For a Successful Job Search - Avoid a Busy Resume

For a Successful Job Search - Avoid a Busy Resume A resume is ultimately a tool to cut down on the time employers have to spend on job-hunters. Or putting it another way, a resume is a way to cut out job candidates from the employment process.A job seeker on the other hand, tends to see the resume as that piece of paper that summarises everything that they have done, so they can cast a wide net when looking for a new job.evalUnfortunately this approach of throwing in everything, results in a busy and unfocused resume, which will see you relegated to the rejection pile.If you want your resume to be successful, it needs to be very focussed and you need to avoid a busy resume.1. Avoid long lists of key skillsevalSo many resumes I’ve viewed over the years have extensive and very busy looking key skills lists. There is a prevailing myth that you need to stuff your resume with a ton of keywords, so you can beat the robots Solution: To ensure that your resume is focused, eliminate all courses that are not relevant to the job you are appl ying for.For example, if you have First Aid Certificate listed on your resume and you are going for a mid-tier management role in IT, you can safely bet that this certificate won’t be adding any value at all, so remove it.3. Eliminate a mishmash of jobsIf your career to date is composed of unconnected jobs, inconsequential jobs, or you have been a temporary worker and was assigned to dozens of corporations, you need to avoid the busy look and make sure the content is highly focussed.Excess jobs, or less relevant experience is one the key reasons your resume will look busy and unfocused.Solution:evalIf you have several temporary positions spanning a length of time, lump them under one heading; avoid repetition of duties and responsibilities; provide a brief overview and then focus on key achievements.If you have several jobs from years ago that are unrelated to your present career ambitions, remove them.If you have a mix between relevant and irrelevant jobs, you can create a headin g ‘Relevant Work Experience’ and then focus on highlighting your achievements.With the less relevant jobs, keep the content tight and only focus on transferable skills.4. If it does not add value, Remove ItSome resumes turn into confessionals, where everything is included from volunteer work from the late 1990, music tastes, why someone left a job, through to marital status.Solution: To focus your resume and make sure it does not look busy, ask yourself the following question:Does this information add value and relate to the job in questions?If it doesn’t, take it out â€" it does not belong in your resume.