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Developing a Theme for your resume
The dual challenge of developing a resume is to present your credentials on paper in a manner that is both easy to scan and interesting to read. Prospective employers are busy, and your resume needs to make a strong impression quickly.
The first and most important step is to develop a theme. What message do you want to convey? Your depth of experience? Academic achievements? Technical expertise? Decide what it is you want to sell about yourself and only include information which relates to that theme.
Second, concentrate on the three components of your resume – content, format and finishing touches. Each of these areas is vital to projecting your resume's theme. Comprehensive tips related to each area follow below.
Third, do most of the writing on your head before you even approach the computer's keyboard. During your morning commute or your weekend jog or your trip to the grocery store, think about the information you will add or omit. Jot down pertinent phrases, discard irrelevant information and stick to your theme. This technique will save you countless hours of frustrating revisions once you begin typing.
The Content of your Resume
Your Resume should not read like a job description. It should not be a re-creation of your past history, but a brief, focused, dynamic marketing tool that conveys your key credentials for a future position. Stress your qualifications, skills, and achievements instead of your duties and responsibilities.
Make the information interesting to the reader by describing your experience in short statements. Although your resume should be written in the first person, do not use “I” when describing your work history. And do not start any sentence with “Responsibilities include.” It is a weak phrase that takes up space and prohibits the reader from getting right to your most important information. Instead, begin each sentence with an action verb/word. A list of action verbs/words can be found at the end in this section.
Utilize Narrative (paragraph style) sparingly. Instead, adopt a technical writing style- factual, clipped, to the point. Use short, simple words. Let the reader's eye glide from one important fact to another by omitting the articles “a,” “an,” and “the.” Try to avoid abbreviations because they detract from the overall professionalism of the resume. Some permissible abbreviations include names of states, college degrees, and “Inc.”
Proofread several times to ensure that your content makes sense and that there are no typographical errors. An effective method to use when proofreading for spelling errors is to start from the bottom of the page and read the sentences backwards. This method forces you to concentrate on each word separately, out of context, and lets you identify any spelling errors quickly.
Your resume should contain all the pertinent information needed to sell yourself effectively for the position you desire. No more, no less.
It is preferable to limit your resume to one page unless your qualifications include special areas such as certifications, publications, presentations, etc. It is also preferable to limit your information to the past 10 years, unless special circumstances warrant more. However, as you will see in examples throughout this book, even 30 years of experience can be condensed effectively onto one page with the correct format.
The trick to condensing your information onto one page is to omit job descriptions of similar positions, lower level positions, and irrelevant employment.
Probably not, because if you are like many candidates, you do not know exact title of the job you are pursuing. Therefore, the tendency is to write an Objective that is far too general. Avoid common phrases such as “challenging position” and “growth potential.” They take up crucial space in which you could describe your qualifications.
Challenge yourself to write a meaningful Objective in five words or less, naming a specific job or industry. If you can't do it, consider an “Alternative to an Objective” found in Chapter 3, or omit an Objective completely, stating your goals in your cover letter.
People read from the top down and from left to right, so begin with your most persuasive information. For example, do not use valuable space on the left for dates, usually the least important data on the resume, unless stressing the dates will enhance your candidacy.
Start by presenting the section in which demonstrates your strongest qualifications, whether it be Education, certification, Experience, or even Volunteer Activities. If your job title is more impressive than the company, list it first. Similarly, if your degree is more impressive than the college, list it first.
Rarely. Information such as age, height, weight, health, marital status, and hobbies usually has little relevance to your qualifications for the position. It might even work to your detriment by providing a reason for a prospective employer to exclude you from consideration. For example, citing membership in a controversial organization might reduce the number of prospective employers interested in hiring you because of their biases.
In some cases, however, certain personal information can promote your candidacy, so a Personal section would be appropriate. For example, if you are an older candidate, you might show vitality by citing sports and travel activities; a sales candidate might indicate unmarried status combined with a willingness to travel and/or relocate.
It is understood by most prospective employers that candidates want their search to remain confidential until they are ready to make the actual switch to a new company. However, if you want to alert prospective employers to your concern, head your resume with the phrase “Confidential Resume Of” Or withhold the name of your present employer from your resume. Instead, state “Fortune 500 manufacturing firm.”
