5 Ways Young Professionals Can Make Their Resumes Stand Out

As we seek jobs and pursue careers, showing attention to detail can make or break an opportunity at a job. A poorly-executed resume can be a hindrance in the application process. But a well-formatted resume that is crafted to the job description at hand? That can be enough to get your foot in the door.

So you’ve graduated and maybe you have a year or two of career experience. Maybe you’ve completed an internship, or maybe you’re looking to move up out of an entry-level position. Maybe you don’t have much work experience at all!

Our partners at Pinnacle are here to share their tips with young professionals who have experience levels on both ends of the spectrum. Here’s how you can make your resume stand out.

1. Avoid Repetition

Treat the space on your resume as valuable real estate. The meat of your resume, the bullet points, should speak to a quality, experience or skill. Some day-to-day functions of roles may overlap with other jobs or volunteer work. Make a point to highlight individual experiences — don’t copy and paste bullet points from one job to another.

When listing contact information, there’s no need to say:

“Phone: (123) 456-7890 — Email: janesmith@gmail.com”

Simply listing “(123) 456-7890 — janesmith@gmail.com” is sufficient and saves you space because every word counts.

2. Know Your Audience

No two job descriptions are exactly the same, so the resumes you submit shouldn’t be either. Read the job description thoroughly and phrase your experience in similar verbiage to how it is listed on the job description.

Don’t copy and paste the description entirely. But where your experience fulfills the requirement, describe your experiences in similar terms. Use any keywords a hiring manager (or software program) may be searching.

3. Be Concise

Again, your resume is prime real estate. Listing “references available upon request” doesn’t add value to your resume. A recruiter or hiring manager will ask you directly if or when they would like a list of your references.

Your full address isn’t really needed on a resume — a city and zip code will do! Maintaining your privacy is critical, especially if you plan to post on job sites. By putting your city and zip code, you’re providing the recruiter with enough information while still protecting your privacy.

Interests, hobbies and pastimes are better left mentioned (as they apply) in your cover letter or interview. Your resume should focus on your career history. Keep it to the point, and hit “delete” on any hobby sections.

4. Always Proofread

After you’ve finished customizing your resume, click save and take a break. Go for a walk, run an errand, or do anything that will refresh your brain. Then come back to your resume and do a final proofread check. By taking a break, you’ll review your resume with fresh eyes and are more likely to notice anything you missed in the first go-round.

Having a second pair of eyes can also be helpful. Don’t shy away from seeking advice or opinions from others within your circle. Ask friends, peers, or mentors to give you feedback. They may see opportunities for improvement (or spot errors you missed!). But remember, you should have final say in what goes on your resume. At the end of the day, you’ll be the one explaining it in an interview.

5. Check Your File and Format

For young professionals, follow this rule of thumb. There’s no need for your resume to be more than one page. If you have one to five years of experience, you should be able to include all of this information on one page (valuable real estate, remember?).

Smaller elements of your resume can also make a big impact. Recruiters may have dozens of “resume.docx” files filling their download folder. Stand out by being detailed and branding everything, even the document name of your resume.

Unless otherwise noted, submit your resume in PDF format to keep fonts and spacing exactly how you intended.

Brought to you by our partners, Pinnacle Accounting and Finance, LLC

At Pinnacle, we strive to be a go to resource and thought leader for talent acquisition in the Pittsburgh Professional Community. Our vision is to serve as the epicenter for professionals seeking career advancement opportunities and employers seeking qualified talent in the greater Pittsburgh area.

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