As helpful as VMock is for refining resumes, it can also be feel challenging to make a meaningful change in your resume score. While the score isn’t that important (you only need a 65 in order to schedule a resume review with a real person), you might be tempted to try to get it as high as possible. Here are some tips.
Start with a blank document.
Templates are going to mess up your formatting, and when VMock notices, those issues will detract from improving the actual content itself. Starting on a blank document in your word processor can help you from having presentation problems.
Quantify, quantify, quantify.
When you go into bullet-level feedback, a common flag will be “Needs more specifics.” One of the best ways to do this is quantifying. Whenever you can throw a number in, do it, whether it’s just the number of coworkers on your team or social media followers. And if you can show growth (“increased follower count from x to y”), that’s even better.
Make sure your dates are in reverse chronological order.
This means that your most recent position is on top. Sometimes, however, VMock won’t notice sections or stacked entries, and it might penalize you for this. You can get around this by reorganizing your sections so that the entire resume is in reverse chronological order— I do this by listing all my recent involvements under “Experience” and earlier positions under “Leadership and Activities.” This is one of those things that VMock just has a hard time recognizing so it’s not a big deal, but there are ways to get around the system so that your score can more accurately reflect the quality of your resume.
Make sure your dates are consistent.
If you want to write out the full name of the month, that’s perfectly fine, as long as you do it every time. Same goes if you want to abbreviate. Consistency is key.
Watch out for your filler words.
Certain words are just better to avoid using unless absolutely necessary. Some of the most common filler words that VMock flags are: the, that, which, there, successfully, my, actively. It might take some getting used to, but get in the habit of eliminating those words.
Contact the Center for Career Development if you run out of uploads.
The ten reviews reset every year, but if you run out before then, the Center for Career Development can give you extra uploads. Don’t be afraid to reach out!
These are just some basic tips. The best way to really increase your VMock score is to use VMock. All the feedback you need to get a higher score is on VMock itself, and it’s color-coded for easy comprehension. Once you upload a resume, explore the website more. Both the “System Feedback” and “Targeted Feedback” sections are immensely helpful.
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