GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Depending on how long it has been, for some new job seekers, doing a resume can feel foreign right now. Fox 17 spoke with Career Coach and Founder of website spearmintcoaching.com Fran Berrick about the topic, she explained the key to finding a job right now is focusing on a goal, marketing yourself well and using all the tools available to you, and that includes having the best resume possible.
Berrick says companies are using application tracking software to streamline the hiring process, narrowing the field of applicants to find the ones who have the exact skills, experience and expertise for the opening. So to get in front of their HR Department and actually speak with someone within the company, your resume has to make it through the firewall or “algorithm” as Berrick calls it.
Berrick says one way to get help is by dropping a job description into a word cloud liketagcrowd.com. That will quickly show you the key words that must be found in your resume, cover letter or LinkedIN profile if you hope to have your resume looked at further. While you can do a new resume for every job opening, Berrick suggests job seekers collect four or five key job descriptions and form their own personal word cloud when applying for similar jobs or in the same field.
Berrick says when talking about your skills and education in your resume, cover letter or LinkedIn, avoid using the same word. Instead use different words each time. “There are like five different ways to say you’re a software engineer and I suggest to clients that you use them all,” Berrick explained to Fox 17. For more career advice, check out Fran Berrick’s website, spearmintcoaching.com.