Five Commonly Asked Resume Questions

US News lists five commonly asked resume questions. Here are the questions, their answers (in red), and my take on the answers.

1. How long should I make my resume?

Essentially, the longer your work history, the longer your resume. If it's more than two pages, you risk losing the readers' interest. Try to stick within the two-page guideline.

This is where I net out as well. The only resumes I've seen that were longer than two pages were for CEO positions with medium-sized companies -- people who have long, storied work histories and who you want to know a ton about even before speaking with. For the rest of us, if you can't say it in two pages, then you're probably too wordy.

It helps to remember that the resume's job is to simply get you the interview -- it's not designed to describe everything you've ever done. So make it exciting and fill it full of accomplishments. If you've done this for two pages you'll have a great chance of getting an interview.

2. Which type of resume should I use?

You can choose from three types, and the one to use depends on the situation.

Chronological: This style shows your work history, from most recent job to oldest. It's a good option if you have a long work history that you want to show off. It's also the most common resume style used and won't catch the hiring manager by surprise.

Functional: Functional resumes focus on your skills and experience. They're good if you have gaps in your work history (you started a family, went back to school, etc.) or if you are switching careers.

Hybrid: This resume combines chronological and functional features. It's a good style to use for transitioning to a different job industry. A hybrid resume works for most situations.

As a hiring manager, I prefer the chronological resume. It's also the one I use personally. I recommend it for everyone -- even those with gaps or those transitioning. It's what the hiring manager expects and, in most cases, wants. So why give him something else? Doing so will put you at a disadvantage.

In addition, if I receive a non-chronological resume, I assume that people are trying to hide something, so it never works. Why do I assume this? Because it's a non-standard resume. Why else would someone use such a format?

3. What should I include?

The contents of any resume are about the same, although they might be ordered differently, depending on the style you use. Always include a summary of your skills, type of job for which you are looking, work history, education, and training.

I'd skip the summary and type of job you're looking for (isn't the answer to "what type of job are you looking for?" summarized in "this job!"?) because they take up space and don't really offer any meaningful information (defined as information that will get you hired.) You want to cram your resume full of accomplishments that show you are a winner, have done great things in your career, and are ready to do great things in this new position.

4. What if I do not have work experience?

It's your job to find experiences that will make up for your lack of skills. If you have volunteer experience or have held internships, you can include these.

If you literally have no experience, then the jobs you need to be applying for need to require no experience. Use what you have (education, in-school accomplishments, club leadership positions, volunteer activities, etc.) to get a decent entry-level job and build up some experience. Then use those results to get a better position and so on and so on.

5. Should I attach the resume in an email or paste it?

Your method of sending a resume via email may depend on the hiring manager’s preference. Sometimes it's listed in the job description.

Yes, find out what the organization wants, then send it in that format. If they do not say and you cannot contact them to find out, use either Word or a PDF (I personally use Word.)

Comments

[Luis]

I guess Word conversion has gotten better over the years but aren't there security and modification potential issues with it compared to a pdf?

[Melissa]

It shouldn't matter what order a resume is in, as long as it's clear and easy to read. There is too much conflicting advice about resumes so I tune most of it out. If I don't get a callback just because my resume is not in the "right" format, that's not an employer I want to work for anyway.

[SB]

When's the last time you needed a resume?

[jim]

Luis, I'm not sure what kind of security issues you might be thinking about. I think there have been some Word based malware in the past but I haven't heard of any for a while. Maybe it still happens but thats what virus scan is for. I don't think anyone should really be worried about someone modifying your resume. What would be the point to that? It wouldn't be any harder to copy out the text from a PDF and make a new one either. PDF is not any more secure really. Most businesses have Acrobat pro and can edit a PDF.

[Jason]

I haven't prepared a resume in almost 20 years, but I receive several every week. The ones that I pause to look at are those that:

1) are very relevant to what we do and what we are looking for
2) are clear and concise, not filled with puffery
3) are well formatted and presented (sorry Melissa)

[Jason]

Oops - one more...

4) ones that were referred to me by a colleague

[Rachael]

Could you share with us a sample of your resume format? I find it helpful to view other people's resumes.

[Melissa]

I never said that resumes shouldn't be well-formatted.

[Mike Hunt]

As a person in a high level of mgmt, my resume is 3 pages. I don't mind seeing a longer resume as long as the story is consistent and the accomplishments are relevant.

-Mike

[FMF]

Mike --

I would agree -- for higher level hires.

SB --

Last time I needed a resume was seven years ago.

Rachael --

That's hard to do without giving out personal info -- which I can't/don't do.

[[email protected]]

I found this article helpful in that it stressed, far from having any hard and fast rules, how variable and fluid resume building can really be. Especially in the early stages of job searching, few applicants have an ideal experience base or many credentials of note. Because of this, knowing how to accentuate your strengths and potential becomes key in providing an attractive front to prospective employers. Advice like this is great for the rest of us who are just getting started on pursuing their future careers.

[Chris]

I have been working for myself for over 15 years and now find that I have to go back to the old grind of working for someone else. My problem is half the places I used to work at those many years ago are either out of business or don't have any record of me working there because it was so long ago (I have called them to get their updated info, etc.) What do I put on job apps when I have this problem?

[FMF]

Chris --

What do you mean? I would put the correct info -- where you worked, for how long, etc. -- even if they are out of business.