9 Easy Resume Updates That Can Help You Stand Out

9 Easy Resume Updates That Can Help You Stand Out 9 Easy Resume Updates That Can Help You Stand Out Ready to create a more effective resume? Boosting it  doesn’t always mean completely overhauling. In fact, simple resume updates  oftentimes can lead to big payoffs. Consider these nine easy-to-implement resume updates to stand out from the competition: 1. Get rid of lackluster skills and ancient accomplishments. Provide plenty of room for your awesome credentials to shine by ridding your resume of out-of-date entries. Touting Web surfing ability and basic competency in Microsoft Word doesn’t particularly enthuse 21st-century employers. And unless you’re a fairly recent high school grad, move on to showcasing achievements beyond those glory days. 2. Shake up the order. Speaking of education, consider placing that section lower on the page. While employers do care about your post-secondary education, your job experience from the last few years is usually more relevant and thus should be presented right off the bat. 3. Give important skills their due. Worried certain qualifications will get lost among other statements? Highlight the most pertinent ones in their own section. Someone applying for an IT job, for instance, may want a header entitled “Software Skills” followed by a descriptive list. 4. Include volunteer experience. In a study of decision-makers, 82 percent said they are more likely to choose a candidate with volunteering experience. However, these hiring professionals also reported seeing volunteer experience listed on only 30 percent of the resumes they receive. Don’t miss out on this way to demonstrate leadership, compassion, and transferable skills. 5. Add metrics. “Data speaks volumes,” says career advisor and greyzone founder Tami Palmer. “Whenever possible, talk about the percentage you increased revenue or saved expenditures. Convey specific details. Don’t have it? Start recording it now for future updates!” (For even more impact, use actual numbers rather than write them out. A scanning eye will be more likely to stop and read when seeing “50%” on a resume rather than “fifty percent.”) 6. “Liven” things up. Live hyperlinks provide a convenient way for the hiring manager to learn more about you or quickly establish contact. Make your email address, LinkedIn profile, and personal website clickable when submitting a resume electronically. 7. Be less “responsible.” And, for that matter, less “detail-oriented” too. Evaluate your resume to rid it of boring, overused words. Palmer notes that verbs such as “initiated,” “managed,” “created,” and “launched” pack a greater punch than constantly saying you were responsible for this or that duty. 8. Remove “References Available upon Request.” The phrase takes up room that could be devoted to showing why you’re the perfect person for the position. Employers who value references will ask for them without prompting. 9. Perform a final once-over. Introducing errors makes those great changes to your resume go for naught. Be sure to spell check, proofread, check tenses, and maintain a consistent format. A polished document shows that you’re a true professional worth an extended look! Looking for more resume help? Check out our resume tips category. Readers, can you think of  additional easy resume updates to help you stand out? Share with us below!