Resume Tips and Tricks

The following is an excerpt from the book Cut the Crap, Get a Job! a New Job Search Process for a New Era. I will be running a series of excerpts from this book over the next couple weeks.

Lots of good tips and thoughts in this installment. I don't agree with all of it (like the over-emphasis on the cover letter), but generally think this is good advice.

Never ever, ever, ever, ever apply with just a résumé, unless you have to. A standalone résumé doesn’t help the hiring manager and doesn’t help you. It is an important backup document and a basic requirement for job applications. You must have an excellent one with accurate information, too. But a résumé alone is not going to get you a job. It used to. Now, with hundreds of applicants per position, screening being outsourced or automated, and email overload, you need to change your game for today’s new era.

This chapter will summarize what an excellent résumé needs to have, and the next chapter will share a BRAND NEW WAY of applying to jobs.

First, there are three main scenarios where a résumé is used for job search.

1 Networking with résumés: Jonathan received an email from Matthew, a friend. Matthew said, “I’m attaching the résumé of a wonderfully talented woman who just moved to Seattle and is looking for work. I thought you might have thoughts.” Jonathan wrote back, “I’m sorry, Matthew. I would like to help but I cannot with just a résumé. It doesn’t tell me what she wants to do, what types of companies she wants to work for, what research she has done, etc. A cover letter explaining all of that is needed to engage, thank you.” Jonathan was spot on with this response. Job seekers, it is your job to “help me help you.” If you want friends, family, your network, LinkedIn connections, or career counselors to help you, then give them what they need. A résumé simply lists facts of what you have done and what you have accomplished in the past. The reader is not responsible for translating that into your next ideal job definition or where you would be a good fit. Even if you are sending your résumé to Uncle Bob and asking him to forward to an executive in his company, you should give Uncle Bob a cover letter, explaining what you are looking for, when you are available to start, why you are an accomplished worker, and how they can contact you.

To be perfectly clear: Do NOT send résumés to people asking “Where would I fit within <Microsoft> or <GE>?” Stop. You are abdicating your responsibility for your career to them! Even if you are not actively job searching and just doing research, you need to assess your next career move. If you just don’t know, go back to Chapter 3 and set a goal.

Social media sites, such as LinkedIn, are an electronic form of networking. Therefore, your LinkedIn Background Summary in your profile is the section that behaves like a cover letter. Naturally, for those of you job searching while employed, this is tricky, but there are many online articles about how to job search secretly while employed.

2 Applying to specific jobs with résumés: Some companies and websites require you to only retype the facts from your résumé. They replicate the fields or draw keywords from your submittal. Other websites state very clearly that you may only attach one document. Option A: If they say that one document must only be a résumé, then you need to do that. Option B: If they do not specify, but only allow one FILE, then see the next chapter about a NEW application called the “Cut the Crap (CTC) Candidate Packet.” That should be your one file.

3 Posting on job boards: In this scenario, the only recourse you have is to post your résumé. For this reason, the résumé needs to be excellent. Let’s get right into the definition of “résumé excellence.”

Solution: An Excellent Résumé

Excellence can be defined by 3 major principles:

1. Search-ability: Key word search is optimized so you are found

2. Easy to read: Well-formatted for both online and print

3. Quantitative: Numeric proof of your brilliance

1 Résumé Excellence #1—Search-ability: You, the applicant, could be the best person for the job, but if your résumé is not found in a search, the probability that you will even considered is quite low. A searchable résumé is key so you can be found in various technology engines such as:

a. Job board résumé databases

b. Employer applicant tracking systems

c. Employer email systems

d. Social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

e. Web search engines

What are “keywords?” They are the words used for searching and finding appropriate candidates. In today’s new job search era, recruiters, screeners, employers, and others are fluent in the symbols and tricks for searching for candidates using keyword searches.

