Critical Resume Tips: Key Resume Writing Advice -- #4

Q-Tips: Critical Resume Tips
Key Resume Writing Advice -- #4

These resume writing related tips -- choosing the best resume style, tips for highlighting career accomplishments, and more -- have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.

Differentiate your resume from the crowd, writes Deborah Walker in her article for QuintCareers, Is Your Resume Lost in the Great Internet Void? Dozens of fast-food restaurants sell hamburgers and fries. How do you choose which one you want? Chances are, one of those restaurants has a differentiating edge, something that you like better than all the others. The job market is the same way; it's flooded with choices, so you have to make your resume stand out from all the competition. The best way to differentiate your resume from others is with accomplishments. And those accomplishments really stand out when:

They are measurable. Can you define how much you accomplished in dollars saved, contracts won, or percent changed? [Editor's note: See our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track/Leverage Your Accomplishments.]
They support your transferable skills. Can your skills be used by this company, even if your job experience is in a different industry? What skills will transfer from one job to another? [Editor's note: See our article, Transferable Job Skills -- a Vital Job-Search Technique.]
They connect to corporate bottom-line objectives. How can you help them save time, save money, increase their profit margin, improve sales, or increase revenue?

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Accomplishments are the points that increase reader's interest in your resume, stimulate a request for a job interview, and really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. In the above-cited study by Career Masters Institute, content elements that propel employers to immediately discard resumes include a focus on duties instead of accomplishments, while documented achievements were highly ranked among content elements that employers look for. Don't isolate accomplishments in a section by themselves. Everything on your resume should be accomplishments-driven, and isolating accomplishments suggests that the other things you did in your jobs were NOT accomplishments. For more about how to identify your accomplishments, see our article For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments and our Accomplishments Worksheet to help you brainstorm your accomplishments.

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There is no such thing as one resume, says the Career Doctor Randall S. Hansen. Gone is a one-size-fits-all resume. Every resume you send out should be different from all the others. You need to use specific keywords and phrases that fit each employer. In this day of being able to manage our own computer files, you ccan have several versions of your resume that are exactly the same EXCEPT for the objective/headline/branding statement. Specific verbiage at the top of your resume is always better than a vague or general wording. Learn more in our Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers

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One way to sharpen your resume's focus is through verbiage at the top of your resume that instantly catches the reader's eye and identifies the area(s) in which you can make a contribution.

This verbiage can take one of several -- or a combination -- of forms:

Objective statement: Described in more detail below.
A "headline," usually simply the title of the position you're applying for, which can be adjusted for every job you apply for.
A branding statement, a punchy "ad-like" statement that tells immediately what you can bring to an employer.

The headline and branding statement are often used in combination. Example:

SENIOR EXECUTIVE
Specialize in raising the bar, creating strategy, managing risk, and improving the quality and caliber of operations.

If you go with an Objective statement, it should be labelled as such and use language telling how you'll benefit the employer. Something like:

Objective: To contribute strong ________ skills and experience to your firm in a _________ capacity.

You can read more about resume objectives in our article Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume? and more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers.

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Concrete, relevant examples of your work will help lay the groundwork for more extensive conversations in the interview, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes. It will also serve as reference for the human resource representative, recruiter or decision maker at a later date when they are tasked with presenting you with an offer. Beyond using a resume as a focus point for an interview, it is also the first documentation required in establishing a candidate's worth to the employer, and a key ingredient in an effective negotiation. Many companies have steps or grades in their salary ranges, and the human resource department determines the actual level a candidate is hired in at rather than the hiring manager. A carefully designed resume establishes proof for requesting a higher level when it is time to negotiate salary. By responding to each point identified in a detailed job announcement created by the employer, the candidate is able to clearly identify examples of his or her experience that support a higher level in the pay scale. By outlining clear, specific information directly relevant to the employer's needs, you have begun the groundwork for a negotiation for compensation that is in the top of their pay range, or even beyond.

