Resume Tips

Resume Realities

How to Develop a Resume the works

 

 

 

RESUME REALITIES

A resume is a marketing tool, not a life history

The purpose of a resume is to pass initial screenings

The reader will categorize you, so choose the category

Present your credentials in terms of benefits to employers

Define each company on your resume

Describe responsibilities for each position succinctly

Highlight accomplishments with bullets

Quantify wherever possible

Use additive, rather than duplicative, accomplishments

Length should be determined by content

Think Hemingway: Short, precise statements

Sentences are unnecessary

The word “I” is understood as the subject of statements

Define your jargon

Name, address and phone number on every page

Professional, non-controversial email address

Although necessary, assume cover letters will not be read

Make cover letters short, businesslike and to-the-point

Use correct spelling and grammar

 

 

HOW TO DEVELOP A RESUME THAT WORKS

1. BASIC RESUME THEORY

One’s resume is usually not the key to identifying and attaining a new role. A poor resume can, however, derail the process. With this in mind, your resume should always be an excellent presentation of your qualifications for a particular role.

  • Develop a targeted resume for each opportunity.
  • Pay careful attention to the specific needs of the company you are courting.
  • Develop a format that highlights accomplishments.
  • Present your qualifications in a manner that emphasizes how you have improved the companies you’ve worked for.
  • Make every word count. If a word or phrase does not add information or value, eliminate the word or phrase.
  • Have one or more people proofread for typo’s, grammatical errors, and awkward or unclear phrasing.
  • Put name and contact information on every page.

2. MARKET YOURSELF

It is important to develop a focused presentation for your resume, your networking, and your interviewing. The temptation to be all things to all companies creates the impression that you have no specific skills, clear concept of self, or clear direction. Potential employers will ask themselves, if you cannot define yourself, how are you going to bring the focus needed to lead a company or department to success?

If you have two or more clearly defined paths that you could pursue, develop focused resumes and self-descriptions for each. Except in informational interviews, choose one focus to present at a time.

  • Position yourself – if you don’t someone else will.
  • The companies you are courting are interested in what you bring to the party – not what you want from them.
  • Develop a clear, concise marketing statement in terms of potential benefits to the companies you are courting.
  • This introduction determines the reader’s perception of you.

EXAMPLE: Strategic marketing professional with proven results in identifying, assessing, and finding creative solutions to business challenges. Strengths include leadership, flexibility, industry insight, and effective communications. Versatile leader with broad functional experience.
POOR EXAMPLE: Strategic Marketing professional with extensive telecommunications experience seeks Executive Level Corporate Development, Marketing, or Product Management position in growing technology firm where I can continue to develop my leadership and decision-making skills.
EXAMPLE: A skilled financial executive with expertise in: ...
POOR EXAMPLE: Over 20 years of financial management experience looking for continued growth and promotion.

3. CLARIFY YOUR CREDENTIALS

In this world of high tech jargon, acronym company names, merger mania, and short-term start-ups, a company name alone will not provide sufficient information for your reader. Even if you’ve worked for a series of Fortune 100 firms, the company name does not provide a perspective of the nature of your role.

  • Define each company on your resume.

    EXAMPLE: XYZ Corporation, a $500M provider of transmission equipment to the telecommunications industry.
  • If you have been with the same company through a series of mergers, acquisitions and/or divestitures, explain the sequence in the first entry.

    EXAMPLE: XYZ Corporation, a $500M provider of transmission equipment to the telecommunications industry purchased its competitor ABC Company in May, 1997.
  • If you held more than one position, show your entire tenure for each company at the company level. List each position separately.

    EXAMPLE:

    XYZ Corporation June 1996 – July 2001
    Vice President, Finance May 1997 – July 2001
    CFO, ABC Company June 1996 – May 1997

  • Clearly define your responsibilities at the top-line level. Only include specific responsibilities if they are unusual in similar roles

EXAMPLE: “Responsible for all financial infrastructure and reporting for the Division, management of Human Resources and Acquisition Departments.”
POOR EXAMPLE: Responsible for financial reporting, state and national tax filings, accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, payroll, division reporting, human resources reporting, budgeting, budget tracking, and interim quarterly reports.


4. ACCENTUATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Company executives are looking for team members who bring evidence of needed skills to their organizations. An effective resume can start the process of convincing decision makers that you fill their needs better than anyone else.

