How To Get The Most Out Of Your Resume

As the blueprint of every work and volunteer experience you have had, your résumé is undoubtedly one of the most important documents necessary in obtaining employment and promoting yourself as an entrepreneur. Though many of us have been working for years now, updating your résumé is important not only if you are seeking employment for the first time as a college or graduate student, it is also very important when it comes to seeking new opportunities both inside and outside of your current employer.

Here are 5 tips to updating your résumé to currently reflect the best of what you have to offer based upon previous experience and/or current education, awards and promotions:

1) Start From The Top.

Make sure your contact information is current. You want future employers to be able to reach you, therefore, if your old address from 3 years ago and turned off Metro PCS phone number are still listed, you are already at a severe disadvantage.

2) Pay Attention to the Small Things.

Have you taken any new courses for continuing education ? Have you finished a major project and/or deal that speaks volumes to your growth in your current position ? If so, you definitely want to document these small but very important details as they may be the very catch phrases a future employer or client is looking for when hiring.

3) Remove Non-Applicable Information.

Yes, we understand you worked as the “Keeper of Koala Bears” at the Chicago Zoo in the 1996, however, unless you implemented a system to keep track of them via Computer Information Systems, this job has no bearing on your search for an IT position in 2013.

4) Include New Awards.

Being recognized as one of the Top Attorneys or Sales Persons in the nation is major and everyone should know. Please include this.

5) Proofread.

Nothing says “slacker” more than misspelled words on a resume. Proofread from the beginning to the end of this newly revised resume to ensure you are presenting your best !

Rashida Maples, Esq. is Founder and Managing Partner of J. Maples & Associates (www.jmaplesandassociates.com). She has practiced Entertainment, Real Estate and Small Business Law for 9 years, handling both transactional and litigation matters. Her clients include R&B Artists Bilal and Olivia, NFL Superstar Ray Lewis, Fashion Powerhouse Harlem’s Fashion Row and Hirschfeld Properties, LLC.

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