Lesser Known Resume Techniques and Writing Tips

While there may be a plethora of resume writing tips floating around the internet, there are a few tips going around that may not be as well known.

Here is a list of resume tips that I have recently stumbled across that has a few lesser known tips to creating a job-fetching resume; many of which I will start using.

I’ll start with some pretty obvious ones:

Don’t ever lie on your resume. It doesn’t matter what excuse you come up with, lying on your resume is bad news. Eventually it will come back to haunt you. For example, an employer may actually go back and check to see if you worked at where you said and for how long. The more outlandish your lies the more likely they are to check. Your team or coworkers may also catch you in that lie when it comes time for you to use skills you said you have.

Use correct grammar and spelling. Use a word processing software like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice’s word processor, just don’t ever turn in a resume with misspelled words because not only does it look tacky, it makes you look really unprofessional.

Here’s one of those lesser known tips (at least by me): You don’t have to use big words. Big words only show that you know how to use synonyms through your Word program. At the same time, you don’t have to hide how smart you are, you just need to make sure that your potential employer can read through your resume quickly and understand your best attributes rather than being forced to pull out a dictionary.

Another one I was unaware of, but now makes a lot of sense to me: Use good quality resume paper. I never thought about it before and I actually always print resumes on resume paper I just thought that everyone did. You don’t have to spend a fortune on paper, but it is more expensive. I was able to buy “Exceptional Resume Paper” from Wal-Mart; the paper itself is 24 lb, 100% cotton, ivory colored, and is watermarked.

Also, if there are abbreviations in your resume, make sure to spell out the words. For example, I have an emphasis in PR. While most people know what PR is, I will write out public relations on my resume.