Critical Resume Tips: Key Resume Writing Advice -- #8

Q-Tips: Critical Resume Tips:
Key Resume Writing Advice -- #8

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.

Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumesidentified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume is too general. To keep from limiting themselves, candidates sometimes create a very broad resume that lacks specific information. A peeve for Holmes is "failure to include enough information for a recruiter to determine fit. Executives more so than less-senior level candidates should be aware of the importance of effective communication, and yet they seem less motivated to tailor their resume to the specific job in which they are seeking."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Objective Statements on resumes have fallen somewhat out of favor. Many employers and recruiters claim they don't even read them. That's because most objective statements are badly written, self-serving, too vague, and not designed to do what they're supposed to do, which is to sharpen a resume's focus.

For a very detailed discussion of the pros and cons of objective statements, guidelines for how to write a good one and samples, see Chapter 1 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By: The Perfect Objective to Sharpen Your Resume's Focus

Also see our article, Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume?

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume is not tailored to the targeted vacancy. Shawn Slevin, HR and human capital solutions provider for Chair Swim Strong Foundation in the New York City area, called resumes that are the same for every position "cookie cutter." Instead, your resume should closely match the requirements of the job you are targeting. While hiring decision-makers don't pay much attention to Objective Statements, the headline technique can be effective in telling the recipient immediately what job or type of job you're targeting. When targeting a job advertised by a corporate recruiter in a specific company, demonstrate in your resume that you've researched that organization and can tie your accomplishments to the employer's needs.

As recruiter Lisa De Benedittis, president of Elite Staffing Services in the San Diego area, noted: "Resumes are auditions without the benefit of you being around. I will decide if you are a match for my job/client within 20 seconds. Your resume will speak volumes about your communication skills. Do you use words to demonstrate your value or is it boilerplate? Did you put thought and effort into this audition?"

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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A current trend in resumes is to use a branding statement, sometimes in combination with a headline.

A "headline" atop your resume usually identifies the position or type of job you seek.

A branding statement is a punchy "ad-like" statement that tells immediately what you can bring to an employer. A branding statement defines who you are, your promise of value, and why you should be sought out. Your branding statement should encapsulate your reputation, showcase what sets you apart from others, and describe the added value you bring to a situation. Think of it as a sales pitch. Integrate these elements into the brief synopsis that is your branding statement:

What makes you different?
What qualities or characteristics make you distinctive?
What have you accomplished?
What is your most noteworthy personal trait?
What benefits (problems solved) do you offer?

See a good discussion of branding statements and headlines, with samples, starting in this section of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume contains inexplicable acronyms and industry-specific jargon. Here's an example of a head-spinning array of acronyms and jargon from one resume reviewed for this book. The reader can figure out many of them, but it would so much easier if they were spelled out;

Manage the Asia Pacific WCS IT Outsourcing Transition & Transformation Programme Waves 1& 2. This is part of the Global Transition & Transformation Programme, a cluster of 82 major projects over a period of 3 years for an APAC budget of 8.7M Euros, executed by EDS but controlled and monitored by ABN.
Transitioned to EDS ~300 Technology staff in Singapore, H Kong , Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai including the ABN Regional Processing Centre on time and within budget.
Negotiated Wave 2 T&T budget cost avoidance of 0.5m Euros.
Provide direct management support to the A/P Technology CIO & Management Team, encompassing Financial Control Process Co-ordination, Resource Management, Portfolio & Project Control Project (A/P 320 projects with a budget expenditure of ~34M Euros). Responsible for the functional & organizational development of the Global Retained Technology Organization (NTO) and the development of the Global Governance Framework schedule (part of the Global Service Agreement contract).
Established & Implemented the Value Management Plan to achieve best practices within WCS Technology.
Developed the Global Retained Organization & Functional model on time & within budget.
Managed the TOI - WCS (Investment & Commercial Banking) Global IT Operations and Global Change Control Teams.
Provided Global Infrastructure Operational Services, defined/set Global Standards and Global IT Processing Services Strategy. This encompassed managing the Global IT Ops/Change Control Teams of > 300 staff and relevant expenditure budgets of >100M Euros.
Restructured Global Lotus Notes Ops Team - FTE Savings by 70% and London Change Control Team-FTE Savings by 35%.
Implemented Automation and AS/400 LPAR technologies to reduce RPC Singapore & Amsterdam Operational Costs by 25%.
Negotiated a new TCO with IBM in Singapore with a cost savings of over 2.3M Sing. Dollars.
Expanded Singapore RPC Processing Services Capabilities to establish a Centre of excellence.
Established ISAP Global Change Control TAT Acceptance Criteria Policy & Standards.
Established Global IT Processing Services Strategy/Business Model.
Developed the WCS Global SLOs and Major Contributor of the first TOI Service Catalogue