Candidates seriously under consideration for a position will be required to furnish references to the prospective company. Therefore, it is not necessary to end your resume with a sentence about references except as a space-filler.
Never list the actual names, addresses, and telephone numbers of your reference on your resume, except for highly unusual circumstances, for example, if individuals providing you with references are very well known or the mention of references will compensate for gaps in employment .
Instead, keep reference information on a separate sheet of paper ready to be submitted if requested. Or, even better, obtain a written letter of recommendation from each reference, and then photocopy it and submit it as needed. This method greatly reduces the annoyance of phone calls made to your references who have been kind enough to lend their name to your candidacy.
Absolutely! In general, all information that detracts from your candidacy needs special treatment. For example, weak qualifications, such as a lack of a college degree should be de-emphasized by placing the Education section at the end of the resume. A section of Special Training, Coursework , or Affiliations may be substituted. Potentially damaging information, such as poor job performance or termination, should be omitted entirely.
Some types of information, such as political party, race, or disability have no relevance to your ability to perform in the business world, so should not be addressed on your resume. If however, you are applying for a position in the type of organization where such information would be a plus, then the data becomes a credential and you should definitely stress it.
Resume Format
There is no single correct resume format. People in the same field require different formats because their breadth of experience, length of employment, degree of education, accomplishments, and future goals all vary. It is likely that the same person at different career stages will need completely different formats for each stage.
How can you select an appropriate format? Developing a resume takes common sense. Because there is no single correct resume format, approach the task with a sense of creativity. Your credentials can be arranged in any manner that emphasizes your strengths, and is quickly scannable by the reader.
We urge you not to think in terms of “Chronological,” “Functional,” or “Targeted” formats. Doing so is time consuming, confusing, and limiting. Instead, browse through the resume samples in this book and select the formats that will consolidate your essential information and present it effectively. You might even create your own hybrid by using elements from several formats. The writing follows easily.
In considering formats, keep in mind that “less is more.” In other words, it is more effective to present a few easy-to-read highlights than to cram a lot of information onto the page. Valuable achievements lose their impact when they compete for space with too much other data.
Surrounding you most important data with empty space on the paper (“white” space) instead of other data is the most effective method to emphasize information. Other simple graphic techniques include highlighting in bold, italics, or capital letters; using bullets; and indenting.
An alternative resume format is a non-traditional method to present your professional history. It is used in special circumstances to make an impact, target a particular position, or when your resume is not an effective marketing tool for a certain position. It can take the form of a letter, biographical sketch, portfolio, photograph, press release, etc.
To achieve your objective and avoid gimmicks, develop an alternative resume with the upmost care and utilize it in very few situations. Examples of Alternative Resumes can be found at the end of this section.
Finishing touches
What are they? While finishing touches are added to your resume near the end of the creative process, they are the elements most likely to be noticed first by prospective employers. That is why you should consider them carefully.
Finishing touches enhance the personalization of your resume. They include computerized output or professional typeset and printing of your resume; using high quality bond paper (colored or white); choosing colored ink; selecting matching, printed letterhead and envelopes; using contemporary type styles; and inserting graphics, such as symbols, pictures, or logos.
What's the difference between the quality from my computer and that from a printing company? Very little. With either method you can achieve a professional look by incorporating a range of type styles and sizes; bold and italics highlighting capabilities; graphic elements, such as bullets, boxes, and thin horizontal lines ; and margin justification to eliminate a ragged edge to the right margin. Computer systems are so sophisticated and high quality now that the only reason to spend the money at a print shop is if you have no computer at your disposal.
An alternative, cost-effective solution is to rent computer and printer time at a Desktop Publishing (DTP) service bureau. They exist in virtually every town these days. Check your local Yellow Pages, and remember to bring along this book or make copy of the resume that you wish to use as your sample format.
Browse through the resumes posted in this section so that you can see the different kind of finishing touches that might be appropriate for you.
Action Verbs/Words
Begin every action statement of every blurb with an action word. Click here for a list that could be used to find the most accurate and powerful action word to briefly describe your achievements. Choose your action words with care.
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