The Tenth Day of APH CareerConnect: 10 Ways to Improve a Resumé As a Job Seeker Who Is Blind

Close-up of a resume with pen and glasses on the table.

Continuing with our 12 Days of APH CareerConnect theme, in keeping with the “12 Days of Christmas;” we are providing you with the tenth day. We prefer the 12 Days to Christmas, the holiday season, and the New Year. Here is our tenth day with tips and advice around getting your resumĂ© developed, polished, and ready to submit.

10 Ways to Improve a Resumé

10. Always use a legible, professional typeface (font), no cursive or curly-q’s trying to be fancy and keep to a standard length.

9. If you are new to the workforce a one-page resumé is normal. Keep formatting consistent and make sure that all of the key points about your work history is included and formatted in a way that the employer quickly sees it.

8. Choose your keywords carefully. Don’t include all of the details. Pick and choose what’s most important to keep it pithy and catch the employer’s attention.

7. Highlight your strengths and accomplishments to draw attention to what you have to offer an employer. Adjust and edit your work history based on the position for which you are applying.

6. Never lie on your resumé and no over embellishment. Businesses regularly perform fact-checking on applicants before hiring. If it appears that you have misrepresented yourself, your application will be dismissed and your reputation will suffer. If you do get hired and it is later discovered that you were not truthful nearly all employers will find this grounds for immediate dismissal.

5. Resumés are better left in an electronic format so that you can easily tweak and modify it according to need before applying for different jobs. Save it in a safe place on your computer for easy access.

4. Make the tone of your resumé accomplished driven, not duties driven. This shows that you follow through to complete the tasks and projects you take on, or are assigned.

3. Use action words in your resumé to increase your chances for consideration of a job. For example, use verbs such as attained, compiled, completed, directed, assisted, resolved, provided, managed, oversaw, etc.

2. A resumé is your career marketing tool so strive to keep it concise. Make your key selling points immediately in sight of the reader.

1. Make use of APH CareerConnect® which allows you to generate both a Personal Data Sheet and a resumé that you can print out and/or save to your APH CareerConnect profile (You have registor for free to use these tools). Another of our great resources offers articles related to this topic is our Conducting a Successful Job Search subsection. Read the tips on Building a Resumé.

Here is one extra tip for you, a holiday gift. Take the time to share your resume with a few other people for tips and advice on your resumé. You should ask them for specifics about the formatting and wording. One cautionary statement, everyone has their own opinions about resumés and all that relates. Go back and read this past blog post about keeping your resume current, Resumés Should Updated More Than Your Wardrobe.

Make sure to track the CareerConnect Blog and watch for the ninth day and others to come.