"Acronyms that are company-specific need to be reworked into a generic description of the same type that is easily understandable to those outside of that environment," advised Melissa Holmes, senior technical recruiter, at Levi, Ray & Shoup Consulting Services, Springfield, IL.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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"Self-marketing success requires three essential elements," said Susan Guarneri, the "Career Assessment Goddess," in the Q&A interview she did with QuintCareers
:

understanding who your target audience is and their needs,
having a credible and compelling message that your target audience values, and
capturing that target audience's attention.

Resumes have been the primary tool for self-marketing in the past. Whether they will continue to serve that function in the future depends largely on:

how the selection and hiring industries (HR and recruiting) of various professions evolve to accommodate other types of self-marketing tools, such as the web portfolio, and
how the available talent pool chooses to promote their candidacy.

Some professions welcome creative approaches, often involving new technology, while others seem to push towards standardization of online application forms. Similarly, many highly desirable candidates promote themselves to selective target audiences and use distinctive approaches, while other candidates default to generic resumes hoping to catch anyone's eye. Unfortunately, the path of least effort for many candidates is the generic resume, which is ironically the least effective in meeting the three self-marketing essentials.

Whatever the means of self-marketing (resume, bio, online profile, or web portfolio), best practices indicate that the type chosen needs to be appropriate to the target audience (profession and industry) and the candidate, and it needs to be effective in conveying a message of value and distinction.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume language is replete with "fluff," flowery words, and "resume speak" instead of specifics. Your resume "needs to have good factual information and be clear as to what it is that you actually do; it doesn't need to be fluffy and overwrought," said survey respondent Thomas Burrell. Meg Steele, director of recruitment and employment mobility at Swedish Medical Center in the Seattle area, decried the lack of specifics in resume language: "The most irritating characteristic on senior-level resumes is an overuse of flowery language without substantiation," she said. "I want to see actual accomplishments, not summary statements that imply an understanding of functional areas that reported up to the individual. A good leader knows enough about what his or her people are doing to speak intelligently about the problem that was being solved by this or that initiative. So, if [candidates] say 'oversaw development of strategic solutions,' they should have some more specific examples of said 'strategic solutions' and what the impact was to the business [and] the employees." Agreed survey respondent Alison: "Weed out the garbage and tell me what you made, saved, achieved and make it quantifiable.

Characterized as "resume speak" by survey respondents were words like "visionary," "thought leader," "evangelist," "innovative," "motivating," "engaging."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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"Distinguish yourself from the vast majority of resumes and online profiles that do not appeal to any target audience, contain insipid or non-existent messages of value, and rely on the 'throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks' mentality" said Susan Guarneri, the "Career Assessment Goddess," in the Q&A interview she did with QuintCareers. Even a standardized online application can stand out from the crowd through the content you choose to input. For example, the content can:

demonstrate an understanding of your target audience's needs and culture through online company research and inquiries with individuals in the profession and industry,
showcase value-added results, links to a web portfolio and other online "proof" of success, and a unique personal brand that permeates your past track record, and
gain positive traction with the employer through auxiliary means of connection (such as employee referrals and social networking).

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You may wish to present a Qualifications Summary or Profile section on your resume. In addition to Profile and Qualifications Summary, these resume-topping sections go by numerous names: Career Summary, Summary, Executive Summary, Professional Profile, Qualifications, Strengths, Skills, Key Skills, Skills Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Background Summary, Professional Summary, Highlights of Qualifications. All of these headings are acceptable, but our favorite is Professional Profile.

Twenty-five years ago, a Profile or Summary section was somewhat unusual on a resume. Career experts trace the use of summaries or profiles to include information about candidatesa[euro](TM) qualities beyond their credentials to the publication of the late Yana Parker's The Damn Good Resume Guide in 1983. For the last 20-plus years, resume writers have routinely included these sections; however, the age of electronic submissions has now caused the pendulum to swing the other way.

