- Spelling, grammar, and formatting errors are absolutely the quickest way to turn a resume into the top piece of paper in the garbage pile. I recently saw a resume which said “I am very detail oriental”; this says two things, the person is not detail oriented and it is quite possible they cannot spell oriented. Cautiously use spell check, oriental is a word, it is spelled correctly; however, it is not the correct word for this sentence. Also, take a general look at your document, did the formatting change somewhere along the way? Mismatched font half way down the page is a red flag that you may not have taken a few extra minutes to look at your resume before sending it out. Have several people look over it and check your spelling, grammar, and formatting before sending it out to your future property manager.
- Make sure you highlight your accomplishments as opposed to your job duties. Most property managers are not looking very concerned about your day to day duties with your previous employer, instead, they want to know what made you successful in that position. So, when you were a leasing consultant, did you just show people your property and fill out paperwork or were you part of a team that increased occupancy from 75% to 96% within your first year? Which one of those job descriptions sounds more appealing?
- Use active verb age when describing your accomplishments. Everything on your resume should be written with an active verb. This way, you are not telling a prospective employer that you are a good employee, you are instead telling them what actions you took. For example, say something similar to “Researched and compiled active social media plan which we implemented resulting in greater engagement from residents and higher resident retention” instead of “social media plan for resident retention”.
- Leave off your personal details. Once you are hired it is acceptable to discuss the funny things that your 8 year old says, but listing that you are married with three kids does not highlight anything about you in regards to employment history or accomplishments.
- If you already have some work experience in the field in which you are applying for a new position, then “relevant coursework” is no longer relevant. It is just a filler and takes up valuable space on your resume that you could use to talk more about your accomplishments and work history.