Constructing a resume that earns interviews is remarkably simple.
Here are six do's and don’ts to follow when composing your document.
1. Begin with a summary.
Showcase two or three of your most exciting accomplishments. Bullet these items and use numbers to illustrate their extent.
By starting out this way, you'll be showing people how good you are, not just telling them that you're good. As a plus, you'll distinguish yourself from job seekers who begin by listing their functional specialties and a brief discussion of their strengths.
2. Use a chronological format.
The next section of your resume relates to your experience. Always list your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job.
3. Tailor your resume to the job you're seeking.
Because the goal of your resume is to gain interviews for a particular position, always cite your activities in order of their importance to that job. Omit information that's unrelated. The less you say about your unrelated experience, the more impact the related activities will have.
If you're seeking two or three different positions, prepare two or three separate resumes, each tailored to the job you're after.
4. Focus on your accomplishments.
Next, discuss your accomplishments, not your responsibilities. Recruiters and prospective employers are primarily interested in the value you've brought to your past employers. Most important are improvements you made and their benefit to the department or organization, especially in increasing revenues or reducing costs.
5. Use descriptive verbs.
Describe your experiences in phrases that start with a past-tense action word. Bullet each item. Bullets and verbs in the past tense produce statements that are more vivid and illustrative. These verbs are particularly effective:
directed, led, managed, supervised;
achieved, delivered, drove, generated, grew, increased, initiated, instituted and launched;
6. Make your resume inviting to read.
After deciding on what you want to say about yourself, be sure your resume has sufficient white space. The top and bottom margins should be at least a half-inch long, and the left and right margins should measure at least seven-tenths of an inch wide.
Insert white space between your section headings, names of employers, job titles and discussions about your experience. Use bold-faced type for section headings, employer names and job titles. If the document lacks eye appeal, few people will review it.
Now, the Don'ts
What you shouldn't do when writing a resume is nearly as important as what you should do.
1. Don't organize your resume by accomplishments.
Listing a string of accomplishments on the first page of your resume presents the same problems for employers as the functional resume format. If you want to showcase your accomplishments, use the introductory summary.
2. Don't use the same words to begin sentences or use the words "I" and "my."
Make your writing fresh and exciting by varying the verbs that begin each statement. Omit "I" and "my" because they can make you seem weak and immature.
3. Avoid clichés.
Don't describe yourself as "dynamic," "people-oriented," "results-oriented" or "self-motivated," or state what a great "out-of-the-box thinker," "hands-on leader" or "visionary" you are. These clichés lack originality and typecast you as a follower instead of a leader.
4. Don't use underlining or italics to add emphasis.
These devices cheapen a résumé’s appearance. Additionally, some computer scanners can't read underlined or italicized copy.
5. Avoid using a fancy font to gain readers' attention.
Fancy fonts aren't inviting to read, and many people discard resumes that use them. Play it safe by choosing Arial, Garamond, Helvetica, Tahoma or Times Roman.
6. Don't state the reasons for your job changes.
Explaining why you've changed jobs seems defensive or indicates that you think you have a troubled work history.
1. Determine your job search objective prior to
writing the resume. Once you have determined your
objective, you can structure the content of your resume
around that objective. Think of your objective as the
bull's-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write
your resume without having a clear objective in mind,
it will likely come across as unfocused to those that
read it. Take the time before you start your resume to
form a clear objective.
2. Think of your resume as a marketing tool. Think of
yourself as a product, potential employers as your
customers, and your resume as a brochure about you.
Market yourself through your resume. What are your
features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make
sure to convey this information in your resume.
3. Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job.
You don't need to go into detail about every accomplishment.
Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume
is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer
contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide
a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to
land a job offer.
4. Use bulleted sentences. In the body of your resume,
use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy
paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted
sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly
scan your resume and still absorb it.
5. Use action words. Action words cause your resume to
pop. To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences
that begin with action words like prepared, developed,
monitored, and presented.
6. Use #'s, $'s and %'s. Numbers, dollars, and
percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them.
Here are two examples:
* Managed a department of 10 with a budget of $1,000,000.
* Increased sales by 25% in a 15-state territory.
7. Lead with your strengths. Since resumes are typically
reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which
bullets most strongly support your job search objective.
Put those strong points first where they are more apt
to be read.
8. Play Match Game. Review want ads for positions that
interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to
match them to bullets in your resume. If you have missed
any key words, add them to your resume.
9. Use buzzwords. If there are terms that show your
competence in a particular field, use them in your resume.
For marketing people, use "competitive analysis." For
accounting types, use "reconciled accounts."
10. Accent the positive. Leave off negatives and irrelevant
points. If you feel your date of graduation will subject
you to age discrimination, leave the date off your resume.
If you do some duties in your current job that don't support
your job search objective, leave them off your resume. Focus
on the duties that do support your objective. Leave off
irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.
11. Show what you know. Rather than going into depth in
one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge.
Use an interview to provide more detail.
12. Show who you know. If you have reported to someone important
such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your
resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader
to infer that you are important.
13. Construct your resume to read easily. Leave white space.
Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of
your resume to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly.
Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
14. Have someone else review your resume. Since you are so close
to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your
high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have
someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings
of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions.
Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently
left off your resume. Revise your resume to include these items.
Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are
confusing to the reader. Clarify your resume based on this input.
15. Submit your resume to potential employers. Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of it as a game where your odds of
winning increase with every resume you submit. You really do
increase your odds with every resume you submit. Use a three-tiered
approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you.
Perhaps they will t urn out to be more than they appeared to be once
you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the
door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem
to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those
jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like
a stretch. That's how you grow -- by taking risks. Don't rule
yourself out. Trust the process.
