Your resume is important, because every piece of paper or profile that is associated with you helps to make you more marketable. If you can master a good resume and how to sell yourself on paper, you can sell yourself in your side hustle, for speaking engagements and other opportunities. Job seeker or entrepreneur, your resume is not to be ignored. By now you should know that whatever you learned about creating a resume design is probably outdated, especially if you’re in a creative industry. It is the one piece of paper that we obsess over the most and the hardest one to get right it seems. Microsoft Word templates are just not going to give you the wow-factor that you need to stand out in a pile, and the contents on it is probably a lazy collection of copy-and-paste from past job descriptions. Your resume is your introduction and speaks for you. What does your resume say about you? While a resume is just one part of the job search process, it is what can get you in the door.

A RESUME ALONE WON’T GET YOU A JOB, BUT A BAD ONE CAN ELIMINATE YOUR CHANCES. 

Recruiters spend a measly few seconds reviewing your resume. A quick scan by them or a digital application management system is your only chance to be considered for an interview. How annoying is that? You spend hours working on a resume and cover letter that most people don’t fully read. If you want to improve your chances, keep reading to learn 3 quick things you can do to upgrade your resume before 2017.

I know I’ve thrown shade at Microsoft Word resumes many times, but most make my eyes glaze over and want to go play in traffic. I know that you can do better while still remaining professional, because my students do it all the time. Take a look at this example below.