resumes creating resumes that stand out from the masses © 2008 marrietta reber katharina nötzel

Resumes

Creating Resumes That Stand Out from the Masses

© 2008Marrietta Reber

Katharina Nötzel

How is job hunting like being in a horror movie?

A resume has only ONE specific purpose:

To win an interview

Overview

Resume Roles Resume Content Resume Style Resume Do’s and Don’ts Controversial Items on Resumes Methods of Resume Delivery Resume Maintenance Top Ten Ways to Stand Out

Resume Roles

To draw in the reader and entice them to take a closer look

To attract each potential employer by being tailored to their specific needs (like a fishing lure or wooing)

To make assertion to prospective employer: Hire me and you’ll get the following specific, direct benefits

To inspire employer to pick up the phone and ask you for an interview

Overview


Resume Content:Common Headings and Sections

Education: Lists college degrees, honors, certifications, training, and relevant course work beginning with highest/most recent

Work Experience: Lists title, company, location and beginning/end dates (month/year) for a minimum of last 10 years. Describes concretely and concisely contributions to employer

Skills: Lists mastery of computer applications, programming, foreign languages, etc.

Resume Content:Common Headings and Sections Achievements: Lists staff awards, special

commendations, cost-saving and revenue-increasing suggestions, access to new clients, time efficiencies, etc.

Resume Content:Optional Headings and Sections Highlight/Summary of Qualifications: Lists

briefly significant accomplishments, one or two outstanding skills or abilities, and depth of relevant experience

Publications: Lists relevant articles, books, chapters in books, and research papers authored or co-authored beginning with highest/most recent

Patents: Lists relevant patents beginning with most recent

Resume Content:Controversial Headings and Sections Objective: Lists in one to two lines applicant’s

career objective and how that objective benefits the hiring company

Volunteer Service: Lists volunteer activities, achievements, and skills

Interests: Lists extracurricular activities or hobbies that show notable qualities such as dedication or talent

Resume Content:Work History Focus on last ten to fifteen years: Older experience is

generally considered dated Credibility: Experience with well-known and respected

organizations increases credibility (perhaps even if more than 15 years old)

Highlight skills and experience: Accomplishments important to desired job but learned longer than 15 years ago can be briefly described

Be aware of age discrimination: Too much experience can lead employers to worry about age, over-qualification, and higher salary

Give dates: Add beginning and ending month/year for jobs held in the last 10 years. For current job, list beginning month/year to “present”

Resume Content:Work History Avoid specific dates for jobs held over 15 years ago:

If jobs held over 15 years ago demonstrate relevant skills you can not illustrate in more recent jobs, consider listing them in a separate section (such as “Previous Professional Experience”) with job titles and company name/location, but without dates (and perhaps without bullets)

Resume Content:Chronological vs. Functional

Use chronological resume if: Use functional resume if:

Most or all of experience is in one field Experience is diverse and falls into two or more distinct categories

Experience is primarily in traditional paid employment

Part of experience is in internships, volunteer work, class projects, or leadership positions

Desired job is in same field as current job

Desired job suggests a career change or is in a field of previous employment

Minimal or no gaps exist in work history

Gaps exist in work history but can be accounted for with transferable skills (college credit, volunteer work)

Strengths and qualifications are immediately obvious

Strengths and qualifications are not immediately obvious


Use chronological resume if: Use functional resume if:

Duration of most jobs was more than a year, preferably at least two

Several jobs had short duration which could imply job-hopping

Chosen field of work is conservative (e.g. banking, law); functional resumes are not the norm

Chosen field of work is not extremely conservative

Submission to Monster.com and/or other job boards is planned

NO submission to Monster.com and/or other job boards is planned (don’t accept functional resumes)

Submission to headhunters, recruiters, and/or executive search firms is planned

NO submission of resume to headhunters, recruiters, or executive search firms is planned (tend NOT to favor functional resumes)


