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.
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Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com