The Resumé – There’s No One Right Way

By Piper C. Reason

There are plenty of reasons why writing a resumé is one of the most difficult aspects of a job search. For one thing, there’s no one right way to do it. No matter how well-researched, formatted, and written, every person who reviews your resumé will have some suggestion to make. That’s because they are so subjective, so individual. They speak to each of us differently, depending on our own experiences, values and beliefs. So, should you hire a professional resumé writer? Maybe, but you should definitely get feedback from people you respect and trust so you can be sure your resumé is as effective as possible. I hope these tips will help.

Tip #1: A resumé is not just your work history. You don’t have to include things that will give a bad impression. And although the rule of thumb for most resumés is to go back only ten years, there are exceptions. You probably do want to include a job that specifically relates to the one for which you are applying, but you may not want to indicate when you did it.

Tip #2: An objective is like the marquee at the movie theatre – it is meant to attract attention. If you cannot come up with one that’s good enough to make people want to come in and watch the movie, it’s a waste of space … and the reader’s time!

Tip#3: The overall appearance of a resumé should be pleasing to the eye. A resumé only has a few seconds to snag the reader’s interest, which it is more likely to do if it’s attractive. There needs to be a fair amount of white space, indentations need to line up, keep bullets to a minimum, and don’t get too fancy with the fonts.

Tip #4: Action verbs are more powerful and therefore make a better impression than passive statements. For example, “Presented a friendly, can-do attitude toward all customers” is much stronger than “Always smiled and tried to help customers as best I could.”

Tip #5: Unless you have years of relevant experience and a long list of skills that need to be spelled out in order to demonstrate your ability to do the job, keep your resumé to one page. This calls for using precise language and, usually, phrases instead of whole sentences.

Tip #6: Of course references are available upon request – so don’t waste your limited space saying so.

Tip #7: Do not include personal information like your marital status, date of birth, favorite hobbies, etc. They are part of your personal life and may come up in the interview, but rarely help an employer identify you as an appropriate candidate.

Tip #8: Proofread for grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Then have someone else do it, too.

Tip #9: Just as you change and grow over the years, so should your resumé. So take time to update it every few months: responsibilities added to your job, trainings completed, professional organizations joined, community services provided, etc.

Tip #10: You can find at least one professional that will disagree with each one of these tips, so use your own instincts, common sense, and values to make the final decision about what your resumé should look like.

How do you decide which jobs to list? Which skills are most important? How much detail from your current and previous jobs? These decisions get especially tough when you’ve worked twenty years or more. But they can be tough, too, for younger workers who are changing careers or anyone returning from some kind of leave of absence (to raise children or care for an aging parent, for example). If you look for help online, Yahoo, for example, you will get 205,000,000 results if you search on the word resumé. Or use Google and get 327,000,000! Yikes!!

It is tough, but even if you don’t need a resumé for a particular job for which you are applying, writing one is a good way to get your thoughts organized for the interview. The resumé-writing process requires that you identify which of your skills, interests, and experiences best match what the employer is seeking. Articulating the fit is critical to your success in any job search. So write your resumé using a combination of online and text resources, input from family and friends, professional guidance, and your own common sense.

Additional Resources For Resumé Writing:

• Yahoo! HotJobs Resumé
• Resumania how not to write a resume!
• Expert Resumés for People Returning to Work by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark, JIST Publishing, Inc., © 2003
• Proven Resumés – Strategies that Have Increased Salaries and Changed Lives by Regina Pontow, Ten Speed Press, © 1999
• Resumé Magic – Trade Secrets of a Professional Resumé Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb, JIST Publishing, Inc., © 2003