On one hand, electronic submission means that hiring decision-makers are inundated and overwhelmed with resumes and have less time than ever before to peruse each document. That means that many of them do not read Profile or Summary sections.

On the other hand, the age of electronic submissions has increased the importance of keywords so that candidates can be found in database searches. Even some of the hiring decision-makers who don't read Profiles and Summaries advise including them as a way to ensure sufficient keywords in the resume.

A vocal contingent of decision-makers, especially among recruiters, strongly advocate for a Summary section -- but one that is quite succinct -- a short paragraph or single bullet point. They want to see in a nutshell who you are and what you can contribute.

For a detailed discussion of these sections, including guidelines for crafting them and samples, see Chapter 3 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By: Your Professional Profile: Bullet Points that Describe Your Strengths in a Nutshell.

And use our Resume Professional Profile/Qualifications Summary Worksheet to help you develop bullet points for this very important resume section.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume language is egotistical and self-congratulatory. Harlynn Goolsby of the Human Resources Department at OSRAM Sylvania compares this type of resume verbiage to a "bio or the introduction for a guest speaker."

Some examples of puffed-up phrases include "inspirational leader," "as quoted in ...," and "winner of countless awards."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet. Based on figures from the early 2000s, it is safe to estimate that well over 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords.

The bottom line is that if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much dead in the water.

To some extent, job-seekers have no way of knowing what the words are that employers are looking for when they search resume databases. But job-seekers have information and a number of tools at their disposal that can help them make educated guesses as to which keywords the employer is looking for. See a detailed discussion of resume keywords and how to identify them in our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume's Effectiveness and use our Keywords Worksheet to help identify keywords for use in your resume.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Content focuses on soft skills and neglects hard data. Seeing soft skills listed on a resume is a rock-bottom priority for hiring decision-makers, who prefer to explore soft skills in the interview stage (and by talking to your references) because it is difficult to substantiate them on paper. "If you have to tell me you have these skills, you probably don't have them," said Kristina Creed, a senior manager at a for-profit education provider. Limit use of soft skills -- such as communication, teamwork, and leadership -- to those that are germane to the position you're targeting. Portrayal of soft skills will be more credible if you substantiate them with solid examples of how you've demonstrated them. If hard skills are required, be sure to include them, too, and be very specific about them -- types of projects, technical skills, and expertise.

Soft skills are also helpful if you are in a profession in which hard skills predominate, and soft skills are unexpected but desirable. "If you're a software engineering manager who has a real talent with people and is technically excellent -- highlight it," suggested Veronica Richmond a human resources in professional Oakville, Ontario, Canada. "You're a rarity, so have great stories ready to back it up."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Many job-seekers ask, "What goes first on my resume -- education or experience? The answer:

It depends on whether your degree or your experience is your best selling point. Always list the most relevant section first...
If you are a current college student or about to graduate, generally list education first.
If you are currently working, generally list experience first. A good cutoff point for moving your Experience section to the forefront of your resume is a year to 18 months after graduation.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Span of work experience in a given job is listed with years only instead of with months and years or is listed inconsistently from job to job. Decision-makers want to see specific dates of employment -- months and years (not days). "A job that ran December, 2004 to January, 2005, if months are not listed, looks precisely the same as a job that ran January, 2004, to December, 2005 -- a significant difference," noted senior IT recruiter John Kennedy. Similarly, De Benedittis noted, "if your resume says 2004-2005 that could be a 30-day job or a 12-month job. I don't want to guess and neither does my client. Put a month and a year on your resume, even if it is short term; we won't be fooled because we will ask you the exact dates and we will verify the information."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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When crafting your resume, what if you have no college degree, no four-year college degree, or did not attend college? If you have at least some college, list it. List an associate's degree or incomplete studies toward a bachelor's degree. For the incomplete degree, list the college, major, location, span of dates you attended, and, ideally, number of credit-hours completed. Your listing of an associate's degree, incomplete bachelor's degree, or no college at all should be beefed up with any training, professional-development, and certificate programs. In the unlikely event that you have absolutely none of these, leave off the Education section. Some employers (and most recruiters) will screen you out, but if you have succeeded in the past without educational credentials, your professional accomplishments will likely be enough to propel you to an interview. Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Not enough description of the scope of a given job is provided beyond the job's title. Some candidates assume their title will tell the full story, but titles often have different meanings from organization to organization. You must convey a sense of what the scope of each position encompassed.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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When you've held multiple jobs with the same employer, we recommend listing each position separately on your resume, as if it were a separate job, even repeating the name of employer and employer location each time. This approach provides more consistency throughout the resume and clearly shows your progression from job to job. It can also illustrate rapid promotions when the prospective employer sees short time periods between positions. Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Candidate leaves jobs off the resume. While this peeve is not universal, many decision-makers want to see the candidate's entire job history from college graduation on. They suggest a bare-bones (position/title, employer, city/state, dates) listing of older jobs under a heading such as "Prior Experience" or "Previous Professional Experience."

