There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there when it comes to writing and formatting a resume. There are, however, a few generally agreed upon components of a good resume:
· 1 page in length (although, it’s sometimes ok to go to two pages if you have extensive, relevant work experience or a
list of published works).
· No smaller than 11 point font.
· Choose a font that it easy to read. It’s easiest to read a serif font like Times New Roman or Garamond if it’s a printed
piece and a sans serif font like Arial or Calibri if it’s going to be read electronically. Avoid cutesy font choices or
non-standard fonts that won’t load.
· Make sure that there are no spelling errors, typos or incomplete sentences.
· Include all of your contact info. This means name, street address, telephone and email. If you maintain a professional
website, Linkedin account or twitter presence, include that too.
From there, the guidelines become a little more loose and allow for your professional personality to shine through. Remember to craft a resume that reflects your style and is tailored to the job you are seeking.
Choose the Right Format
There are tons of resume formats available online and in resources offered by your school. No one format is correct, but some are better suited for certain fields or people. Look at your options and pick the one that looks best for you, keeping in mind that your job is to make reviewing your resume easy on the person reading it. Remember that we read from left to right and from top to bottom. The eye and the brain don’t want to have to crack the code of how your resume is organized. Overly-cluttered, artsy or whimsical layouts almost always work against you. A neat, ordered format will indicate that you are someone who can present information clearly and who can communicate fluidly.
Objectives
Few companies are looking for objectives on resumes, especially resumes of college seniors. However, if you know what you are looking for and you sense the company likes to see an objective, keep it short, concise, and to the point. Omit the opening phrase “to find a position in…” or “to be hired by . . . “. Those are understood. Keep it simple, e.g., “Entry-level analyst position with Fortune 500 firm.”
Include Only Relevant Information
Don’t include every job you’ve ever worked if that information isn’t relevant to the open position. Prioritize your accomplishments and put the best picture of yourself forward as possible.
Prioritize Resume Content Order
Put your most important experience, as it applies to a particular job, at the top of your resume. In case a candidate reviewer doesn’t take the time to read through your entire resume, you want to make sure the most important information is first. Make the content accessible and clear.
Use Bullet Points, Bold and Titles
Employers will spend 20 seconds looking over your resume the first time. They won’t invest in huge blocks of text or try to make sense of long sentences. Present your information and qualifications in a way that is visually accessible and easily digestible. Bullet points do just that, as do bold titles, consistent indenting, and consistency in the way that dates, locations and titles are listed.
There is no “I” in “Resume”
Avoid the pronouns “I” and “me” when writing your resume. And, steer clear of all slang, jargon and hip abbreviations. No one cares about your innermost thoughts or, like, YOLO.
Use Action Verbs
Write sentences with action verbs and your skills and experience will leap off the page (see what I did there?). Avoid passive voice and rambling descriptions. If you are describing your skills as a barrista, don’t say: “Was responsible for organizing drink orders and duties included taking orders.” Do say, “Coordinated fast-paced, retail operation. Excellent communicator.” A list of good action verbs, by career field, can be found here: http://www.quintcareers.com/action_skills.html
Quantify Your Successes
Who would you rather hire? The person who “was responsible for a successful effort to increase sales,” or the candidate who “tripled ad sales in three months, resulting in a 250% increase in net revenue?” Be clear about what you did and announce your successes in bold ways. “Bolstered customer happiness by 27% in first year” sure sounds better than “increased client satisfaction.”
Resume Keywords
The words you use in your resume should match the works in the company’s job description. Tailor your resume every time you apply for a new job. Electronic scanning devices will look for the words that match the job description. Human reviewers will appreciate it if you make the resume easy for them to like. If the job description lists required candidate qualifications/skills, format your resume to address those in the beginning. Your key words are your “yes” answer to the question “is this our ideal candidate?”
Don’t Lie!
Obviously, don’t say you went to Harvard if you attended State U. But even smaller lies, like saying you’re a wiz at Excel, can come back to bite you if you’re tested on that knowledge in an interview. Even worse, that deficit might show up on your first day of work when you are expected to design three new spreadsheets.
Ask Someone Else to Critique Your Resume
Or rather, ask everyone else to critique it. A career counselor, your mom, your friends, your teachers, and your old bosses – the more input you have the better. Better to know now.
Get it Professionally Written
If you you’re not receiving the job responses you’re hoping for, consider bringing your resume to a professional. There are local and online options that are well worth the money. Knowing when to ask for help is the sign of a great professional!