  • Highlight significant accomplishments with bullets. This makes key points stand out when your resume is visually scanned.
  • Make a list of everything you did in a specific role. Then prioritize the events by significance to your career.
  • Choose specific events for relevance to the company you are courting.
  • Quantify wherever possible.
  • Think Hemingway: use short, precise statements.
  • Sentences are unnecessary.
  • The word “I” is understood as the subject of statements. Your name should only appear at the top of each page. The words “I”, “my”, “me”, or “his/her” (when referring to yourself) should never appear in your resume.
  • Length should be determined by content.

EXAMPLE: Developed marketing strategy which increased leading brand sales by 20% ($50M), captured top dollar market share (45%), and delivered first ever brand profits ($1M).
POOR EXAMPLE: Responsible for developing marketing strategy for company’s leading brand.

5. SPEAK THE COMPANY’S LANGUAGE

  • Determine the specific “have to haves” and their definitions.
  • If you possess these qualifications, make sure that your resume reflects them in the same terminology the company is using.

    EXAMPLE: The company is looking for a Vice President of Sales. You’ve led the sales organizations for two companies, but your title was Vice President of Business Development. Make sure that you clearly explain your sales responsibilities and accomplishments using the word “sales.”

  • The same titles can mean very different things in different companies. Clearly match responsibilities and accomplishments if titles don’t match.

    EXAMPLE: You have been a Director reporting to a Vice President. Your group managed a $500M business. The company you are approaching has total sales of $100M. The role is a Vice President reporting to a President. Clarify your qualifying experience on your resume by explaining your Vice President’s responsibilities as well as your own; i.e. “Director of Finance reporting to the managing Vice President of an autonomous $500M operating Division. Responsible for all financial infrastructure and reporting for the Division.”

  • Define responsibilities broadly. Use the interview to discuss details.
  • If specific responsibilities are clearly required, include those specific responsibilities – not every responsibility.

    EXAMPLE: “Responsible for all financial infrastructure and reporting for the Division, including all debt management and tax filings.”

  • Avoid terminology specific to your organization. Use more universally accepted terms.

    EXAMPLEs: Gross Margin instead of NT (Net Turnover), Marketing Budget (meaning all marketing funds) instead of Promotion Budget (meaning all marketing funds).

6. FINISHING TOUCHES

Remember, your resume may be the first and only impression you make on a potential employer. Make the impression a good one.

  • Your resume should have the same professional polish you would apply to any important presentation. Avoid clever gimmicks. Spend your time on quality, eye-catching information.
  • Make sure that your resume is easily and quickly read. Choose point size depending on the font you use. In general, serif fonts are easier to read than sans serif fonts such as Tahoma.

    EXAMPLES:
    • 10 point Times New Roman
    • 12 point Times New Roman
    • 10 point Calisto (MT)
    • 12 point Calisto (MT)
    • 10 point Garamond
    • 12 point Garamond
    • 10 point Tahoma
    • 12 point Tahoma

  • Use a consistent format. Each role should be laid out the same way and contain the same types of information in the same order.
  • Use bold, italic, or underlined type sparingly. Have a good reason for the use (emphasis of important points). Be consistent in your use. As a check, read only the emphasized information. Does it convey the message you intended?
  • Use high quality paper in a conservative texture and color. Check the results when your resume is copied or faxed from this paper. Some dark and textured papers do not pass this test.
  • Email a copy of your resume to a friend to be sure it arrives in a presentable format.
  • The most universal format for email attachments is MS Word. Be sure your resume can be emailed in either a .doc or an .rtf format. .docx is not yet universally read. Be sure to send in .doc format.
  • When mailing hard copies, check for shadows or streaks from a faulty printer or copier.
  • ABSOLUTELY NO SPELLING, GRAMMAR, OR PUNCTUATION ERRORS.

7. THE ACID TEST

So you’ve done it. Your resume is composed, formatted, checked and ready to go. But, does it communicate quickly and effectively? Try this test:

  • Write down the key message you think your resume is conveying.
  • Choose someone who does not know you well professionally.
  • Hand them a copy of your resume.
  • After 15 seconds, ask them what they know about you professionally.
  • If their response does not communicate the key message, go back to work.
  • Remember, professionals who read many resumes will give your resume less than 5 seconds of their time before they decide to ignore it, save it, or put it in the “consider” pile. Make those 5 seconds work for you.