience match that job?What industry are you in and does the language you use in the resume demonstrate familiarity with that industry (or a sense of being willing to learn)?Have you taken a look at the job description enough to know some of the key words that you should be mirroring/using on your own resume? (i.e. if you’re going to be working on campaigns, then talk in your resume about campaigns you’ve worked on in previous roles).Take a look at what that company’s about. Do their values align with yours? Include that sentiment in the resume in one way or another.If you’re including volunteer experience, are you including it just because, or because it is relevant to the role/industry?
Always ask yourself the question: is this relevant for this particular job? If you have any hesitation about it, it’s likely not relevant. Have someone else give it eyes too; are they clear on what you’re applying for or are they not sure?
You want it to be extra clear that your previous positions align well with the role you’re going for. This not only helps you in the process, but it makes for a much more enjoyable and easy read for the recruiter and hiring manager. They see that you have some good matches with the stuff you’ve worked on in the past.
Even if you don’t hold the relevant experience; think about how to communicate your interest in learning, (this is especially true as you’re interviewing) i.e. …while I didn’t work on campaigns specifically, I did have a hand in writing the copy and would be interested in learning more about the full campaign cycle.
Relevancy is so important in a resume. Again, it’s not your life story, it’s just a small little piece of it. Be focused, hold the reader’s attention, and make it relevant.
Speaking of relevancy: for all the college students out there…stop including your GPA on your resume.
How do you communicate relevancy in your resume?
Prior posts in this series
Resume 101 series: the skills sectionResume 101 series: the titleResume 101 series: describing your previous positionsResume 101 series: format and flow