Resumes – we may not love creating them, but we all need them. Resumes can either make or break the dream job you’ve been trying to land. Whether you’re creating from scratch or dusting off an old one – here’s a few quick tips to make that resume new.

Evaluate your resume and see if you are impressed.

The first step to creating an excellent resume is to take an objective overview of the document. Are you impressed by your achievements? Bear in mind that your resume is a summary of your life achievements. The objective of the resume is to impress the reader to the extent of shortlisting you for an interview. If your resume does not impress you, it is less likely to impress your potential employer.

Although the resume cannot land you a job in isolation, it plays a critical role in scaling the first hurdle to getting shortlisted for an interview. The dual factors that make your resume stand out from others are the value you bring to the company and the reason why you are the best fit for the job. Make sure you are impressed by your resume before you send it out to any potential employer.

Remove irrelevant entries.

One of the strategies of creating an excellent resume is to remove the clutter and focus on only the relevant information. The best way to determine the content that should remain is to streamline the ones that underscore your values.

Make an appraisal to see if a part of the content is merely listing the prerequisite for the job. You should be emphasizing the unique features that set you apart from other applicants. Find the content that does not highlight the value you bring to the table and remove them.

For instance, consider the two sentences below:

“Stayed on par with the latest development in the industry.”, and “Leverage emerging trends to create business strategies.”

The first sentence highlights the obvious responsibility, but the second one expressed the value you add to the business. You can do away with the first one to allow the second sentence to impress the reader.

Create a well-balanced resume

Your resume must combine elements of aesthetics with a clean layout and impressive content. In other words – a little humble brag won’t hurt. This balance will ensure your document sails through the automated screening system and also impress the reader as well.

What good is the having impressive content within your resume, that is covered up in a congested page? An excellent layout that is filled with fluff is also irrelevant. So, you should focus on creating a resume that creates a balance between aesthetics and the value you bring to the table.