My Advice . . . Use a functional resume only IF

your job experience falls into two or more distinct categories with at least two jobs per category

separating into categories helps you strategically emphasize most relevant experience to the desired job

Don’t use a functional resume as an obvious or flagrant attempt to cover up gaps in employment

Resume Content:Prove Value to Company

Use phrases from job listing and/or company website: Demonstrate you are the perfect fit

Concentrate on the job: Focus on skills and experience related to specific job. Minimize odd jobs, training, or courses that don’t add value

Prioritize: Organize accomplishments and skills according to relevance to desired position, impressiveness, and uniqueness

Stress achievements: Stress accomplishments and quantify results where possible

Resume Content:Length

Limit to 1 page if possible, 2 maximum: Hiring managers have no time. Two pages is the maximum if you need them to prove technical knowledge or have extensive experience

Follow industry guidelines: Positions in science and government may expect longer resumes with more information required

The longer the resume, the harder to pick out key points: The first glance at a resume is very short, and many more resumes are in the queue

Overview


Resume Style:

Avoid first person pronoun and articles: Resume has your name in big letters at the top

Be consistent and parallel: Begin all entries in a section with the same part of speech using consistent punctuation

Use proper tenses: Use present tense for job you currently have, past tense for one-time tasks completed at a current job or for previous jobs and duties

Use strong action verbs: “Did” or “was responsible for” don’t express achievement or concretely convey meaning

Resume Style:Action Verbs Accelerated

AccomplishedAchievedAdaptedAdministeredAnalyzed

Changed ClarifiedCommunicatedConductedConsolidatedControlledConvertedConvincedCoordinatedCreated

DelegatedDeliveredDemonstratedDesignedDevelopedDevisedDirected

EditedEliminatedEstablishedEvaluatedExpanded

Formulated Generated

Guided Identified

ImplementedImproved

IncreasedInitiatedInstalledInstitutedIntroducedInvented

Launched Managed

MarketedMotivated

Negotiated

OrganizedOriginatedOversaw

ParticipatedPerformedPlannedProducedProgrammedPromotedProvided

RecommendedRedesignedReducedReorganizedResearchedRevised

ScheduledSelectedServed asSimplified

SolvedStarted StreamlinedStrengthenedStructuredSucceededSupervised

TerminatedTrainedTransformedTranslated

Unified Verified Won

Wrote

Resume Style: Bullet Lists Use bullet lists when possible: Bullets

compress information and are easy to read Include at least two bullets in a list Start each bullet with a powerful, concrete

verb: Vary verbs using synonyms Use punctuation consistently: End all items in

a bullet list with a period or none

Resume Style: Bullet Lists Optimize bullets: Write concrete, descriptive,

detailed bullets that clearly help a prospective employer visualize past accomplishments and responsibilities

Example:

Instead of: Wrote training.

Use: Created seminar outlines, learning objectives,curriculum models, training exercises, study

materials, and video scripts.

Don’t overload bullet: Limit bullet text to one or two lines maximum but don’t forsake depth and vividness of information

Resume Style: Bullet Lists

Don’t overload listing: Limit to 3-5 vivid, detailed accomplishments for each positionExample:

Training Manager & Associate Account Executive Digitas (Bronnercom); Boston, MassachusettsDecember 1998 – April 2000

Assisted clients such as American Express, AT&T, and General Motors to determine and implement marketing strategies, performance support initiatives, and organizational alignment strategies.

Conducted needs assessments, performance evaluations, and measurement. Served as the main client contact; managed budgets and created timelines, decks,

and client presentations. Analyzed and implemented marketing and contact strategies for AT&T direct mail

and telemarketing. Supervised multiple teams to design, develop, and deliver customized training

materials including complete course curricula, train-the-trainer sessions, reference materials, self-paced workbooks, and certifications.