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Changes in your life situation -- from college student to entry-level worker, from employed to unemployed, from one position to a switch to a different job or career, or from one city to another -- usually warrant an update in your resume. You may want to consider hiring a professional resume writer to help you effectively position yourself for the change you seek. Similarly, the wise individual remains prepared for unexpected job changes. Ideally, your resume should be updated and ready to go at all times, even if you're not actively seeking a new position. If you were in a networking situation, and someone asked for a copy for your resume, would you have one ready? If not, consider hiring a professional resume writer to help you get your resume in shape. Read more in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

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Avoid generalities, or broad statements in your resume, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. Stick with numbers, percentages, specific outcomes or descriptions of a process. Stating that you produced "extremely positive results," or that you "greatly improved performance" is vague. You need to include: by what measurement, in what time frame, and compared to what?

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Your resume has to look appealing, welcoming, says the Career Doctor Randall S. Hansen. Yes, it's superficial, but a plain resume (or worse, from a template) screams plain job-seeker. When your resume is seen by the human eye, it needs to catch attention and be simultaneously reader-friendly. In a study by the former Career Masters Institute, employers ranked easy readability as the most important resume point in terms of first impressions. Take the initiative to design your own resume style... or hire a professional resume-writer who can do it for you. Learn more in our Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers

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To sharpen your resume's focus, you can add a section called something like "Summary of Qualifications," "Profile," or the like. Such a section, in a reader-friendly bulleted format can contribute to powerful resume opener that draws the reader in; it can be part of the top third of resume that showcases your best selling points, catches the prospective employer's attention, and immediately demonstrates your value as a candidate.

A synthesis of the ideas of two leading resume experts, Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of Resume Magic, one of the best books on the market for resumes, and Deb Wile Dib of Advantage Resumes, reveals that a Summary/Profile section can contain:

Title/functional area/level of your current position and/or position you seek.
Number of years of experience (which, for age-discrimination reasons, should not exceed 15-20; "15+" is a good guideline for mature workers)
Industry you're in or seeking to be in.
Core competencies/areas of expertise/strengths/specialization for that field.
Highlights of representative accomplishments, especially used to demonstrate skills and competencies you've used throughout your career.
Top business, leadership, craft-related skills, both "hard skills" and "soft skills" (such as communication, interpersonal, teamwork).
"Value-added" information: Skills/accomplishments/experience that add to your value because they are not necessarily expected of someone with your background (e.g., operations manager with deep knowledge of IT).
Any advanced degrees, certifications, or licenses that are integral to the type of job you seek.
Language and international business skills, if relevant.
Technical/computer skills, instead of burying them at the bottom of your resume (Exception: IT professionals, who should place IT skills in a separate section).
Personality /management style: Open a little window into your personality with your Summary/Profile (e.g., mention sense of humor)
Possibly affiliations if integral to the job, otherwise in a separate section.
Any extremely prestigious colleges, employers, or clients.
Quantification whenever possible, using numbers for, e.g., revenue generated, size of accounts, typical budgets, money saved, etc.
Positive quotes, testimonials from supervisors, clients, taken from memos, letters, performance evaluations.
Awards you've earned, such as Employee of the Month and President's Club, can also be listed in the Summary/Profile section to give them more up-front attention than if they were listed in their own section.
Keywords/buzzwords from ads or job postings you're responding to.

You can see examples of Profile sections in most of these resume samples. These samples require Adobe Acrobat reader, a free download available the same site.

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Do you have issues or problems in your job history that you don't know how to handle in your resume? For example, perhaps you have employment gaps in your background, or you have spent short periods of time in a number of jobs and worry about giving the impression of being a "job-hopper," or your job history is very diverse and doesn't point in any one direction, or you are returning to the workforce after parenting, running your own business, serving in the military, or other absence. Professional resume writers know strategies for dealing with all of these situations -- and more -- on a resume. Read more in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

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In your resume, tell the employer what you can do for the organization, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. Make sure that you are using work examples that are similar to their business needs. Define the scope of your work with the scope of the employer's work in mind. Expecting the employer to interpret is a risky undertaking. Screeners look for candidates that are "the same" as the job announcement. With enough easily identified "qualified" candidates, employers will not try to interpret, translate or understand experience that is not the same as their request.

