How to Avoid a Cluttered Resume

Posted on January 31, 2010
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One of the most important parts of job searching is the process of updating your resume–you need new, exciting information to gain prospective employers’ attention. Most likely you were able to gain a great deal of experience in your latest position, so you should have plenty to add to your resume.

There’s a problem, though; with all of the new data that you’ve added in, your resume is too cluttered and unreadable. So now, your job is to declutter it before sending it out to be considered. Here are some tips to help you clean it up …

Rethink Your Career Goal

One way to clean up your resume is to rethink exactly what it is you’re looking for in your career. Remember that you’re not legally bound to try to find the same position in the same field, particularly if you didn’t enjoy your last job. You may feel ready to shift gears a bit.

Or you may want to remain in the same area, but with a more specific focus. Whatever your goal may be, it’s important to define it and use it to guide you through the rest of the resume. This allows you to look at your accomplishments and skills in the same way that your potential employers will view them, which can give your job search quite the edge.

Clean Up Your Employment History / Work Experience

Another important step in decluttering your resume is to clean up your work history. There are several ways to approach this part of the process. If you worked at your last employer for over 20 years, you could keep the job information but adjust what details you share.

On the other hand, if you’ve had a number of employers, you not only will want to rethink what details should be included under each position, but also rethink which positions should be included. Much of this will be determined by the job you’re applying for. Try to find details in your job history that match up with what your potential new employer is looking for. That could mean that you might eliminate some details from each job, or eliminate some jobs if they’re not relevant.

What Would You Want to See (if You Were an Employer)

One great way to eliminate unnecessary information from your resume is to take the position of an employer as you read it. Think about what you would look for if someone was coming to work for you. You might look for keywords rather than reading the entire resume, particularly busy. You might also look for technology that you wouldn’t have to train them on, as well as any awards that show just how extraordinary they really are. As you’re writing your resume, it’s good to think in terms of what an employer may want to know about you.

If you’re trying to get a dream job, a decluttered resume is absolutely essential–remember, it’s always worth the time to take a few minutes and make sure that a resume is as strong and powerful as is possible.

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