Are you looking to spruce up your resume this year? Follow these basic tips.

For many job seekers, a great resume is the differentiator between getting your dream job and just getting a job. It does take time to write a good resume and is not easy when you are trying a find a job. Use the following tips to get your resume to stand out.  You will start getting interviews in no time!  Let’s get started.

• Highlight only the accomplishments and skills specific to the position you are applying for.
  There is no need to list every skill and work experience, especially if it is not relevant to the position you are applying for. Customizing your resume to the position will help the reader see you as a fit for the position. Keep a fully documented resume as your template or reference document that you can customize from.
• Put your best foot forward. List the most relevant qualifications first. You want the reader to see the most closely aligned experiences and skills in first few seconds to keep them reading.
• Lose the objective sentence or paragraph. Objectives are considered old fashioned and can take up valuable real estate on your resume. The main exception is if you are changing careers and need to explain why your experience does not line up with the position applying to.
• Chronological order. List your work experience from most recent to oldest, as this is the preferred format by hiring managers. Most readers will wonder what you are hiding if you use skills based or functional resume formats that skip around.
• Be concise. While there are many debates on the proper length a resume should be, the best advice is as short and concise as you can make it. Refer to #1 see what can be removed as the experience is not relevant. Look for redundant wording and what can be combined to be shorter and more concise. Margins, line spacing, and bullet points can be used to manage information in fewer pages.
• Use links to personal websites, online portfolios, and professional social media profiles to provide additional information.
• Use a clean and consistent format. How easily can the reader see what, where, and when your relevant experience took place?
• ATS compatibility. Using simple word documents allows the ATS to read your resume with less issues. While fancy design elements may look visually appealing, there is the potential for the content to be misread.
• Prominent and correct contact information. Do not forget to make sure your name and contact information is easily found, preferably at the top of the resume. For contact information include all methods of how you wish to be contacted, phone/text and/or email address.