Putt Putt Productions Presents: Resumes and CVs -- Hints & Tips

Job hunting is a little bit like dating, a little bit like selling stock in a company no one yet knows about, and a little bit like those MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) documents you get telling you about the difference parts and/or chemicals in whatever new handy dandy thing you just bought. You have to convey information as well as sell yourself: who you are, what you do, how well you do it. All this hinges on how well you communicate these points to future employers. Resumes and CVs (Curriculum Vita) are documents that we use to communicate this information. They are responsible for communicating information about what we have done in the past and where we may be headed in the future.

However, besides being informational documents, they are also MARKETING documents (see the bit up above about selling yourself). You are advertising your wares, putting everything you want to sell about yourself in the best light possible, and conveying it as clearly and succinctly, and easy to read, as possible. Whether you are writing your own resume, or have hired someone else to do it, remember that resume or CV is like a brochure, a leaflet, a website, or a dating profile. It’s what people see before they decide on whether or not they want to see you.

I know you’ve heard this before, but the people who have read those resumes have read a million others BEFORE they got to yours. Their eyes are tired. The resumes are typically scanned for keywords, and being read on computer monitors (which are harder on the eyes than reading regular paper documents), and by the end of the day, that person has a headache. In addition, they may have an ideal person in mind, or they may be subconsciously comparing you to the last person who held that position — comparing YOU in a way that could be either positive or negative. How you measure up, either way, could be the deciding factor as to whether you end up in the “keep” file or the “toss” file.

Below are some hints and tips that may help you end up in the “keep” file rather than the “toss” file.

While Human Resource Managers, or Headhunters, or the Department Head, or anyone looking for that perfect person for the job may studiously read the entire resume or CV, chances are they will pay more attention to the upper half of the first page. Don’t be sloppy with the rest of the document, but make sure the upper half, or even upper THIRD of that document shines with your best qualities. Used to, after your contact information, everyone put an objective. Some people still do. These days, since some companies use computers to find keywords in documents, and others are still using humans to rifle through the information as quickly as possible, it’s better to have a brief synopsis or summary, typically in bullet point form, that lists your best points. Think of this summary as your topic sentence.

Remember writing essays in school? The topic sentence is the statement the writer makes at the beginning of the paper and then uses supporting evidence throughout the rest of the paper to prove that topic sentence true. Your summary is your topic sentence. Now, throughout the rest of that marketing document, make sure that topic sentence is proved.

At this point, some people prefer to list their education, then work experience, and then other experience. That is the typical format. But remember, this is a MARKETING document. Is your education recent? Is it the most important reason for why you are applying to a particular job in a specific industry? Or is your experience more relevant? How about your volunteer work? Perhaps you have had more experience as a volunteer for the job you are applying to than actual working experience? Whatever the case, begin with your strongest area.

Another point to make when listing your information is to begin each statement, or as many as possible, with active words. For example, you may have “provided excellent customer service” but that’s a dead phrase that recruiters have read and re-read all day long. Drop the “provided”. What you did was “excelled in customer service”. Both phrases say the same thing, yet the second phrase has more “oomph” in it.

When you first begin writing this resume, or are getting help from someone, don’t be afraid to stuff your marketing document with everything. Put EVERYTHING on that resume or CV that you can dredge up. You are going to whittle it down, eventually, but begin with everything. Create a Master Document that holds all your relevant information that you can refer to every time you need to revise your resume to send out for a new position.

Contrary to what many people think, you do not need to limit your resume to one page. Yes, it is ideal, but once you reach your 30s, if you’ve been working steadily at a career, you may well have accrued enough experience to fill two pages. These days, since most resumes are seen on the computer, the one page rule is not as hard and fast as it once was. If you are in a field where CVs are the norm (traditionally professionals such as those in academics, research, medicine, law, etc), then it may very well be longer, as you should list any publications you have, certifications, etc.

If you are someone who is just starting out in the working world, you may feel as if you don’t have anything to put on your resume. Or what you do have, doesn’t even make up a page. This is when you include extra-curricular activities, volunteering, and other activities in your community. Your future employer wants to know what type of people s/he is bringing into business, and whether or not it will be worth it to pay that person. Even if all your working experience is as a babysitter, then you can still use those other activities to round out the picture of who you are. And the one thing you do have going for you on your resume, if you are at this point in your life, is white space. White space is important. White space frames the words so the readers’ eyes don’t get tired and lost on the page. White space is especially important to people who have been reading badly written resumes on computer screens all day long.

On the other end of the spectrum is the person who has a lot of experience already. They have no problem with filling one page, and may even have two or more pages worth of relevant information. The same goes for this person: 1) Make sure to list the extra-curricular activities, volunteer positions, certificates, awards you’ve earned, and affiliations. (Yes, it’s important.) 2) Make sure there is good white space framing each section, and don’t try to make the font tiny just so you can fit everything on the resume. While the hard and fast rule is at two pages for you, you can be more selective about what you include and how much relevance you give it on the page. Again, your future employer wants a good picture of who they are hiring.

Are you trying to change careers? Perhaps get out of the Administrative Assistant trap and leap up to Management? Do yourself a favor, take out any word that is even remotely connected to “assist”, and make sure to list those times when you “managed” the paperwork or “trained” other employees in the office. Maybe you are a TV producer/graphic designer/chef. Which area do you want to emphasize? You don’t necessarily want to hide the other areas, because they may be instrumental in your next perfect career as a producer/chef/designer or designer/producer/chef or any combination thereof. You need to keep in mind, however, which is most important to you.

If you have hired someone else to write your resume, make sure they understand which is important to you. Don’t assume that they just “know.” Only you know, so tell them. In fact, if you haven’t either had a good hour long interview with, or filled out a lengthy questionnaire for the person writing your resume, odds are you will not be happy with the result, because resume writers are not mind readers.

After you have put that marketing document together listing all your stellar achievements and traits, set it aside for a few days, or at least a week. Ignore it completely. Then, look at it with fresh eyes. Look at as if you were going to hire you. Find the typos and awkward sentences (they will be there and don’t depend on spell check). Fix them and, if necessary, rearrange it all again. Satisfied now?

Okay, NOW send it to your trusted friends and family, the ones who pay attention to detail, know you well, and maybe even know the industry you are seeking employment in. What questions come to mind? Could you answer those questions in an interview? Maybe they see talents you have that you forgot to include on your marketing document. Take any and all suggestions with a (very large) grain of salt. Write them down. Set them aside, with your resume, for another week. Then take another look at the resume and the suggestions, incorporate those that you think should be incorporated. Proofread it one more time.

The day after THAT, you can send it out (after you have proofed, yes–again, one last time).

Remember — your resume is your marketing document with the purpose of selling you. You are constantly changing and your resume should change with you. If you need two or three different types of resume, then do it. Whatever it takes to sell yourself. We’re in a recession, people. You need all the help you can get.

And if you need help writing that resume, contact me.