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In your resume, avoid instantly recognizable Microsoft Word resume templates. Employers have seen a million of them, so they don't stand out. They are also somewhat inflexible and contain some problematic formatting. "Using a template or any kind of boilerplate to demonstrate your value to a company is the worst thing you can do to yourself when job hunting," says Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter. "You're supposed to be uniquely qualified so the company will choose you instead of some cookie-cutter drone -- right? Do you really want a template?" Read more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers.

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With careful planning and listening, a candidate can parlay the information presented in the resume into answers to tough interview questions, and ultimately into evidence of why he or she should be at the high end of a pay scale, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes. Without proof, reassurance, and facts, a request for negotiating more compensation is a long shot. By providing evidence from start to finish, a candidate is far more likely to negotiate a greater offer. Your request will be based on the market conditions, the company's needs and how well you fit them, supported by factual evidence. In this market, high salaries are not effectively negotiated just because a candidate "looks good" or was able to "schmooze" his/her way through an interview. Employers rely on evidence that you will be worth what you are asking. That value begins to build the moment they read your resume.

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Why should teens develop a resume? First, you will stand out from all the other teens who apply for the same jobs because the vast majority of them will NOT have resumes, says the Career Doctor Randall S. Hansen. Second, a resume is a document you will need the rest of your working life, so you might as well learn some good habits now on how to develop a resume. The basic elements of a teen resume include: contact information, job objective, education, and experience. If your resume is not a full page with these elements, you can also include these optional elements: skills and community service. See our Teen Resume Writing Worksheet.

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A major contributing factor to weakness in resumes is that they look plain and boring. They just don't stand out and attract attention. Now, you may have heard that appearance doesn't matter because employers want text-based resumes that can be easily entered into keyword-searchable databases -- and that's true to some extent. But at some point, the human eye of the hiring manager is still going to see your resume, so its appearance should stand out. A professional resume writer can apply layout and design techniques that enable your document to really grab attention. Read more in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

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Make it easy in your resume for the employer to relate to your value by using relevant terminology, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. Omit any unrecognizable acronyms or industry-specific language that employers will not recognize or identify with.

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A consistent weakness in job-seeker resumes is a lack of focus. Job-seekers tend to forget that employers review resumes extremely quickly -- often in just a few seconds. An employer taking such a quick glance should be able to immediately grasp what you want to do and have a sense of the value you can contribute to the organization. If your resume cannot convey that information extremely rapidly, you may want to consider hiring a professional to sharpen its focus. Read more in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

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The flow of your information in your resume should be logical and compel the reader to continue reading, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. Bouncing from idea to idea without a natural progression will lose the reader's attention. Grouping similar work examples or related outcomes is easier for the reader to follow.

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The qualifications summary -- sometimes also referred to as your professional profile or summary of accomplishments -- has become a pretty widely accepted element for resumes, says the Career Doctor Randall S. hansen. They sharpen the focus of the resume and give the reader a quick overview of your most important qualities. It's the executive summary of your resume. And when employers only have 10 seconds (or less) to make a decision about your resume, a well-written qualifications summary can be your edge. The qualifications summary should include the three or four attributes that make you unique and best qualified for the job you seek- your key selling points. A bulleted list in the qualifications summary is best because the bullets make it much easier (and faster) to read. However, it is not wrong to have it as a short and concise paragraph. Finally, you can use a job objective and qualifications summary together to give your resume an even sharper focus. Read more suggestions for resumes in key elements and rules of resumes, published on Quintessential Careers.

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Ensure that the appearance of your resume holds up when you transmit it electronically. If you are regularly sending your resume as an e-mail attachment, you may want to experiment with sending it to friends' computers to ensure that the ormatting appears consistently from computer to computer. Read more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers.

