General resume advice
by Mark
Lamendola
By definition, a résumé is one or two
pages. If yours is longer than this, it automatically gets discarded because
it demonstrates you aren't a team player.
Ignore the "write a résumé this way" books. One size does
not fit all. Instead, first define what job you are after. Then, pull from your background
the facts about you that support the fact you are qualified for that job. Assemble these
facts into a form that accounts for the fact people have short attention spans these days.
Don't butcher it up to fit one page because someone says that's your limit. But, don't
make it so long people will trash it.
Eliminate long narratives.
Review, review, review. Then, ask someone else to review it. And someone
else. And someone else. Then, review, review, review. After that, you can start really reviewing
it. If you used "it's" to mean anything other than "it is," then
either take a remedial grammar course or ask someone literate to review your résumé for
other screwups.
Quantify, rather than glorify. Use numbers, rather than judgment statements. For example, instead of
saying "I reduced downtime dramatically," you can say, "I reduced downtime
from 60 hours a month to 3."
Don't list every job you've ever had. Nobody cares that you were the
lead broom pusher at Burgers R Us now that you are applying for an upper management job.
Or really any job not related to the kind of work you did so long ago.
If you have a lot of awards, summarize
and then provide a URL where the reader can find these online--provided
the awards are related to your field. Honors from professional societies, certifications,
certificates of completion, etc., are good.
Make a list of all of the courses you have taught and seminars you have
given. Put that online, as well. Combine with the list above, if you don't have much material.
Do not include items not related to your line of work.
Don't put "Resume of" at the top of your résumé. Not only is
it spelled wrong, but it is inappropriate to add. Besides you are
insinuating the recipient isn't bright enough to figure out that a short
document summarizing your experience and qualifications is your résumé.
Bad move.
Use plenty of bullets and white space.
Do not list "references available upon
request." That is dopey and it does not go over well. Bring letters of
reference with you to the interview and
hand them to the HR person.
Before sending out your résumé, read
these two books:
13. Don't use a résumé mailing
campaign as a substitute for a job search. It's not.
14. When you are networking with
people, don't hand them your résumé. Not only is this considered rude,
but they are unlikely to read it. Also, it derails you from giving a
brief statement of what you do after asking what they do and what their
needs are. You can always send a résumé if someone asks for it--don't
do so unsolicited.
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