Decision-makers expect you to account for all gaps between jobs. "Give it to me as straight as possible," Seattle recruiter Alice Hanson said. "If you have been out of work for a year, put a bullet in that explains why. If you have multiple jobs that ended after three months, tell me you completed three three-month contract positions successfully." Most in hiring positions want to see when you graduated college and discount the age-discrimination argument because your graduation date will be discovered anyway when the recruiting firm is verifying information. "If a company is going to discriminate, truncating the resume may get you in a door, but won't get the person the job if they are going to discriminate," senior IT recruiter John Kennedy said.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Hiring decision-makers are split on the issue of far back in your job history you should go on your resume, which is affected by the growing practice of conducting background checks. While job-seekers are concerned about being exposed to age discrimination, many hiring decision-makers, especially recruiters, are adamant about seeing every job listed from your college graduation to the present. They argue that background checks -- or even just seeing you in person at an interview -- will reveal your age anyway, so why hide it? Others recommend going back 15-20 years, with the idea that jobs beyond that point are likely not relevant to your next career move. If you have the opportunity to contact the decision-maker before sending your resume, you can always ask his or her preference. Another option is to include your jobs that are more than 15 years old, but list them in bare-bones fashion (title, employer, location) with or without dates of employment. You may want to title this section Previous Professional Experience. Even if you opt to leave off the dates, the recipient will at least know that you have provided full disclosure by listing all jobs. A similar option is to insert a disclaimer statement to the effect that "additional employment history is available upon request." See also our article, Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Strategies for Older Workers.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Disproportionate space is devoted to older jobs. Decision-makers expect to see the greatest proportion of content dedicated to your most recent and most relevant positions. They find it odd if you've devoted much more attention to an older job than one that was more recent. "Unless it was an amazing accomplishment, I'm not concerned that you grew sales by 20 percent back in 1987," said Brian Howell, CSAM, of The QWorks Group.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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A chrono-functional resume is one way to deemphasize employment gaps, but these formats are unpopular with employers and especially recruiters. Another approach, if you can legitimately do so, is to frame periods of unemployment as stints of self-employment, consulting, or project work. Some job-seekers quit their jobs to pursue advanced education or training; you can account for a period of unemployment by listing yourself as a Graduate Student during that period. One recruiter we tallked to called gaps "a huge red flag," so they should be explained in your resume if you can gracefully do so. Other options include explaining them in your cover letter or being prepared to do so in an interview (however, gaps may preclude you from getting the interview). See our article, How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: The exact same verbiage is used to describe functions in different jobs. You may very well have had the same functions in multiple jobs, but you don't add to the value of your resume if you express these functions the same way for each job. It's not even necessary to list them for each job; once you've listed that function, the reader knows you have the experience. One job-seeker repeated the bullet point below for every job -- changing only the number of staff supervised in each position:

