APU Careers Careers & Learning

Getting Out in Front of Your Competition

By Kristen Carter, Guest Contributor

Your resume is, by far, one of the most important components of the job application process, and if done wrong, could become an obstacle standing between you and your dream job. You want it to accurately reflect your experience and accomplishments in a concise manner, while also grabbing the attention of a hiring manager. At the same time, there are likely many other qualified candidates applying for the same positions that you are. So, how do you get your resume to stay at the top of the pile? While there are many resume tips out there, Donna Fuscaldo mentions three points in her article titled, “How to Make Your Resume Better Than the Competition,” that I would highly recommend implementing in order to increase your chances of landing an interview.

  1. Insert key words from vacancy announcements. You want to thoroughly read each job announcement, identify the key words that stick out and are repeated throughout, and infuse these words into your resume, if you have similar skills. To read more about this process, you may want to check out the following blog post. If you would like help learning how to do this, email your Career Coach for help.
  2. Focus on accomplishments, rather than job duties. While it is much easier to rattle off your job duties (i.e. copied and faxed documents), it is much more effective to discuss the accomplishments you achieved in each role. If possible, I always encourage students and alumni to quantify their information. If you managed staff, how many staff members did you manage? If you were in charge of a budget or expensive equipment, put a value on it.
  3. Proofread. It is critical to read and re-read your document to ensure there are no misspellings or typos.  You definitely do not want to get placed at the bottom of the pile, or worse, get thrown out because of your lack of punctuation or missing words. Therefore, I would recommend having a third party proofread your document to receive additional feedback.

Should you like further assistance with this process and are a current student or alumni of AMU or APU, feel free to contact the Office of Career Services at careerservices@apus.edu.

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