Last March, I tried to be clever. It backfired. The good news is that you get to benefit from it today.

What did you do this time, Michael?

Well, thank you for asking.

I had just launched my newsletter. It was an exciting time. But I didn’t know how to promote it. So, I did 2 things I always do:

1) Come up with a crazy idea

2) Announce that idea to 30,000 people without fully thinking it through.

This approach has its pros and cons. It helps me deliver ideas quickly. But this time, I had bitten off more than I could chew.

What was the crazy idea?

I announced on a LinkedIn post that for 24 hours, ‘anyone who subscribed to the Infinite Upside newsletter could have a free resume review’.

Boy, was that a silly decision.

I instantly received 50 resumes. Over the next few hours, I had 500 resumes to review. That was six months ago. I’ve only just stopped dreaming about resumes.

I told you that ridiculous story because I learned a few things that week. Everybody, whether you are a fresher, intern, junior, mid-level or senior staff makes the same resume mistakes.

Today, I’ll share what those mistakes are and share 5 quick tips to help you fix them.

One last thing before we get started.

I can help you fix your resume in 2 ways. We can discuss it over a 45-minute video call. Alternatively, I can send you feedback via email. Whatever works for you. If that sounds helpful, book your resume review here.

If you didn’t receive this post in your emails, hit subscribe so you don’t miss it next time.

Every Friday, I share a strategy to help you land a job in data through online networking.

_{Here’s 5 simple tips to fix your resume:}

1) Layout:

Recruiters spend seconds scanning a resume, so make sure your main points fly off the page. You can put keywords in bold. Don't let irrelevant stuff hide your best work.

I tell all my coaching clients:

• Keep it simple

• Make it easy to skim.

• Keep it relevant.

2) Professional Summary:

I believe this is the most important section of your resume. First impressions matter. So, ideally, you can summarize your career (past, present & future) in 5-6 lines.

If you do it properly, recruiters can instantly see why they should hire you. The rest of the resume explains the same story with more details. However, if your opening section isn’t compelling, you may have already lost them.

If you don't tell your story, someone else will. And spoiler alert: You won't like their version as much as yours.

So, tell YOUR story in YOUR words. Mention your desired role. Explain why you're the perfect fit. In my e-book, Infinite Upside, I have a full chapter on how to tell your story.

3) Skills:

Think about your:

• Transferable skills

• Technical skills

• Soft skills

Transferable skills apply across industries. Technical skills are things like SQL or Python. Soft skills are your personal attributes.

One mistake many people make is they leave their skills hanging on the side of the page.

It’s good to list your skills, but make sure you have sprinkled them into your Experience section like spices in a soup. People want to see examples of you using these skills.

Again, recruiters skim resumes, so consider putting your technical skills in bold.

4) Experience & Results:

• Explain the results of your work.

• Explain how YOU added value.

• Did you add revenue?

• Save time?

Quantify your achievements. For example:

- Before: "Good at Python."

- After: "Python: Automated data cleaning, saving 10 hours weekly."

And

- Before: "Analyzed sales data."

- After: "Increased sales by 15% by finding new markets through data analysis using Tableau."

5) Tailor Your Resume:

Customize your resume for each industry. This shows your genuine interest. It helps you stand out among other applicants.

One of my coaching clients had a session yesterday. They asked if they should tailor their resume for every job application? I said no.

If you are applying for a data analyst and data scientist role, these can be 2 different resumes. But if you are applying for multiple data analyst roles, you can use the same resume each time.

In a second call yesterday, a client asked, ‘What’s the point of cover letters?’

I told them that because we aren’t updating our resume for each job, a cover letter is an opportunity to tailor it.

For example, if you applied for a job at a marketing company. You could write a cover letter highlighting your most relevant marketing experience. This information might be on your resume, but it may only be 1-2 lines. The cover letter would help you to shine a light on your most relevant experience.

What do you think? Drop a comment on this LinkedIn post and let me know. Feel free to ask me anything here too.

I hope these tips were helpful. If you are struggling to land a job, fixing your resume is the easiest way to start getting more success. If you think it is time for a resume review, I'm here to help. You can book your resume review here. 

Also, if you ever need help with any other part of your job search, I can help. Hit reply to this email. We can chat about your goals.

If you didn’t receive this post in your emails, be sure to hit subscribe so you get more job-hunting tips next Friday.

If you need more help improving your technical data skills, you can find some amazing resources here.

See you next week,

Michael

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