Managed 32 subordinate staff from different Asian ethnic groups on recruitment, personnel, training issues.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Job-hopping is far less a concern than it was just a few years ago. Mature job-seekers will remember a time when long-time company loyalty was expected. Those days are gone. Workers at all levels stay at their jobs for much shorter periods than they used to. That's not to say that job-hopping is no longer questioned. Very short, frequent job stints can certainly raise eyebrows. A chrono-functional resume will deemphasize job-hopping but comes with its own drawbacks. Another choice is to omit jobs of short duration. In these days of background checks, however, your omission can be risky. Most hiring decision-makers we've surveyed emphasize that nothing should be left off because jobs you've omitted will be discovered eventually in the vetting process, and you'll be eliminated. It's best to list everything, but make a strong case for your qualifications in your cover letter and top third of your resume so that you get called for an interview. Then be prepared to explain and put a positive spin on problematic or short-duration jobs face to face. Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume fails to list educational credentials. Candidates are sometimes advised to leave off an Education section if they have absolutely nothing to list there, but that situation is extremely rare at the highest corporate levels. Virtually everyone has at least some training under his or her belt. But some candidates might not realize that an Education section is expected, or they leave it off because they feel theirs is deficient. Education needs to be listed because employers want to see it.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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College students with minimal experience to list on resumes and cover letters can brainstorm using our College Experience Worksheet for Resume Development.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume contains personal information. Mature job-seekers may remember a time when including personal information on a resume was standard practice. This information often included height, weight, birth date, social security number, marital status, children, and health status (as if anyone would admit on a resume to health that was less than excellent). Today's hiring managers do not want to see this information because it raises discrimination issues. Doreen Perri-Gynn, associate vice president of human resources at Yang Ming (America) Corp., doesn't want to know "if you have three children and your wife is a happy homemaker or your husband an accountant. This is extraneous information that may prevent a manager from hiring you because he/she wants to keep his benefits budget down." Since this type of information is still often included on resumes and CVs outside the U.S., Perri-Gynn advises Europeans when applying in the US to "kindly leave off the picture, and family information. We do not require your children's names, ages, schools, wife's maiden name and who her parents are. The U.S. bases hiring criteria on skills and accomplishments."

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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Hobbies and Interests on a resume are usually considered superfluous and trivial. Some job-seekers consider these items conversation-starters, while some employers feel the information humanizes the candidate and presents a fuller picture. Many recruiters and employers feel hobby and interest information can expose the candidate to discrimination. A workaholic hiring manager "could perceive the candidate as frivolous with too many outside interests," observes Alison, a corporate recruiter for a specialized information provider. As with most information on your resume, the option to list hobby and interest information is a personal choice, but it's usually more risky to list it than to leave it off. Ask yourself: Does this information add value to my resume? Space constraints may also guide your decision. Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume contains long lists of awards, trainings, and similar items. These are the items that often add unnecessary length and wordiness to a resume. Here's an opportunity to ask yourself the "so what?" question. For every item you are considering listing, ask if it really adds any value to the resume. It's not incumbent upon you to include everything you've ever accomplished, earned, or learned. Prioritize. Choose the items that will best make your case as the best qualified candidate for the job you seek. Consider also creating supplemental documents with awards, trainings, publications, presentations, media mentions, and similar items. That way, you'll have them available if they're requested, and you might also have an opportunity to discuss them in the interview stage.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

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A career change gives you the opportunity to sharpen the focus of your resume toward the new career or industry. Study ads and job postings in your desired new field, and frame your resume bullet points so that your skills and accomplishments in your current career can be seen as directly applicable to your new career. Use copious keywords that relate to your new career, and tailor your profile, headline, branding statement, or objective statement to your aspiration. Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.

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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book, Top Notch Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves: Resume is in a functional format or otherwise lacks dates. Employers do not like functional formats or even chrono-functional because they want to see dates and get a clear picture of how your career has progressed. "I ignore resumes that do not include dates," said Miriam Torres, president of HRStaff Consulting, an executive-search firm in Miami Beach, FL. In fact, decision-makers will often read your resume from the bottom up to see how your career has developed.

"I need to tell hiring managers where you worked, when you worked there and what you did under each job, recruiter Alice Hanson said. "If you are old or haven't worked in a year, a resume isn't going to hide that. I'll figure it out, be sure of that or I'm not worth my salt. Functional resumes undersell. I assume there is something wrong when I see them." At Hanson's recruiting firm, resumes are reformatted into a standard company style before candidates are presented to employers. "When I go to format the candidate's resume into our chronological company resume template, functional resumes are pure hell," she said. "Creating a chronological resume from a functional resume takes time, and time is not what recruiters have much of."

While some job-seekers have successfully used functional formats to de-emphasize problematic elements of their careers, recruiters tend to discount this "de-emphasis" as an attempt to hide something. A functional resume might not completely exclude you, but given a choice, recruiters will always gravitate to chronological resumes. "I haven't found a time when a chronological resume doesn't make sense," said Kristina Creed, a senior manager at a for-profit education provider.

See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.

Find even more resume tips in Critical Resume Tips: Key Resume Writing Advice -- #9.

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.

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Q-Tips: Critical Resume Tips: Key Resume Writing Advice -- #8

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 -- #8