· 1 page in length (although, it’s sometimes ok to go to two pages if you have extensive, relevant work experience or a
list of published works).
· No smaller than 11 point font.
· Choose a font that it easy to read. It’s easiest to read a serif font like Times New Roman or Garamond if it’s a printed
piece and a sans serif font like Arial or Calibri if it’s going to be read electronically. Avoid cutesy font choices or
non-standard fonts that won’t load.
· Make sure that there are no spelling errors, typos or incomplete sentences.
· Include all of your contact info. This means name, street address, telephone and email. If you maintain a professional
website, Linkedin account or twitter presence, include that too.
From there, the guidelines become a little more loose and allow for your professional personality to shine through. Remember to craft a resume that reflects your style and is tailored to the job you are seeking.
Choose the Right Format
There are tons of resume formats available online and in resources offered by your school. No one format is correct, but some are better suited for certain fields or people. Look at your options and pick the one that looks best for you, keeping in mind that your job is to make reviewing your resume easy on the person reading it. Remember that we read from left to right and from top to bottom. The eye and the brain don’t want to have to crack the code of how your resume is organized. Overly-cluttered, artsy or whimsical layouts almost always work against you. A neat, ordered format will indicate that you are someone who can present information clearly and who can communicate fluidly.
Objectives
Few companies are looking for objectives on resumes, especially resumes of college seniors. However, if you know what you are looking for and you sense the company likes to see an objective, keep it short, concise, and to the point. Omit the opening phrase “to find a position in…” or “to be hired by . . . “. Those are understood. Keep it simple, e.g., “Entry-level analyst position with Fortune 500 firm.”
Include Only Relevant Information
Don’t include every job you’ve ever worked if that information isn’t relevant to the open position. Prioritize your accomplishments and put the best picture of yourself forward as possible.
Prioritize Resume Content Order
Put your most important experience, as it applies to a particular job, at the top of your resume. In case a candidate reviewer doesn’t take the time to read through your entire resume, you want to make sure the most important information is first. Make the content accessible and clear.
Use Bullet Points, Bold and Titles
Employers will spend 20 seconds looking over your resume the first time. They won’t invest in huge blocks of text or try to make sense of long sentences. Present your information and qualifications in a way that is visually accessible and easily digestible. Bullet points do just that, as do bold titles, consistent indenting, and consistency in the way that dates, locations and titles are listed.
There is no “I” in “Resume”
Avoid the pronouns “I” and “me” when writing your resume. And, steer clear of all slang, jargon and hip abbreviations. No one cares about your innermost thoughts or, like, YOLO.
Use Action Verbs
Write sentences with action verbs and your skills and experience will leap off the page (see what I did there?). Avoid passive voice and rambling descriptions. If you are describing your skills as a barrista, don’t say: “Was responsible for organizing drink orders and duties included taking orders.” Do say, “Coordinated fast-paced, retail operation. Excellent communicator.” A list of good action verbs, by career field, can be found here: http://www.quintcareers.com/action_skills.html
Quantify Your Successes
Who would you rather hire? The person who “was responsible for a successful effort to increase sales,” or the candidate who “tripled ad sales in three months, resulting in a 250% increase in net revenue?” Be clear about what you did and announce your successes in bold ways. “Bolstered customer happiness by 27% in first year” sure sounds better than “increased client satisfaction.”
Resume Keywords
The words you use in your resume should match the works in the company’s job description. Tailor your resume every time you apply for a new job. Electronic scanning devices will look for the words that match the job description. Human reviewers will appreciate it if you make the resume easy for them to like. If the job description lists required candidate qualifications/skills, format your resume to address those in the beginning. Your key words are your “yes” answer to the question “is this our ideal candidate?”
Don’t Lie!
Obviously, don’t say you went to Harvard if you attended State U. But even smaller lies, like saying you’re a wiz at Excel, can come back to bite you if you’re tested on that knowledge in an interview. Even worse, that deficit might show up on your first day of work when you are expected to design three new spreadsheets.
Ask Someone Else to Critique Your Resume
Or rather, ask everyone else to critique it. A career counselor, your mom, your friends, your teachers, and your old bosses – the more input you have the better. Better to know now.
Get it Professionally Written
If you you’re not receiving the job responses you’re hoping for, consider bringing your resume to a professional. There are local and online options that are well worth the money. Knowing when to ask for help is the sign of a great professional!