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Resumes That Sell
A resume is the first contact, and thus the first impression,
that you make with an employer.
Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. On
average, the decision on whether a resume is attractive or not
is made in 5 seconds. Those deemed interesting are
further scanned for fitness for the position open, the rest
are discarded. Needless to say, your resume better be on
target if you have any hope of being considered.
A resume is defined by Webster's as "a summary,
especially of a person's achievements." To
a hiring authority it provides them with an overview of what you
have done for past employers, other people and yourself. This
gives them an expectation of what you can do for them.
Once you are invited to an interview the resume then provides a
map by which to conduct the interview. Expect to have your resume
challenged, questioned and scrutinized. Resume fraud and your
abuse of the employer's good faith is grounds for both the
termination of your candidacy and any ensuing employment.
To produce the resume that best speaks for you, we strongly
advise:
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1-2 pages at most |
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Appropriate business usage of fonts, underlining, bolding
and italics, no graphics. |
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List all phone #'s (home, work, VM, pager, cell, e-mail),
your name and address. |
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A chronological format, most recent position at the top. |
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A bulleted format. |
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List all employers. |
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Distinguish college jobs from post-college ones. |
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The usage of months & years in dates. |
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Accounting for all time periods, no gaps. |
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List all titles held with time frames. |
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Keep functions & responsibilities to a minimum as your
title basically tells what you do. |
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List verifiable achievements under the job or school they
apply to, not separately |
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For college, list dates, degrees, GPA's if 3.0+, % you paid
for your education |
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Do not list "References Available", "Summary
of Qualifications", "Objective","Additional
Interests", etc. as they are not needed or wanted, and
can only hurt you. |
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