What are your resume tips/resume building tips?
Ask A Biologist Monday 5/15/23
Answers from Biologists:
Get examples from others that have success in finding programs or work.
Use tables in Word to organize, align, and format more easily.
Don’t include an address. It may make them pick someone located closer than you.
Highlight words from the job announcement and address each qualification in your resume.
Keep your resume up to date by adding accomplishments as you earn/complete them.
Include a list of relevant skills.
Put dates next to trainings to show when you took them.
Don’t include a photo. It’s just asking for bias to happen.
List experience from most recent and include job duties.
USAjobs is very specific. Take a workshop or ask someone who has gotten through to help.
Always get another set of eyes on it to check for grammatical/formatting errors.
Try to get a professional in the field to check for content.
Ask around for opportunities on different projects outside of what you do.
Asking on Twitter if anyone could look at my resume gave me the best advice/connections.
Use your cover letter to explain your resume and connect the dots.
Include at least 3 reliable and relevant references on your resume with contact information.
Reach out to current/previous employers about what stood out to them when hiring you and what to improve.
Let your references know that you’re applying to positions and that they might be contacted.
Do cause and effect on past jobs. I did “A” that resulted in “B”.
Have a master document of everything you’ve done that you add to over time.
Quantify your tasks. “I banded X birds per week while training X technicians”.
Color code your drafts to know what to include for different roles.
Highlight relevant skills from all of your jobs.
Start tracking all your wildlife observation/handling hours in excel. Permits require detail.
Tailor it to the job/niche you’re applying for.
Always have someone proofread it.
You don’t have to limit it to one page.
Bullet statements and concise phrases make reading easier for hiring panel.
Include your name as the header/footer on each page.
