8 Major Changes You Need to Make to Your Resume When You're No Longer Entry Level

One moment, you’re sending out your resume to dozens of places trying to secure your first job, and the next you’re a seasoned employee with experience under your belt. Plenty of advice is dispensed regarding how to design a resume, but much of it is geared toward job-seekers searching for entry-level positions. Searching for a job after moving up to a mid-level position calls for a resume rework. Here are 10 changes you should make as you move on up the ladder. 

1. Remove internships.

Completing internships is a great way to show that you’re eager to learn about a business and gain experience. But after you gain that entry-level experience in your chosen field, you can leave off the free work you did just to get your foot in the door.

2. Remove your GPA.

Earning awesome grades during college indicates that you’re able demonstrate knowledge in certain areas and work hard. But by the time you’ve reached mid-level expertise in a career, you should be able to show these skills in other ways. Earning promotions and receiving awards are more recent examples the indicate the same information your college GPA provides.

3. Edit your accolades. 

Winning first place in an acapella competition is really cool, but it won’t necessarily lead to you getting a job over another applicant. Irrelevant awards may have impressed recruiters or hiring managers to get you into your entry level position, but demonstrating competency in or related to your chosen field is more important when moving up. 

4. Add your professional websites.

You might've scored your entry level job before the days of personal branding and social media management. But now, it's 2019. If you have an online portfolio or website with samples of your work, include the url in your header. Even if you don’t have an actual portfolio, add your LinkedIn url. In addition to any references that you’ve provided, recruiters can see any endorsements that you may have or connections that could work in your favor.

5. Highlight areas of expertise at the top.

Curate your resume to accentuate the areas where you have the greatest level of expertise. If you’ve held multiple positions but you don’t feel comfortable in all of them, feature your most important roles first. If you’ve moved to different positions, give the most space to the areas that you’re most interested in continuing to pursue.

6. Use a professional font.

Being cutesy and fun can set help set you apart from other applicants for lower-stakes jobs, but the higher you rise in an industry, the more important professionalism becomes. After rising past entry-level, your experience and talent should grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers — not a fun font. Sticking to a classic form will allow your accomplishments speak for you, instead of seeming like you’re overcompensating by hiding behind flashiness.

7. Edit for clarity.

Accumulating lots of experience is obviously a good thing, but adding an excessive about of qualifiers can make your resume seem jumbled or unclear. Read your resume out loud to check that your points make sense and are easy to read.

8. Leave out your street address. 

Withholding street addresses is becoming a more standardized practice in general, but it should especially be applied if you’re seeking a higher level position. Including extended personal information only adds jumble to your resume without adding to your qualifications. And if the job you’re applying for is in another city or country, you might hurt yourself by indicating that you'll have to move far for the position. 

What's your no. 1 piece of mid-career resume advice? Leave your answer in the comments to help other Fairygodboss'ers!