The 5 Resume Facts You Must Know

Without a formal class to learn how to write a resume, knowing what’s the truth about resumes can feel impossible. When I reviewed my clients’ resumes, they were usually confused by all of the resume advice they’ve gotten- and I’m sure you are too. These 5 resume facts are here to help, because they’re essential to writing an outstanding resume.
Let’s dive into the 5 crucial resume facts, so you can start transforming your resume!

Audience is #1

This is one of the most important resume facts : you have to customize your resume for your audience.
Employers want to see that YOU are directly connected to their open position. So, it’s important to pull the verbs and descriptive words from the job description and incorporate them into your resume
Learn more secrets to making your audience #1 in your resume at How to Customize your Resume

Employers’ focus

We like to think an employer reads every detail of our resume, but, unfortunately, it’s just not true.
In reality, they have a lot of applications to read and limited time, so they can only focus on a few key parts of your resume. 
Above all, this is how they get their first impression of you to decide if they’ll read more.
Studies have shown that employers focus on your name, current title/ company, current position start/end, previous title/company, previous position start/end, and education.
This is one of those resume facts you should keep in mind as you write, because it’s, essentially, your first impression. Focus on writing those sections strategically, so you show how great YOU are and make employers want to read more.

Objectives are outdated

If you’ve asked anyone older than you to look at your resume, they probably told you to put an objective at the top of your resume.
That, however, is outdated advice. Think about it: they’re just a really extra way to state the obvious (I want a job). Anything more than that is better for your cover letter, so go ahead and delete your objective ASAP.
Instead, use that space to expand on your experiences, list skills, or add more line breaks.
Need help explaining your experiences in the best possible way? Check out How to Write Powerful Bullet Points

No soft skills

It might seem like the skills section of your resume isn’t as important, but one of the crucial resume facts is about a popular misconception.
Your skills section is NOT for soft skills, such as customer service, teamwork, communication, and so on. Those are, again, better fit for your cover letter.
Instead, your skills section should only be relevant language or technical skills, like camera equipment, language fluency, or computer programs.

Consistency is key

This is the final one of the essential resume facts: consistency.
I can’t say enough times how important this is: you want everything on your resume to be consistent. That means your dates are perfectly aligned and your formatting doesn’t vary (bold/italics/spacing).
Before you send your resume, look it over and focus only on checking for consistency. This will help you spot those small errors that tend to slip through the cracks.
Need more help with your resume’s layout? Check out 4 Essential Resume Layout Tips
These 5 resume facts are crucial to writing an outstanding resume. Remember to focus on your audience, optimize your resume’s first impression, delete your objective, save your soft skills for cover letters, and be consistent. Use these resume facts as the foundation for writing an amazing resume!
Ready to stop relying on your resume? Grab my free guide to network with confidence and totally transform your career!