Ask 30 people to critique your resume and you will get 30 different suggestions for change. A resume is such a personal document that people believe their way is the way to communicate your history. When I’m asked to critique a resume, I tell its owner that this is your document, not mine. So I will offer suggestions, but it is your call over whether to adopt them. And I will respect your call.
In the 20 years I’ve been an advisor at CRC, I have seen a lot of resumes. Out of that experience a list of good resume principles evolved. May they be helpful to you.
- The Cardinal Rule for good resumes: They must be easy to read. Resume readers (humans, that is) are lazy. Hard to read resumes get a quick skim and that is it. The next few rules help you make an easy-to-read document.
- Ignore the conventional wisdom that limits a resume to no more than two pages. But keep the writing concise. I see people who cram a whole career into two pages. The wording is dense. So dense it defies meaningful reading.
- Make ample use of white space (aka reader relief space). Margins should not be narrowed and use adequate spacing between the lines. Lengthy copy should display as small paragraphs.
- Unless you are applying for a super creative job, avoid fancy and/or far-out design concepts. They distract from the message.
- Use bullet points for items in a list (such as achievements). Bullet points make for easier reading.
- The heading under your contact information is very vital marketing space: KEEP IT SPARE AND SIMPLE. It’s the first thing the reader sees. One sentence describing you in general terms (your value proposition) followed by your three greatest strengths set off by bullet points. That’s all. Its job is to get the reader interested in what follows. Too many people cram that space with a goulash of words, each of which detracts from the others.
- It's good to be general in the professional profile. “Art teacher” makes the reader limit the possibility to teaching opportunities. “Turns on kids to the power of art” opens far more vistas of possibility.
- Functional resumes are fine for people re-entering the work force after a long absence. They visually downplay that absence. But most readers like a chronological record of your work, whether employed or acting as a volunteer/manager of household/curator of child development, etc.
- Account for every year and be honest about out-of-full-time work periods. You will be respected for your honesty. Show your productive use of that time.
- Describe achievements more than responsibilities. For achievements, start the reference by explaining how it benefited the employer, and then follow with how you accomplished it. This subtly says you are results focused.
- Put academic achievements near the end. Recent graduates, rightly proud of that achievement, often put them at the top of the resume. That tells the world that you are inexperienced.
- Do not be bashful about tooting your horn. Avoid weak verbs such as, “coordinate" (that is interpreted as having not much control).” Try to think of power words but avoid conventional jargon words and phrases such as, “implemented,” “team player,” “proven,” “excited,” etc. See what words would fit with the employer’s expectations by reading between the lines of the job description.
- Keep the writing clear, concise, and simple. Have an independent friend edit it to cull out unnecessary words. Avoid using humor in a resume. It can backfire. Save the humor for the interview, and then only if it feels right based on your interaction with the interviewer.
For excellent guidance and good resume examples, read John Lucht’s book, Rites of Passage ,especially the chapter on resumes. Ignore the subtitle regarding executives with salaries of $100,000+. The content applies to all job seekers. A link to that book:
- Jack Bigelow, Communications Consultant and CRC Advisor