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Thee fastest way to compromise your chance of landing a job in a creative field is to submit a traditional resume, writes Jennifer Klein in her article for QuintCareers, Creative Professionals: Does Your Resume Reflect Your Design Skills?. Creative professionals need to use their resumes as a tool to show their creativity and design abilities. Just as a model would not apply to a modeling job without headshots, nor would a writer apply to a position without a perfectly composed cover letter, a designer should not apply for a job without showcasing his/her design in the resume. Incorporating design into a creative professional's resume is as important as including a name and contact information.

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Your resume may have been fine when you were at a lower job level. But if you've climbed the ladder of advancement, your resume may lack the sophisticated look and message that indicates you are worthy of the salary and title you seek. A resume writer can help you bring it up to the appropriate level. Read more in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

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When you repeat skills that you have stated in your summary in the body of your resume, make sure you have added information by attaching them to a result, outcome, or specific event, rather than simply re-stating them, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips.

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Display your name boldly and in a large font at the top of your resume to project confidence; a small name makes the job-seeker look timid. Read more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers

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As a a creative professional, the precise nature of your profession will dictate how much design should go into your resume; while it is important for both a marketing executive and an interior designer to have a design resume on some level, the interior designer's resume would incorporate more design aspects than the marketing executive, writes Jennifer Klein in her article for QuintCareers, Creative Professionals: Does Your Resume Reflect Your Design Skills? If you are in a field that is creative (such as marketing, media, or public relations), but you are not a designer, your resume may have just one design aspect that makes it stand out from a typical resume. If you are a designer, your resume needs to be treated as a design project, which means conceptualizing the resume's design along with its content. You can express design elements in many ways, some of the most common being font characteristics, overall layout, a graphical element of design and/or use of color.

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If you want to make information stand out on your resume, using white space is more effective than underlining or using italics, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. Italics and underlining are hard on the reader's eyes when employers may be reviewing hundreds of resumes daily. Starting with no less than an inch margin around the border of your resume allows the reader to focus on the center. Use white space to make headings and titles stand out.

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Use a resume body font no smaller than 10.5 points and no larger than 12 points. Type at 11 points is often the best choice for resumes. Don't use justified text blocks; they put odd little spaces between words. Instead, make your type flush left. Employ some typographic variety -- judicious use of bold and italics. You can use up to two different fonts on your resume, and make sure they are readable. Avoid underlining because it adds clutter to your resume. Be sure your headings and sections are clearly marked and information can be located easily. Read more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers

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Enlist friends and family to proof your resume for typos and grammatical errors, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for QuintCareers, Ten Resume Tips. They can also tell you if your resume is pleasing to the eye. However, they cannot tell you whether or not it will be effective. Typically only the person screening your resume or a hiring manager in your specific industry will truly know if it is an effective resume.

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Include pleasing white space on your resume, but don't go overboard. The default margin setting in Microsoft Word is 1.25", but you'll have an easier time fitting everything in if you set your margins at .75" to 1". Read more about ways to improve your resume in FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers

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Overall resume layout encompasses headers, separation of sections, spacing on the resume, and use of bullets or other organizational tool, writes Jennifer Klein in her article for QuintCareers, Creative Professionals: Does Your Resume Reflect Your Design Skills?. These are all elements that any person needs to decide on when putting together a resume, but the difference in a design resume is that your choices need to reflect your creative skills and in some cases, your eye as an artist. "Overall layout" for a creative professional might also include graphic-design placement on the page.

Find even more resume tips in Critical Resume Tips: Key Resume Writing Advice -- #5.

Check out all of our Quick and Quintessential Strategic Resume Tips.

Review all our Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life.

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Q-Tips: Critical Resume Tips Key Resume Writing Advice -- #4

These resume writing related tips -- choosing the best resume style, tips for highlighting career accomplishments, and more -- have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.

Check out all of our Quick and Quintessential Strategic Resume Tips.

Review all our Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Q-Tips: Critical Resume Tips
Key Resume Writing Advice -- #4