Resume Quick Fixes

Does your resume need a major overhaul?

Don't have time to do that resume overhaul because you saw a posting for your dream job and you need to get your resume in the employer's hand as soon as possible?

You're not alone. Many job seekers, for one reason or another, find themselves in the same situation.

But there are superficial ways to make your resume more appealing to employers after adding your most recent job. Think of them as freshening up your resume with a fresh coat of paint - or, more appropriately, putting some lipstick on that pig.

Eye liner. If your outdated resume is plain, the first step to making that pig more attractive to potential employers is to give it visual appeal. First impressions are important - and that includes resumes. Center your name at the top, bump its size up to 18 point and put it in bold type. Capitalize your headings (e.g. "OBJECTIVE," "EXPERIENCE," "EDUCATION," etc.), put them in bold at 14 point and add an underlining border left to right across the page. This will make your resume look more organized (even if it isn't) and add some flair to that pig.

Silk purse. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, of course, but you can make your pig of a resume look smoother simply by changing the font. This is a pretty simple step that can make your pig of a resume much more appealing. First, open your resume in your word processor, then click "edit," then "select all." Now change the font. Chances are your processor defaults to Times New Roman, which is pretty typewriter-ish and old-fashioned. Change your font to Arial or Verdana - both are a little more rounded and much more modern-looking. It'll make your pig of a resume look shiny and new.

A little ham. Take five minutes to create a new subheading: "SKILLS." Underneath, list every computer skill and job-specific skill you have, separating each item with a comma. Employers will see what you can do at a glance. Your pig of a resume will now be showing off a little - which is one of the reasons we have resumes, after all - and will be much more searchable. When you post your resume on job sites, employers won't find it unless your keywords - what employers query on - are in the top 200 words or so. Hamming it up just a bit, therefore, will make your pig of a resume much more attractive to employers.

IN A NUTSHELL: If you need to submit your outdated resume in a hurry, take a few minutes first to put some lipstick on that pig.