A professional looking and sounding resume is as important as a professional wardrobe when you are looking for a job. What makes a resume professional?
First, the contact information is professional, with an email address that consists of your name, not some cute phrase or an address you share with your entire family (such as TheSmithFamily@yahoo.com).
Second, the content conforms to expectations for professional resumes. Work history is given in reverse chronological order; the first person singular (“I”) is not used; each bullet point starts with a verb; job descriptions stress achievements; and so on.
Third, a professional resume is proofread by a human being, not software. Running an online spell check or grammar check is not proofreading. The spell checker will not catch “manager” spelled as “manger” or “secret” spelled as “secrete” and online grammar checkers are, frankly, worthless.
Fourth, a professional resume is targeted for the job and the industry. Recruiters and hiring managers are quick to discern resumes that are “one size fits all,” including an absence of keywords and overload of information that is not relevant to the job.
Fifth, professional format consists of a familiar, clear type and a simple design that can be read by electronic Applicant Tracking Systems. An unprofessional format might have too much bolding, italics, and underlining; hard to read fonts; no balance between print and white space; inconsistent alignment (sometimes justified, sometimes ragged right); or inconsistent bullets (round, square, large, small).
As a professional resume writer, I have produced thousands of professional resumes for individuals at every stage of their careers. I look forward to helping you; contact me today.