Resume Style: Be Concise Be short and concise but concrete, specific

and descriptive: Use as few words as possible without sacrificing relevant content

Minimize repetition: Stress achievements with similar job tasks for different employers

Don’t write an essay: Use phrases rather than complete sentences throughout

Stress critical information: Focus on your experiences that matter most to this employer

Overview


Resume Do’s

Revise resume for each position Incorporate language specific to the industry, the

individual company, and the unique job description

Write easy-to-read resume with concise, unambiguous description

Use formatting to create an attractive look Keep it as short as possible without sacrificing

relevant content and detail Focus on information relevant to employers’

needs Stress transferable skills for a career change

Resume Don’ts

Don’t lie or make negative comments about anything

Don’t waste tight space by listing more or different experiences than the job requires

Don’t include photo, religion, gender, sexual preference, political party, or anything controversial

Don't use expressions like "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," "Responsible for”; rather use accomplishment-oriented language to illustrate your contributions

Resume Don’ts

Don’t use excessive or meaningless marketing speak and clichés (dynamic self-starter). Resume and cover letter should illustrate these qualities

Don't emphasize skills and job activities you don’t want to do in the future

Don’t include “References Available Upon Request.” If they want them, they’ll ask

Don’t include salary information, full job references, or reasons for leaving last job

Overview


Controversial Items on Resumes:Objective—In Favor

Describes in as few words as possible what makes candidate unique among other applicants

Identifies the specific position applied for Illustrates how job allows achievement of long

term goals as well as what’s in it for employer Allows employer to determine quickly what you

can contribute to the organizationExample: Talented support analyst seeks lively team- oriented helpdesk role within healthcare industry. Looking for an opportunity to build on well founded technical abilities, strong client facing skills and knowledge of Helpdesk SLAs

Controversial Items on Resumes: Objective—Against Are often vague, badly written, cocky,

meaningless, and simply state the obvious Use valuable space without adding value Limit opportunities for widely skilled applicant

qualified for more than one position Are often too generic and not customized for

each position Frequently full of meaningless marketing speak

Poor example: A driven self-starter with excellent written and verbal communication skills, adept at multitasking under tight deadlines, seeking a position with a dynamic and innovative organization providing opportunity for growth and upward mobility

Controversial Items on Resumes: Objective—My Advice . . .

Don’t use an objective unless:

You can concretely and succinctly explain how your unique combination of experience/skills satisfies their specific needs and your professional goals in a compelling and interesting manner

You are not allowed to submit a cover letter and you want to be sure to identify the job for which you are applying on the resume itself

Controversial Items on Resumes: Interests—In Favor Additional and relevant personal information can

pad sparse resume Personal interests and hobbies can support

work-related strengths and add value to the resume (video gaming, web or graphic design)

Personal interests not related to work may demonstrate aspects of your character that are valued on job (sports demonstrate team work, working on model airplanes shows attention to detail, etc.)

Your interest may coincide with a potential interviewer’s and spark a connection

Controversial Items on Resumes: Interests—Against Interests or hobbies may be irrelevant or may be

seen as irrelevant or annoying to the interviewer Extracurricular activities without any connection

to job can clutter a tight resume and take space needed elsewhere

Identifying certain interests can lead to discrimination, controversy, or negative impressions

Controversial Items on Resumes: Interests—My Advice . . .

YOU DECIDE! Follow your gut While including interests may increase certain risks

they may also open up possibilities Consider your audience

Controversial Items on Resumes: Volunteer Service—In Favor Volunteer service may supply excellent work

experience and skills that can be legitimately stated

Service can help fill gaps in a resume Volunteering shows commitment to service and

dedication to important causes, revealing a generous, well-rounded nature

Volunteer service may produce real-life accomplishments you can list as “Professional Experience” if you use “Volunteer” in the job title

Controversial Items on Resumes: Volunteer Service—Against Many employers may not care about well-

rounded character Too much volunteer activity may imply less than

perfect attention to paid job in employer’s eyes Volunteer work without any connection to

desired job or applicable skills may not make applicant more qualified for job

Listing service could take up valuable space Type of volunteer service could lead to

discrimination

Controversial Items on Resumes: Volunteer Service—My Advice . . .

