We took a real résumé from a mid-level employee and turned it into something fantastic

As a mid-level event manager at one of the top social media companies in the world, Heather (not her real name) says it's her job to flawlessly execute meetings so the company's clients feel important and appreciated.

Though she loves her job and where she works, she's targeting a promotion within her organization so she can move up the corporate ladder and take on more responsibility.

As part of Business Insider's new résumé makeover series, we thought we could help.

"While she had the relevant experience in event management, her previous résumé was selling her short," says Joe S., a senior résumé writer with TopResume, who we asked to rewrite Heather's résumé. "Too much fluff, not enough punch," he says.

By scouring Heather's real résumé and referencing the TopResume worksheet he had her fill out, Joe S. was able to overhaul her résumé.

While your résumé may look different, these pointers from Joe and Amanda Augustine, career-advice expert for TopResume, should help you do the same:

Skye Gould/Business Insider

To help make Heather's résumé pop, Joe drilled down into the details to uncover just how many responsibilities she was handling in every event that she managed.

He then translated these duties into the appropriate buzzwords, which he sprinkled throughout the revised résumé, including a new objective statement and areas of expertise section.

In the experience section, Joe differentiated Heather's tasks versus her achievements, which he says "helps recruiters seamlessly skim a document for key information, while also providing enough detail for a more thorough review later in the hiring process."

 

Remove the street address

Skye Gould/Business Insider

It's always a good idea to remove your street address, Augustine says, because there's really no need for it.

"While we encourage candidates to include their city and state to demonstrate that they're local candidates, there's no reason to provide additional details on your résumé," she explains. "They take up precious space on your résumé and can be considered a security threat — think about all the places you post your résumé online."

Add links to social media

Skye Gould/Business Insider

"While not all social media channels are appropriate to include on every candidate's résumé, Heather works for a major social media platform and is pursuing a new role within her current organization," Augustine notes. "It makes sense to demonstrate her social media savvy on her résumé by including links to accounts on which she is active.

Joe asked Heather to customize the URL to her LinkedIn profile — "it's an easy way to look more polished as a candidate" Augustine says.

He also confirmed that her social media accounts are current, regularly maintained, and don't include updates that would be considered unprofessional or inappropriate by an employer, a good idea for any professional.

 

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