Beefing Up Your Resume

Most people spend too much time on their resumes. After all, the reader will probably spend only 8-10 seconds before moving on to the next one. At the same time, many resumes I see need serious help, so here are some general guidelines:

• Objective – Don’t list one. Your objective is whatever job you’re applying for.
• Summary – This should be the first major element of your resume that lists major strengths that would add value to an employer’s organization.
• The “Meat and Potatoes” – Give a brief description of your responsibilities and then describe how well you did your job (bullets are great here). If you can quantify those accomplishments with numbers, %, $, etc., it’s far better.
• Awards and Decorations – Don’t list them but do incorporate wording used in awards (and performance appraisals) into your work history accomplishments. Third party praise about you always carries more weight.
• The Basics – Don’t use colored or expensive paper, 1-2 pages, leave plenty of “white space”, and don’t crowd the margins (1/2” min., preferably ¾”-1”).
• Layout – Unless you recently graduated from college, your degree(s) should be at or near the end of your resume.
• References – Don’t list them; don’t even mention “available on request”. If asked for them, have a list ready and then contact your references to prep them and send them a copy of your resume to refresh their memory.
• ATS – Does your resume get past the “Applicant Tracking Systems” that most large and many medium size companies use? See http://bit.ly/15cLu7b

Want to see a pretty good resume? Try http://bit.ly/1aVIPHs (though I think it has too much generic blah, blah, blah at the beginning). The idea is to be clear and concise, while impressing the reader with demonstrated value. You’re simply trying to generate interest that will lead to an interview; it’s not an autobiography.