Stick with a Classic Resume

Here are some thoughts from pages 23-27 of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success (a book I liked very much) that give the author's thoughts on the rules of writing a resume. Specifically, she says that when you break the resume rules you look like you don't know them. As such, you need to know the rules and not break them. Here's what she says are the "given" resume rules:

• One page
• No paragraphs (use bullet points)
• List achievements
• Ditch the line about references on request
• Be a keyword-focused applicant
• Tread lightly on the personal interests line
• Don't be a designer unless you are one

Here's my take on these:

1. I agree 100%. The exception: if you're applying for a highly compensated job and the reviewer is expected to take a bit longer with resume review (the book's author disagrees with me, FYI.)

2. I ALWAYS use bullet points -- and I start each of them with "action words" as detailed in How to Write a Winning Resume.

3. My bullet points (see #2) ALWAYS include quantifiable accomplishments.

4. I agree -- it's implied, so mentioning makes you look like you don't know the "rules" of the game.

5. Especially in this age of digital review/selection of resumes. You have to have keywords scattered throughout or you won't be selected for the jobs you want.

6. Only use personal information that advances your qualifications and has no chance of alienating/biasing people. For instance, it would be ok for me to say I've had over 150 articles published in various magazines (it shows I have writing ability), but to say I was a NASCAR fan might make someone think less of me. ;-)

7. I agree. Creative resumes are risky.

Comments

[mjmcinto]

#1 - I agree 100% as well!! I've only been in the professional world for 6.5 years now, but I've been a hiring manager, and have looked at resumes. I'm not sure if all of them were so lengthy b/c the applicant made them that way, or if it was the agency that sent their resume, but I routinely got 5-6 page resumes. And these were for people that had been working for only 5-10 years! That really annoyed me, so unless they were REALLY able to grab my attention on the first page did I even go on to look at the rest (and most of those I didn't make it to end of). I prefer 1 page, though if you go over to two, ok....but if you go over 2, chances are you won't even get considered by me.

#6 - I agree with this as well. My mom was looking for a new job, and she asked me to look at her resume. She attended two colleges to get her degree, and on her education section, she stated that she moved back home to help her mother after her dad passed away. That was over 30 years ago as well. I told her as a potential employer, that was a big red flag, as it was irrelevant and left me w/the impression she had some emotional baggage, so she should take it off. She left that comment on, and well, she still hasn't found a new job.

[Jerry]

In my college days, I temped at a recruiting firm and looked probably thousands of resumes. The more concise and clear, the better. Your tips are sound and right on the mark. One thing to add, is tailor your key words (maybe this is a given) to the position you're applying for. You do want them to pick up on that immediately. Certainly, all of these tips aren't insurance you'll get the job but it could lead to an interview (and maybe the job!).

Jerry

[Lord]

One page is for the relatively inexperienced, say less than a decade, but beyond two is idiotic.

[Lord]

Then again, with so much age discrimination, perhaps one page really is the way to go.

[Robert]

I had a lot of friends from the old Soviet Union countries and they had VERY outdated resumes by our standards. Pictures of themselves, all sorts of personal information, obsessed with objectives and listing references, etc. The actual job information was usually good but you'd have to chop it to shreds to remove the unnecessary stuff.

I agree with #6, but disagree that stating you've published over 150 articles is personal information. That's a job qualification. I don't put personal stuff on mine at all.

[Lifeguard1999]

Sorry, but I disagree with you. My resume is 2 pages, due to my experience. One person I hired had the equivalent of a 10 page resume, because it was not a "proper" resume, but a folder containing their artistic work. Others have had one page. It depends on the job being applied for.

[Jennifer]

Thank you for your post! I believe you have given your readers a lot of great tips to follow. I wanted to add rule #8. Maybe this is a given also, but it never hurts to say it again. Check for typos! If a hiring manager, etc. sees typos (even one) they are bound to immediately discard the resume. Have a couple of friends (particularly friends who have experience looking at resumes) check the resume out for you.

Thanks again!