WHAT MAKES A GOOD RESUME?

There are many views about what makes a good resume…what is the best format…what should be included…what does not belong in a resume.

As one who has been involved in executive recruiting for more than 9 years, I have admittedly singular views on what makes for an effective resume.

A RESUME IS A PICTURE OF YOU.

First, always remember that someone will need to read your resume. It makes no sense to write “The Great American Novel”. The most effective resume is a snapshot of your career, your skills and your achievements.

The best resumes are 1 or 2 pages long, and certainly no more than 3 pages. Your resume should include the details of no more than 10 years…the last 10 years…of your career. Everything earlier can be summarized in a general description, at the end of your career chronology.

Here is an example of how that can be phrased:

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

From 1979 to 1994, held a variety of positions ranging from Sales Representative to Market Manager, with progressively increasing levels of responsibility in a variety of industries. These included specialty chemicals, polymers, coatings, and adhesives, serving a number of markets such as pharmaceuticals, plastics compounding and fabrication, metals finishing, graphics, and chemical process industries.

You need to realize, too, that a recruiter or HR manager, who is reviewing dozens of resumes, will not spend more than a few minutes review a resume. You need to catch their eye with short phrases and bullet points. Any way to catch the eye of a recruiter or HR professional scanning your resume quickly will be effective in getting them to pay attention to your background and experience.

This will increase the likelihood that they will see you as the best candidate for the position they are trying to fill.

WHAT MAKES A WELL WRITTEN, EFFECTIVE RESUME?

A well-written resume is one that catches the reader’s eye. At a glance, the reader sees what you want him/ her to see most, and what will make the reader want to know more about you.

This is accomplished with short paragraphs, bullet points, and an outline form that allows a reader to quickly see who you worked for and what you accomplished. Once they know this, they can dig deeper. There are key words that can be used in writing a resume that convey what you did and how you did it concisely and with emphasis that catches the reader’s attention. I will go into that in a later post.

For now, here is what I look for in a good resume.

At the top of the first page, put your name and contact information. Be sure that you put your full legal name at the top of your resume, not a nickname or slang. A potential employer does not need to know that you are called “Joey” by your close friends. He does need to know your name as it appears on your driver’s license.

Include your full address and all your phone numbers. Include both a home number and a cell phone number, and identify which is which. Also include your e-mail address…one you will be using for your job search to receive e-mails from recruiters or potential employers. (I suggest that you get a dedicated e-mail address that you will use only for this purpose.)

Next, below your name, state your objective. Here is where you tell the prospective employer what kind of a position you are looking for. Such as:

OBJECTIVE

A Sales and/or Marketing Management position in which my skills in planning and forecasting, as well as new product and market development, pricing and financial management can be applied. A position that will benefit from the my comprehensive experience as a goal-oriented manager who has driven the development and implementation of programs that resulted in meeting or exceeding objectives for improvement in market share and profitability.

Then include a brief summary of your skills and background, a description of your professional self, so-to-speak, in a following paragraph.

Here is an example:

SUMMARY

Executive with 26 years of sales and marketing experience. Strong leadership, communication and negotiating skills, and a successful record of increasing growth and profitability. Cross-functional experience in:

• Strategic analysis and planning

• Market analysis and planning

• Market development

• Product development

• Pricing strategy and planning

• Financial Management

• Forecasting

• Team Building

• Cost management

• Leadership and coaching

You may want to follow the summary with a section that describes 4-5 of your key accomplishments during your career. It is best if these relate as closely as possible to the job or position you are interested in with the prospective employer.

These should be brief one sentence statements. They should include statistical or measureable results, as well.

For example:

Led an effort to reduce costs, driving an increase in gross profit for the product by $103,964, a 28.8% increase compared to the previous year.

or

Drove the implementation of significant product improvements, which led to an increase in sales of $8.9 million, or 35.2%. During the same period, profits grew $4.2 million, a 68.2% increase.

Next in your resume will come your employment history. I will go into the details of the best way to compose this part of your resume in my next post.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, let me know at career.journey.mgmt@gmail.com