Writing an Effective Resume After Youve Been Laid Off

Writing an Effective Resume After Youve Been Laid OffWriting an Effective Resume After Youve Been Laid OffLets say you were unexpectedly laid off, and you need a new job ASAP. Out of desperation, you may be tempted to start sending out your resume, which hasnt been updated inyears, immediately.But dont Youd be far better off taking the time to update and tailor your resume, no matter howbig a rush youre in to land your next job.Writing an effective resume can be a time-consuming, daunting task. But investing the time and energy to perfect it will likely be well worth the effort.Here are some stepsfor writing an effective resume after youve been laid offLearn about the current resume rules or trends.If it has been a while since you last wrote a resume, do your homework on the current rules or trends. Read as many articles as possible, like the ones wepublish on the blog, to get a better understanding of what employers look for in resumes today.For instance, since youll be sending you r resume electronically, you can include hyperlinks to things like your LinkedIn profile(which you should make sure is up to date, as well).Create a template and master doc you can pull from.Since its imperative that you customize, or at least tweak, your resume for each job you apply to, creating one generic resume that you send to everyone wont cut it. So, instead, come up with a great template you want to use, and fill out all the information that will remain the same (i.e., your name and contact information, your education, etc.).Then, create a master document where you have everything else- volunteer work, achievements, all your past work experience- with tons of bullet points for each one, focusing on different areas of those jobs. This way, you can easilypull the most relevant information from that document when youre working on each individual resume.Read, and reread, and reread the job posting.Without being so obvious or over-the-top,youll want to include keywords from the job posting within your resume, if possible. This will not only help your resume get through an automated tracking system, but will also tell the hiring manager that you spent time on this application, which theyll likely appreciate.Youll also want to make sure you have a very clear understanding of the job in order to decide which information about your background, achievements, skills, etc. is most relevant.So, as simple as it may sound, reread the job posting at least a few times, and pay very close attention to the language the employer uses.Dont lie.If you were laid off, you dont need to write that on your resume(you can explain during the interview, if it comes up), but you also dont need to hide the fact that you had a small employment gap since.Never fabricate or lie on your resume Theres a good chance the employer will eventually figure it out, and when they do, they probably wont be very happy.Explore your experience. If you thought that job experience only came from paid jobs, think again. Job experience can come in many forms, such asfreelance gigs, part-time jobs, unpaid internshipseven volunteer jobs They all count towards solid work experience, and should be listed as such in the work experience section on your resume. Just make sure not to go beyond 10-15 years of past experience, since youll only want to include more recent, relevant information.For each position youve held, include your job title, the companys name, your top duties, and your accomplishments while working there. Use numbers instead of words since it can help a profil employer see your success (e.g., Saved the company $450,000 by recommending a new computer program.). And dont forget to use the past tense for jobs youve held, and the present tense if youre including a job that you are still working at.Consider if its time to moveyour education to the bottom. Again, if it has been a while since you last updated your resume, there may be some things youll want to move aroundlike your education.If you last worked on your resume as a recent college grad, you likely featured your Education section toward the very top. But ifits been, ahem, quite a few years since you graduated, it may be time to move that to the bottom and use that prime resume real estate to feature your most recent, relevant work experience, instead. Also consider leaving your graduation year off your resume.Proofread, proofread, proofread.If you were recently laid off, and youre currently unemployed, youll likely be anxious to get the ball rolling and send out your new, updated resume the second you finish working on it. But its so important that you take some time to proofreadand edit your resumecarefully. You may need to step away from it for a day or two before you begin the proofreading process to let your brain get some distance. You should also ask others to read it for typos, grammatical errors, or anything else that could easily land your resume in the no pile.You wouldnt want all y our hard work to go to waste because you spelled Experience wrongWriting your resume might seem like a laborious, daunting experience, but it can make your job searchmove faster if you invest the time to take these steps upfront.Looking for even more help recovering from your layoff? partnered with LinkedIn Learning to create a whole course for you. Get a 30 day free trial with unlimited access to LinkedIn Learnings full course catalog Heres an overview on Recovering from a Layoff to learn more about the course.