Resume Advice

I prepared a presentation on resumes that I didn't get to give, so I'll blog it. 

When you think about your resume, how do you think about it? Many people think of a resume as a work history document, but that’s not what it is. It’s really an advertisement and a paper representation of everything you bring to the table as a professional when you want a specific position. A resume doesn’t get you a job, it gets you an interview.  Think of it like this: a new restaurant is coming to town and advertising fresh, delicious food. The pictures entice you. You attend the restaurant. That’s what the resume does. Then you eat there—that’s the interview. You either have a good experience, or a not-so-great one that determines whether you return. That being the case, it’s vitally important what’s on it, what’s not on it, what order those items are in, and how it looks. I’ve studied and taught about resume for over ten years. There’s a lot I could say, but in this time I’d like to explain what a resume shouldn’t have and should have. First, what to avoid.

1.  too many pages. Length? That depends. One-page is not hard and fast. At the same time, two or three is not really justified in most cases. Too long to read.

2.    photographs, clip arts,  fancy font and colors.

3.     Unclear structure so that it’s hard to find the important material. 20 seconds is what you have. What is the reader going to see first? Second? What matters the most?

4.     References

5.     All the jobs you ever had. 15 years past is best, unless all relevant. People change career fields. Also age.

6.     Skills that aren’t skills:  people-person, friendly. Those are personality traits. A skill is something others can see you do. 

7.     Skills that are vague. Trouble-shooting (what?)

8.     The words I, me, my.

9.     High school unless it’s relevant to the job. Most people have credentials past that.

10. Any misinformation, untruths. The whole truth? No. Not possible.

 

What should it have?

1.     Relevant contact information.

2.     Email address that’s professional (sexystudd@gmail.com) and not your current job email

3.     Summary or qualifications or position objective. These are difficult to write well and take some practice. Sometimes the Summary of Qualifications is written as a paragraph, or a list.

4.     Skills, Experience, and Education/Credentialing

5.     The most important of these first, based on the advertisement/posting

6.     All correct information about past jobs. Past supervisors may not be there now.

7.     Good structure. If using a template, don’t leave anything blank.

8.     Pdf format so it’s not changeable.

Resumes are works in progress and works in constant revision. You should update it regularly, perhaps every two months, because: 1. some opportunity may come out of the blue, 2. you've had new experiences, and 3. resume format trends change.