Volunteer service could help you land a job After all, who hates Peace Corp volunteers? However, if the organization for which you

volunteered could be seen as controversial, you might include the service but omit the name of the organization, or omit that service all together

Personally…I don’t want to work for a company who sees volunteer service as a negative…

But as always: TRUST YOUR GUT!

Overview


Methods of Resume Delivery:

Electronic Plain-Text Resume Paper Resume for Scanning and Keyword

Search Electronic Resume in WORD Format and

Traditional Paper Resume

Electronic Plain-Text Resume: Search-software friendly style

Identify key words: Underline skills listed in ads and job descriptions

Use keywords to generate most positive hits from software: Develop largest possible number of keywords in

various forms (e.g. MA, Mass., Massachusetts) Use industry or job-specific keywords and acronyms Spell-check extensively, search software does not

generate positive hits for misspelled terms

Electronic Plain-Text Resume:Search-software friendly style

Emphasize nouns to cater to search software: Include noun forms of keyword terms (e.g. accountant

as well as accounting) Use nouns for skills as well as action verbs (e.g. team

player).

Create thorough keyword list: Consider including at beginning of the resume

Electronic Plain-Text Resume: Formatting

Use standard text-editing program like Notepad: It creates cleanest electronic resume. No word processing program

Limit line length to 65 characters: Longer line lengths often transmit unevenly

Don’t use visuals: No graphics or multiple columns

Don’t use special formatting: No symbols like copyright symbol, ampersand, mathematical symbols

Don’t use font formats: No bold, italics, underlining, and bullet points


Use same size fonts: Same size for same level headings, paragraphs and lists, no variations

Use simple san-serif fonts between 10 – 14 points: Courier 12 point may be best for clean transmission

Set sections apart: Blank lines between sections increase readability

Left-justify everything: All lines begin at the left margin


Use acceptable “formatting”: All CAPS for headings Asterisks (*) or hyphens (-) for lists Equal sign (=) and dash (-) for separating lines

Put only your name on first line: No other text. Resume-search programs look only for a name on this line

Place content components on separate lines: Separate lines for job title, company name, and location


List each telephone number on separate line: Label phone numbers ("home phone," "work phone," or “cell phone"), no parenthesis around area code

Don’t limit resume length: Electronic resumes get screened by computer, not humans, and can be as long as needed to include all possible keywords

Save in proper format: Use “Save-As” to save resume as .txt document to avoid introduction of unwanted formatting

Electronic Plain-Text Resume: Transmission by Email

Ensure optimal transmission: Set format to Plain Text format (not HTML)

Don’t forget subject line: In email subject line, include job title and/or reference number of position you are applying for

Include all relevant information in the body of the email: Copy and paste electronic cover letter into email message window. Do not send resume without cover letter unless specifically asked not to. Without cover letter, add short message identifying the job for which you are applying and stating that a resume is included

Electronic Plain-Text Resume: Transmission by Email Keep different parts of email visually

separate: Input line of asterisks or dashes underneath electronic cover letter and before beginning of resume

List salutation first with cover letter and resume following: Copy and paste resume text from standard text editor to email message window under electronic cover letter or resume field at employer web site

Follow requirements: Abide by all required specifications for submission



Search Electronic Resume in WORD Format and

Traditional Paper Resume

Paper Resume for Scanning and Keyword Search

Use appropriate keywords: Companies scan paper resumes into databases to match job openings with qualified job seekers by searching resumes using keywords

Check employer’s web site: Specific requirements are often described there. If not, call and inquire about specific requirements

Follow advice for “Electronic Plain-Text Resumes: Formatting”: Fancy fonts and special characters can be difficult to recognize for scanning software and may lead to reading mistakes


Make characters identifiable: Use space to separate slashes (1 / 00), scanners often have problems interpreting touching characters

Avoid difficult-to-scan formatting: Horizontal lines Parentheses or brackets

Make scanning easy: Use only white paper Do not staple or paperclip resumes with more than

one page Mail resume in a flat envelope of the appropriate size;

do not fold!


