It's
that time again. Time to recap the fundamentals of a good resume.
This seems to be a topic that will never go out of style. It is
ever relevant as the typical resume continues to violate so many of the
basics. Why this week, you might ask? Well, as it happens, I have
been asked by a new client to edit his resume in a way that will help minimize
his pending job search. He is on notice that his job will be
eliminated in about sixty days. This gentleman is a seasoned
professional who has not had to look for a job in well over 20 years so
spending a lot of time agonizing over the perfect resume has not been a
priority. As he contemplates job search his strategy is to look beyond
the industry segment where he built his career. His skill set is very
strong and should be of value to hiring managers in a number of segments.
As a result, the resume we craft must emphasize his skills and
accomplishments so as to resonate with those hiring managers.
The good news is that my client's
resume in solid in many ways. He is using a standard format; he
has an executive summary that serves to position his career; he breaks
things up a bit with a Skill Set Summary in bullet point format; and he
separates job responsibilities (in sentence format) from accomplishments (in
bullet point format). The primary issue is that his resume does not
properly reflect his stature by his verbiage or formatting. The verbiage
screams middle-manager, and the formatting does not optimize available
space.
Five Key Point for an Effective
Resume
- Make use of White Space to break up the resume and keep it interesting.
- Use a 12 pt font to make it easier to read.
- Keep each bullet point to one line.
- Edit aggressively for relevancy and to eliminate redundancy.
- Use the header and footer functions to maintain integrity and continuity.
The point of a resume is to generate
interest leading to an interview. It must be designed for a reader who
will spend twenty seconds skimming through the document to arrive at a go,
no-go decision. Short, concise verbiage is key. Jargon and buzz
words are a distraction. One's accomplishments must jump off the
page. Don't write a dissertation as no one will read it anyway.
I attacked his resume by eliminating
bullet points that added little value which gave room to raise the font
to 12 pts. Those edits immediately took his resume to a full two pages
with more white space. Already, his resume was beginning to look a lot
more interesting. My next step was to edit the remaining content for
relevance. I cleaned up run-on sentences and eliminated follow-on
sentences that added no value. Those edits elevated the stature of this
candidate to his rightful place.
When crafting a resume it is
important to remember your audience and how they will consume your
resume. The reader is pressed for time. Some studies indicate
that a viewer may spend 20 seconds with your resume, unless it is
interesting and compelling. Your resume is as much a marketing tool as it
is your personal career history. Make use of larger fonts and other text
effects like bolding and italics. White space helps to ensure that
your message stands out and makes the resume more inviting to the reader.
Be concise and accurate with your prose. Repetitive themes can be useful,
but redundant verbiage is not. If you follow these suggestions your
resume will help you stand apart from the rest of the pack and ensure that you
are called for an interview.
One final point. I received a
resume via email this morning. The email address was very personal, cute
even, but it was not professional. My eyes rolled! Immediately this
candidate looks to be less than serious. The ideal email address is you
name or a reasonable derivation thereof. It should be used explicitly for
your job search so that you will not be distracted by other personal matters.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to
publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to
me so please leave a comment.
Jim
Weber, President
New
Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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