Manage Job Search Stress with These Resume Writing Tips

Searching for a job can be stressful. Just writing a resume and cover letter from scratch can be challenging. But if your goal is a perfect resume—and you’re getting stressed about it—relax. Managing stress is something you’ll have to do on the job, so you might as well start now.

You have some work to do, that’s true, but the effort is worth it. Give yourself plenty of time and take comfort in knowing that confusion and anxiety go hand in hand with job searching. You’re not the only one!

Brainstorming will get you off to a great start.

How to brainstorm for a resume

Just get out a pen and a piece of paper or use whatever app you prefer. Create your ideal job description no matter how crazy it might sound to you. Then, make lists of your work history and items for your education section. You can use bullet points to keep things clear.

Not so bad, right?

Next, list your greatest achievements and your most important skills and personality traits that make you the perfect choice for your ideal job description. This will form your resume summary.

For now, it doesn’t matter if your skills are related to a specific job. It’s just helpful to see everything clearly in front of you.

If you have trouble, ask your friends, family, professors or mentors, and trusted coworkers for their opinions. Ask them, “What kinds of personal skills do you think I have? What are my best technical skills? What are my strengths and weaknesses?” The career management office at your college or university can help, too.

Getting a little help from your friends is great stress management! There’s no need to do this alone.

Review online job descriptions

Your ideal job might not match reality, so do some research to see what’s available. Use keywords that match your knowledge, skills, education, and interests.

When you’ve found five or ten jobs you like, even if the company expects more experience or education than you have, compare industry buzzwords, soft skills, hard skills, and other items that apply to you. Make a list of them.

These are the terms you’ll want to use in the skill section of your resume as well as in your previous experience section.

If your job search is entry level, you might not have much experience. But don’t worry. Recruiters and hiring managers don’t expect you to have a lot of experience. They do, however, want to know what you’re capable of. In this case, you can list a few upper-level courses that indicate specific skills related to the job.

Call this section Relevant Coursework, and offer a few details about your expertise.

Note: A Relevant Coursework section on a resume is usually appropriate only for students and not more than a year since graduation. Courses taken to increase your skill level later is an exception, but some companies prefer certification.

Take a look at resume templates and samples

Free resume templates and samples are invaluable since they help you envision your own resume and ensure proper formatting.

Examine the distinctive styles and details, and make sure the resumes are designed for job seekers in your field or industry at a similar experience level. An experienced archeologist’s resume is much different, for example, compared to an entry-level dental hygienist resume.

There are plenty of templates and samples available online. If you’re not too fussy about quality, you can craft your own resume format based on what you find. Or you can use one of the built-in MS Word templates.

A resume builder for a truly professional resume

Another way to lower stress during the job search process is to make sure you’re using the best tool for the job. And in this case, writing your resume is the job.

When it comes to resume writing tools, our Quickstart Resume Maker is an excellent choice. It’s a resume building tool that helps you create a resume from scratch. It’s simple and easy to use, and you can download your resume as a fully editable Word doc when you’re finished.

Check out a sample Quickstart Resume Maker template and see how easy it is to start and finish your resume. And don’t worry. Quickstart provides tips on how to learn the app so you can focus on your resume—and relaxing.

Here at GradSiren, we hope you’re able to reduce stress, write a knock-out resume, and find the job of your dreams with these resume writing tips. Click here to register for free updates.