Here are six do's and don’ts to follow when composing your document.
1. Begin with a summary.
Showcase two or three of your most exciting accomplishments. Bullet these items and use numbers to illustrate their extent.
By starting out this way, you'll be showing people how good you are, not just telling them that you're good. As a plus, you'll distinguish yourself from job seekers who begin by listing their functional specialties and a brief discussion of their strengths.
2. Use a chronological format.
The next section of your resume relates to your experience. Always list your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent job.
3. Tailor your resume to the job you're seeking.
Because the goal of your resume is to gain interviews for a particular position, always cite your activities in order of their importance to that job. Omit information that's unrelated. The less you say about your unrelated experience, the more impact the related activities will have.
If you're seeking two or three different positions, prepare two or three separate resumes, each tailored to the job you're after.
4. Focus on your accomplishments.
Next, discuss your accomplishments, not your responsibilities. Recruiters and prospective employers are primarily interested in the value you've brought to your past employers. Most important are improvements you made and their benefit to the department or organization, especially in increasing revenues or reducing costs.
5. Use descriptive verbs.
Describe your experiences in phrases that start with a past-tense action word. Bullet each item. Bullets and verbs in the past tense produce statements that are more vivid and illustrative. These verbs are particularly effective:
directed, led, managed, supervised;
achieved, delivered, drove, generated, grew, increased, initiated, instituted and launched;
6. Make your resume inviting to read.
After deciding on what you want to say about yourself, be sure your resume has sufficient white space. The top and bottom margins should be at least a half-inch long, and the left and right margins should measure at least seven-tenths of an inch wide.
Insert white space between your section headings, names of employers, job titles and discussions about your experience. Use bold-faced type for section headings, employer names and job titles. If the document lacks eye appeal, few people will review it.
Now, the Don'ts
What you shouldn't do when writing a resume is nearly as important as what you should do.
1. Don't organize your resume by accomplishments.
Listing a string of accomplishments on the first page of your resume presents the same problems for employers as the functional resume format. If you want to showcase your accomplishments, use the introductory summary.
2. Don't use the same words to begin sentences or use the words "I" and "my."
Make your writing fresh and exciting by varying the verbs that begin each statement. Omit "I" and "my" because they can make you seem weak and immature.
3. Avoid clichés.
Don't describe yourself as "dynamic," "people-oriented," "results-oriented" or "self-motivated," or state what a great "out-of-the-box thinker," "hands-on leader" or "visionary" you are. These clichés lack originality and typecast you as a follower instead of a leader.
4. Don't use underlining or italics to add emphasis.
These devices cheapen a résumé’s appearance. Additionally, some computer scanners can't read underlined or italicized copy.
5. Avoid using a fancy font to gain readers' attention.
Fancy fonts aren't inviting to read, and many people discard resumes that use them. Play it safe by choosing Arial, Garamond, Helvetica, Tahoma or Times Roman.
6. Don't state the reasons for your job changes.
Explaining why you've changed jobs seems defensive or indicates that you think you have a troubled work history.
1. Determine your job search objective prior to
writing the resume. Once you have determined your
objective, you can structure the content of your resume
around that objective. Think of your objective as the
bull's-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write
your resume without having a clear objective in mind,
it will likely come across as unfocused to those that
read it. Take the time before you start your resume to
form a clear objective.
2. Think of your resume as a marketing tool. Think of
yourself as a product, potential employers as your
customers, and your resume as a brochure about you.
Market yourself through your resume. What are your
features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make
sure to convey this information in your resume.
3. Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job.
You don't need to go into detail about every accomplishment.
Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume
is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer
contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide
a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to
land a job offer.
4. Use bulleted sentences. In the body of your resume,
use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy
paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted
sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly
scan your resume and still absorb it.
5. Use action words. Action words cause your resume to
pop. To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences
that begin with action words like prepared, developed,
monitored, and presented.
6. Use #'s, $'s and %'s. Numbers, dollars, and
percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them.
Here are two examples:
* Managed a department of 10 with a budget of $1,000,000.
* Increased sales by 25% in a 15-state territory.
7. Lead with your strengths. Since resumes are typically
reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which
bullets most strongly support your job search objective.
Put those strong points first where they are more apt
to be read.
8. Play Match Game. Review want ads for positions that
interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to
match them to bullets in your resume. If you have missed
any key words, add them to your resume.
9. Use buzzwords. If there are terms that show your
competence in a particular field, use them in your resume.
For marketing people, use "competitive analysis." For
accounting types, use "reconciled accounts."
10. Accent the positive. Leave off negatives and irrelevant
points. If you feel your date of graduation will subject
you to age discrimination, leave the date off your resume.
If you do some duties in your current job that don't support
your job search objective, leave them off your resume. Focus
on the duties that do support your objective. Leave off
irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.
11. Show what you know. Rather than going into depth in
one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge.
Use an interview to provide more detail.
12. Show who you know. If you have reported to someone important
such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your
resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader
to infer that you are important.
13. Construct your resume to read easily. Leave white space.
Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of
your resume to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly.
Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
14. Have someone else review your resume. Since you are so close
to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your
high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have
someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings
of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions.
Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently
left off your resume. Revise your resume to include these items.
Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are
confusing to the reader. Clarify your resume based on this input.
15. Submit your resume to potential employers. Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of it as a game where your odds of
winning increase with every resume you submit. You really do
increase your odds with every resume you submit. Use a three-tiered
approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you.
Perhaps they will t urn out to be more than they appeared to be once
you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the
door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem
to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those
jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like
a stretch. That's how you grow -- by taking risks. Don't rule
yourself out. Trust the process.