A colleague once invited me to look at the resume she used to get her job. After reading the first sentence, I gingerly asked if she wanted me to point out the typos that I saw (two of which were in the first sentence). Given that she was invited for an interview and offered a job, there is apparently more to drafting a successful resume than catching all the typos. This might have worked for her, but it’s far from being the truth. Don’t skimp on professionalism. In addition to proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, here are 6 tips on crafting an attention-getting resume.
1. Spend Time With Your Resume.
By spending time with your resume, I’m not suggesting that you take it to the park to throw a Frisbee around. What I am saying is this is your job/career you’re dealing with. Make sure your resume says exactly what you want it to say and how you want to say it. Writing is all about revisions, fine tuning, and sculpting your message to ensure that your reader actually reads it.
Famed advertising guru, David Ogilvie once rewrote the headline of a car ad 104 times. Classic author, Ernest Hemingway was notorious for rewriting a single paragraph at least 65 times. When it comes to making in impression on a hiring manager, plan on investing a considerable amount of time to writing your resume.
2. Clearly Explain Who, What, How.
It’s common knowledge that a hiring manager will spend 30 seconds reviewing a resume. In that 30 seconds, if your resume doesn’t deliver your message and explain why you should be hired it never will. Therefore, you need to get right to the point. The first paragraph of your resume should clearly state who you are, what you do, and how you do it (See tip on objectives). In other words, tailor your resume for the specific job title that you are seeking and concisely explain the skills that qualify you for the position.
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3. Keep Your Objectives (and Opinions) to Yourself.
I often see resumes that start with a “what’s-in-it-for-me” statement: “Actively seeking a position with a progressive company that will utilize my skills and experience and offer opportunities for advancement.” To be blunt, hiring managers are far more concerned with what you can do for them than they are with what you want. This doesn’t mean that they won’t encourage you in your career development after you prove to be a valuable asset to the organization. But in the beginning, they are bringing you on to be productive and solve problems.
Instead of an objective statement, I recommend opening your resume with a qualifications summary or career highlights section and focus on your most marketable skills that qualify you for the job. Use this section to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?”
4. Stick to What’s Relevant.
With a resume, it’s very tempting to include every single detail about your life and work experience. Successful resumes focus on a specific title and position. Therefore, you should focus on your particular skills set and work experience that relates to the job you want. Obviously you need to present your work experience and list your job descriptions. In this section, focus your job descriptions on the tasks that are/were productive on the job. Things like “punctual, work well with others, or provided performance reports” are expected. Explain what you did that helped the company be productive, solve problems, and made money.
5. Boast about your achievements.
In your job descriptions, you do need to explain your daily work tasks, but it’s equally important to tout your significant achievements that go over and above the expectations of your job. I once had an opportunity to teach a training seminar based on a section of my master’s thesis. Because I possessed this particular subject expertise, I was able to volunteer for the assignment. As an employee, it’s always a good idea to look for ways to exceed your expectations. It looks good to your superiors and on your resume.
6. Verbs Trump Adjectives
People are often tempted to grandstand themselves by stringing superfluous adjectives together in an attempt to boost the reader’s impression of them.
“I am a highly intelligent, hard working, insightful….”
Really?
Instead, try using statements like…
“Founded a successful startup that generated over one million in revenue the first year.” “Led a taskforce that boosted productivity 30% in six months.” “Initiated a new marketing strategy that increased Web traffic and conversions.”
Don’t make shallow claims of greatness. Instead, demonstrate your credentials and value by stating what you did that made a difference. Work with your superiors to create these opportunities. Going above and beyond is not just for ladder-climbing overachievers.
Your Resume is a Career Status Report
Avoid looking at your resume as a one-off document to be filed away once you get an offer. Your resume is your career status report. In other words, whether you think you’re going to change jobs sometime in the future or not, use your resume as a journal that you update frequently. It’s much easier to update your resume when you don’t need to and when the new information is fresh, than to update it with what you have accomplished over the past five years.
You owe it to yourself and your career to craft a resume that speaks well of you and presents you as a top contender in your job market. Give your resume the attention it needs to tout you as a professional and ideal candidate—your efforts will pay off.
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