How to Turn a Boring Resume Into an Exciting One
Do You Have a Boring Resume?
Employers with piles of resumes overwhelming their desks simply do not have time for boring resumes. They want to know that you’re highly motivated and genuine in your pursuit of the job. Otherwise, an interview would be a waste of company time and resources. A boring resume can be spotted a mile away. So…what makes a resume boring?
It’s Not Specific Enough.
A boring resume is often generic. Outdated, template resumes dished out to every job posting available come across as insincere, rushed, and are likely to get lost in the shuffle. Make your resumes stand out–and get closer to the job you want–by tailoring them to the job you want.
It’s Unfocused.
Employers’ eyes will glaze over lists of routine tasks on a resume. Avoid a boring resume by rewriting your work history with dynamic phrases. Show how you’ve brought value to your previous employers. Instead of “Answered Phones”, try “Managed daily correspondence with 50+ clients”. Combining dynamic phrases with keywords from the job description will almost guarantee your resume a second look.
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It’s Too Passive.
Be specific. And don’t be modest. Give specific numbers and evidence of the impact you’ve made on your previous employers. Trumpet promotions and awards you’ve received. Start bullet points in active voice, with active verbs. A passive voice might say, “Had opportunity to interview more than 50 potential candidates”, while an active voice will state, “Interviewed more than 50 potential candidates”. Using a passive voice is the verbal equivalent of avoiding eye contact with your interviewer: don’t do it.
There’s No Consistency.
Boring resumes are inconsistent in style and font, resulting in a cluttered block of text on the page. Think of the resume as your billboard on the side of the employer’s highway. Every inch of that ad space is valuable. You want to use space wisely to convince the employer that this isn’t another boring resume, this is the profile of an employee they need on their team! Break up walls of text with consistent section headings and bullets. Set one-inch margins and use no more than two similar fonts.
Make Your Resume 100% Less Boring With Resume Builder.
A resume is your first and best chance to sell yourself to employers. You don’t need fancy fonts or colors or super-shiny paper: you just need to be smart, succinct, professional and impressive. And to really make your resume move from dullsville to the top of the hiring pile, use a proven resume builder like LiveCareer’s to build an engaging, exciting resume that will catch employers’ attention–and help you get that least boring thing of all, a great new job.
