How to Flesh Out Your Resume
It is commonly known that your resume should be a standard one page. Seeing as your resume only gets maybe 10 seconds of attention, any longer than one page provides more information than can be attended to in that amount of time. To remedy a length problem, review the information on your resume, and make sure it’s all current and relevant, and cut everything that no longer falls into those categories. But what do you do if you have the opposite problem? You’ve filled out your objective, educational information, work experience, and you’re still looking at half a page of blank space. Don’t you worry; it won’t be blank for long.
- It’s all in the Details:
What did you do at your last position? I don’t mean two or three bullet point’s worth, but what did you do? Did you manage a group of people? Did you create content that led to any sort of results? Give it to me in more detail, quantify your accomplishments. You have what many professionals wish they had: space to delineate the things that they did in previous positions that exemplify relevant skills! Use it! - Highlight Relevant Skill sets:
Now, I know you have a list of skills, all prim and proper under a general “Skills” heading. Don’t be afraid to break them up! Having a long list can lead to having some of your skills skimmed over. Does the job you’re applying for require a certain set of skills that you have? Say, computer skills? What about language or social media skills? If you’ve got it, flaunt it! Create a separate heading for those skills. This will not only add more length to your resume, but it highlights the skills that are more relevant to the position. - Giving is a Good Thing:
Do you have any volunteer experience? List it! Volunteer experience shows potential employers more about who you are as a person, not just a potential employee. Volunteering can not only be rewarding, but it can be valuable experience as well! Did you help coordinate an event? Did you fundraise? Enter data? These activities all require skills that professionals use every day.
If you don’t have any volunteer experience, sign up to give some of your time. Not only is it intrinsically rewarding, it helps develop certain job skills and helps to maintain an employable image, not to mention lengthens your resume!
Never fill your resume with fluff, look deeper into the experience you have and use this opportunity to express details, highlight skills, and show off who you are. You may have had trouble filling space before, but using these tips you’re likely to have an abundance of information. You’ll be filling that page in no time!
