Crafting your resume is undoubtedly a challenge for most professionals, as there is so much to consider prior to sending it out to employers and recruiters. I have asked resume writers and career-search experts from across the web for what they consider to be the top tips for writing and developing your resume in today’s job market. While I could not include every tip from all of the experts, I have selected and compiled the best and most unique ones in this list to share with you today.
- Include your personal brand statement. A stand alone paragraph, located at the top of your resume, 3-5 sentences in length, which answers the question: "What makes you Special?" It also contains a key accomplishment which helps define your success. It brings clarity to Who you are, and Where you are headed.” - Marshal Backlar, BacklarConsultants.com
- “The only block of text that should be more than 2, 2.5 lines max, is the summary up top, and that shouldn't be more than 6 lines. Blocks of text aren't inviting. The eye wants to skip over them, or half skim them and the reader gets less than half of what's in it. Bullets should be two - 2.5 lines and if it's a topic, do sub bullets.” - Judi Perkins, FindthePerfectJob.com
- “Do your best to keep your resume to one page with your employment history in chronological order from most recent to oldest. As you cover each position, limit your scope of responsibility to just a few lines for enough information to give the reviewer a basic understanding of your function while focusing the rest of the content on qualitative and quantitative accomplishments. For example, if you're one of a hundreds sales professionals applying for the same position, information such as sales dollars sold, growth year over year, percentage over quota, sales recognition, etc. is what will speak to the hiring manager.” - Angela Swarts, Spherion.com
- “Use easy-to-understand terms to create an image of what you do best. Avoid unusual acronyms, company-specific project names, esoteric industry jargon – especially in your job titles. When people understand what you do, they believe what you can do in the future.” - Sandra Podesta, ResumeRoom.com
- “Don't include every job you've had since 1968 on your resume. Showcase the experience and knowledge you have for the past 15 to 20 years. Employers want to know what you've done recently, not 40 years ago.” - Lisa Chapman, ChapmanServices.com
- “Double-check employer names for spelling. Nothing looks more unprofessional than misspelling the name of a former employer. Other embarrassing mistakes include manger (manager) and pubic (public). I worked with a woman from the State Department who was (prior to hiring me) sending out resumes indicating she was a Pubic Service Officer. She was mortified when I pointed it out. As a recruiter, a pet peeve of mine occurred when candidates misspelled ‘detail oriented’.” - Jill Walser, IGotTheJob.us
- “Write in 'so what? statements’. For each responsibility you had in a role, note the contribution you made and answer the question ‘So what?’ For example: Responsible for leading a team to achieve operating cost efficiencies of $X in the franchise department so that we could provide additional services to our members, increasing member retention without increasing our operating budget.” - Holly Green, TheHumanFactor.biz
- “Don't write alone. Get input from clients and colleagues. Ask them what they think your best skills are, what you're most known for, what do they recall as your major accomplishments. Not only will this give your great content, it will be a boost to your job-search ego.” - Lilli Cloud, YourBlueFeet.com
- “Pay attention to the format in which your resume is created, saved and submitted. When sending your resume as an attachment to an email, send it as a .doc or pdf. Note that the word processing program for Microsoft Vista is .docx and cannot be opened and viewed by anyone who doesn't have that program. Employers are unlikely to contact you to
tell you to resubmit it; they will just move on to the next resume. Secondly, create a text version of your resume (.txt or .rtf). This will be used when you have to dissect your resume and insert it into text boxes on online applications. This way you can ensure that the formatting is correct and it is readable.” - Karen Kodzik, CultivatingCareers.com
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this wealth of resume insight!
Author:
Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing "generator," a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.