For example, if an employer is filling a Marketing Communications position, the keywords are the words associated with the requirements of the job:

• Skills (communications, writing, advertising, presentation, collaboration, teamwork, project management, etc.)
• Tools (Microsoft Office—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher)
• Education (MBA, BA, BS, AA, AS, high school, etc.)
• Location (State, city, even if willing to relocate)

Where should your keywords be? Everywhere.

• Filename of your résumé or profile (for those that are emailed)
• Title of your résumé or profile (for those in systems that use entry titles, like LinkedIn and craigslist)
• Body of your résumé or profile
• Body of your LinkedIn profile
• Twitter bio
• Facebook page

How can I make my keywords more powerful?

A. Customize the keywords on your résumé if you have more than one kind of job goal: Your keywords can be customized for the position being sought. If you are looking for more than one kind of job (more than one target job title), the résumé used for each job should be directly related to the keywords appropriate for that job.

B. Add more nouns: Nouns? But we were all taught to use “power verbs,” such as “developed, collaborated, designed, and led.” But the “what” that you performed, the action, is just as important. In the following examples, the bold nouns are the keywords that relate to the action indicated by the verbs:

• Led global cross-functional teams for plan review and sign-off.
• Designed and executed online marketing campaigns and events.
• Managed advertising agencies, $1M+ budgets, and cost analysis.
• Functioned in lead project management role.
• Oversaw editorial calendar, content distribution, and competitive analysis

There are many good articles about keywords for résumés online, so please spend more time in mastering this critical NEW job search criteria. The simplest way to learn what the best keywords are for your job target is to read job descriptions! Example: Seeking experienced Accounts Receivables Manager to oversee accounts, manage billing and collections, train accounting and clerical staff, develop status reports for management, and prepare monthly balance sheets. BA degree or AA degree with minimum of 2 years’ experience required. Your résumé should have these keywords.

2 Résumé Excellence #2—Easy to Read:

The content of your résumé is by far the most important factor. But design is important, too, for a couple of reasons:

• Your résumé must be easy to read, and good design makes that possible. Design calls attention to key sections of your résumé, such as work experience and education.
• A well-designed résumé reflects positively on your skills. Sloppy or careless design may give a negative impression, even if you’re well-qualified.

There are several techniques you can use to create a highly readable and attractive résumé. The table below lists some of the most important.

• White space - Lots of white space makes text easier to read. Text that’s too dense may discourage time-pressed readers from reading further.
• Bullets - Bulleted text allows you to break down complex information into readable chunks and also highlight key points.
• Easy-to-scan headings - Your reader should be able to quickly locate key areas on your résumé, such as education, without extensive searching.
• Limited number of fonts - Use no more than two fonts styles—one for headings and the other for body text. More than that is distracting.
• Selective use of bold - Use bold carefully and consistently. For example, if you bold the name of one company you’ve worked for, do it in all cases.
• No underlining (except links) - Reserve underlined text for web links. If you need to emphasize something, use bold.
• Consistent spacing - Use the same amount of space before and after headings, between bullets, etc. This gives your résumé a uniform look.

There are thousands of great examples on the web. Add this to your job search schedule as an area to spend time on. For those of you really stuck, invest in a résumé writing service.

Creating a plain-text résumé

Although most companies will be able to handle your résumé in Word or PDF format, you may need to have a plain-text résumé that’s been stripped of formatting. To create one, follow these steps:

• Copy your résumé into a plain text editor like Notepad, which should be available as an accessory on your computer. Most of the formatting should be gone.
• Change any remaining bullets to asterisks, and space once after the asterisk.
• For your main section headings, such as Work Experience, change to all caps so the headings stand out.
• Add spacing between sections as necessary for readability.

3 Résumé Excellence #3—Quantitative

Hiring managers, recruiters, and HR managers are so tired of “world-class marketing person” or “exceeded targets in…” or “best in class performance.” You need to prove your results right in your résumé. Job candidates tell me they will wait until the interview to share them or say, “My successes cannot be quantified.” Cut the Crap, Get a Job!