Don’t limit resume length if submission is for scanning purposes only: Computers easily handle multiple-page resumes. All extracted information is matched to available positions. If human eyes will view your resume, send a formatted version as well of no more than two pages via email



Search Traditional Paper Resume in WORD

Traditional Paper Resume in WORD: Formatting

Use formatting effectively: Do not overwrite your resume. Add white space around sections to create overall balance and invite the eye

Left-justify resume: Create a whitespace column on the left for only the headings to extend into

Use whitespace effectively: Line up text and bullets with tabs or set margins, don’t use

space bar Balance entire page so it’s not top or bottom heavy Adjust space above and below sections to group related

information together visually Create more space between major sections than between

entries in one section

Traditional Paper Resume in WORD: Formatting

Use punctuation consistently: None for headings, be consistent in text and bullets

Fonts: Headings: san serif (Arial, Helvetica, Optima). 12 – 14

point size Text: serif (Garamond, Times New Roman, Palatino). 9 –

11 point size Format bullets:

Leave three spaces (instead of the five you get with standard tab) between bullet point and the following text

Be consistent and end all items or none of them in bullet list description with a period

Always put at least two items in the bullet list (or it isn’t a list)

Traditional Paper Resume in WORD: Presentation

Double-check everything: Proofread several times. Absolutely no spelling or grammar mistakes allowed. Ask others to look over resume and get opinion on structure and style

Print on a laser printer: Creates most crisp and clean printout

Use high-quality non-white paper: Use 24 – 32 lb. weight professional resume paper If you use watermarked paper, make sure the watermark is

right-side up, left to right Use no staples or paperclips if more than two pages

Traditional Paper Resume in WORD: Presentation Identify both resume pages if used: Place “Continued”

at the bottom of page one, and name and “Page 2” at the top of the next

Always bring several resumes printed on good paper to any interview: Even if interview resulted from electronic resume, hand a printed resume to interviewer at beginning of the interview. It’s easier to read and looks better than a printout. If you’re interviewed by several people, not all of them may have seen your resume

Traditional Paper Resume in WORD: Delivery Send resume as .pdf attachment: PDFs ensure

formatting is preserved. Employers can open the file even without specific software and are less afraid of viruses

Don’t use staples or paper clips: If your resume is more than one page, don’t tack together

Mail in a flat envelope: Do not fold resume/cover letter

Overview


Resume Maintenance:

Create master resume: Build a resume that includes every job and extracurricular activity you ever did. Don’t worry about size. Use master file to easily and quickly create a tailored resume for individual positions through cut and paste

Keep various types of resume: Maintain various boiler plate resumes for different industries and jobs you can tweak easily

Back up files: Save your resume by storing it under a new filename each time you update it. Always have a saved version of every resume you sent out

Resume Maintenance:

Email copies: Send copy of resume (both plain-text and WORD attachment) to your own email address to be available wherever you go

Overview


Top Ten Ways to Stand Out

1.) Customize your resume to each specific job you apply for 2.) Research the company to learn how to “talk the talk” 3.) Use keywords and phrases specific to that

industry/company/job 4.) Stress contributions you will make to their organization 5.) Prioritize information to showcase what matters most to

the prospective employer 6.) Write brief but descriptive bullets that stress

accomplishments 7.) Balance brevity with concrete depth 8.) Limit length of resume 9.) Design a well-formatted, professional-quality paper resume10.) Remember you are interviewing them as much as they are

interviewing you (must be a two-way fit)

resumes creating resumes that stand out from the masses © 2008 marrietta reber katharina nötzel

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