Not many job types, such as sales, can claim “exceeded budget by 12% or $3 million dollars” or “ran a team with a quota of $800,000.” However, there are a number of other qualitative results that you can display proudly on your résumé.

You could have been 1 selected out of 500 to represent your team at a meeting. You delivered a major project on time and under budget by X%. You won some awards or have been promoted in a certain amount of months, X, well above the company average of Y. Do this: Think about your soft skills (the ability to meet deadlines, work in a team or independently, communicate complex ideas, placate customers). Relate an occasion where those skills made a difference to your company. Many of you have been assigned to a critical project, included in client or executive meetings, recommended for special training, or asked to make a presentation.

Here is a final example to help you out:

Before: Maintained accounts receivables and accounts payables.

After: Managed over 2,500 accounts receivables and accounts payables, working directly with the Chief Financial Officer.

In summary, when you rewrite your résumé to compete in today’s era of job search, look for opportunities to quantify, without sharing confidential information, of course. Think of power verbs, (like reduced, saved, made, grew, etc.) and combine them with metrics, such as time (number of months, days, or years, dollars, growth percentages, comparison to market averages, comparisons to company or peer averages.)

Tricks

1 If you are a Jimmy, don’t put James on your résumé or cover letter. When recruiters, screeners, or hiring managers want to call you, they want to address you and get to know you by the name you want to be called. This saves embarrassment later, too. Same goes for your business card, email signature, and everything. The old days of “James” being used when, in fact, you want to be called “Jimmy” are over.

2 You can have a few versions of résumés, based on 1) more than one job goal (e.g. marketing versus sales) or 2) multiple cities you are targeting. However, do not alter your résumé per job. A hiring manager can spot when you are simply plugging in their company name or their job title in your objective at the top.

3 In the date column, put the month and the year so the reader can tell how long you have been with a company. Example: 2011-2012 can be as little as 2 months (December to January) or as long as 24 months.

Mistakes

Mistake #1: The Acronym Abyss. Follow the main rule of acronyms: For the first use, always write it out, then put the acronym in parenthesis following. If you are communicating that you were an SE for five years, then you need to write out “Systems Engineer (SE)” for the reader. Best is to avoid industry-specific or company-specific acronyms.

Mistake #2: Use of the present tense in all jobs on the résumé.

Mistake #3: Writing the résumé or cover letter in the third person.

Mistake #4: Grammar and spelling mistakes—red and green squiggles throughout.

Mistake #5: Use of tiny, tiny fonts (10 pt. or less) so as to cram as much information into the résumé as possible.

Mistake #6: Photos on résumés.

Mistake #7: Using a résumé that is password protected (without sending the password).

Mistake #8: Using a table format and keeping all of the lines for rows and columns.

Mistake #9: Having no contact information on the résumé or including a phone number that is no longer valid.

Mistake #10: Education written so vaguely that it is unclear if you secured a degree.

Mistake #11: Going back too far in your experience. I recommend 15 years maximum, then a high level summary of the prior work.

Mistake #12: Submitting the wrong format. If the employer or recruiter has stipulated that your résumé or form has to be submitted in a certain format, make sure that you adhere to that. Don’t send it as a PDF if they have specifically requested a Microsoft Word document.

Mistake #13: File name of your résumé is “Résumé”. Or “432987.pdf.” Correct that to “JohnSmith_Position 14254_Boeing” or “JohnSmithRésumé.”

Comments

[BD]

Wow, this is really helpful!
Thank you very much for posting it. :)

[Jenna Telado]

Wow never thought of it that way. I just send my resume to as many people as I think can help me and so far I have not been able to land anything close to what I will love to do. I usually attach a cover letter but it just says which industries I will like to work in. Thanks for these tips. I'm going to go into more details about what I want and what I hope to do in my resume cover letters.