“Just send me your resume and I’ll get back with you.” Most of us have heard this line quite a few times in our past. Fortunately, most of us have a resume. But is your resume doing its job of representing you to prospective employers and ultimately getting interviews?
In a job market where layoffs abound and competition for jobs is fierce, our only contact with a hiring manager may be a 30-second scan of this important document. But what is a resume? In today’s job market the answer is clear. It must be a powerful marketing tool.
Unfortunately for many a job seeker, this all important marketing brochure turns out to be a regurgitation of their job history. Bullets drone on endlessly with “Responsible for this…” and “Responsible for that…” as the poor recruiter or hiring manager is bogged down into the mire of mindless boredom without ever really knowing what a great contributor the individual was.
The biggest key to a successful resume is to turn it into an accomplishment-driven document, quantifying each achievement as much as possible. This is true throughout the entire resume.
But what are the most common parts of a resume? And how can each be used to market a job seeker? Let’s break down this document and look at its individual parts:
The “hot zone”
When a recruiter or hiring manager first sorts a large stack of resumes they often scan the first three quarters of the first page. This section is a “hot zone” that needs to be full of accomplishments that market your specific skills and abilities. Aside from the obvious name and contact information, the hot zone is composed of two key areas:
- A professional summary
- A list of selected accomplishments (optional but an excellent marketing tool)
The Professional Summary
Gone are the days of the objective in a resume. With a few exceptions, a summary is a more powerful intro to a strong resume. Hiring managers and recruiters frankly don’t care that you are looking for “an upwardly mobile position in a strong company that will provide me with…”
The summary should act as a short commercial about YOU. It should tell the reader what kind of position you seek, and answer the question “what makes you different or better than the other applicants for this position?”
The first sentence should effectively tell the reader what kind of position you seek and possibly even what industry in which your experience lies. Listing the broad or generic title of the job you seek in this sentence is ultra-effective in giving a crystal-clear picture of your objective.
Identify yourself as a “Highly effective Software Developer/Programmer with extensive experience in…” or a “Thorough and accurate Accountant with a proven track record of success in…”
The remaining three or four sentences should begin to paint a picture of your traits and skills directly related to the position you seek. The summary will serve as a “road map” for the rest of the resume. Remember to support the statements in your summary in the other portions of your resume.
Remember, tell not what you want the company to do for you; tell what you can do for the company!
The Selected accomplishments
The next section in the “hot zone” is selected accomplishments. Since past performance is a key indicator for future contributions, a list of previous successes can be the hook that scores an interview.
This portion should be a list of 3 to 6 selected accomplishments directly relating to the position that the summary indicates you seek. These should be as quantifiable as possible. Answer the questions: How many/much? Which one? To what extent? What kind?
To get a better idea of what kind of accomplishments belong in this section, put yourself in the hiring manager’s place and try to see his or her point of view. What kind of things would be important to you? In most cases the answer boils down to the bottom line. How can you save time and money? Statements that show your success in saving time and money or implementing new process and procedures will be well received.
The Body
The next portion of the resume will be your professional experience. List the companies you have worked for, your title and the dates of employment (year to year, exclude months).
One of the biggest pitfalls job seekers fall into in this portion is dryly listing job duties. Employers are interested in achievements, successes, and contributions. Even in roles where you feel you did not make contributions, upon careful consideration you may be surprised to find out how much of an impact you made.
Were you a supervisor? Then you led and motivated a team. If you were a cashier you were entrusted with money, were likely responsible for some type of ledger, and provided customer service. If you received an award or were recognized for going above and beyond in these roles, that also belongs in the resume in this portion or in the accomplishments section. Remember to quantify, quantify, quantify!
Another way to make your resume shine and avoid making it sound like a job description is to present your bullets focusing on the problem you encountered, the action you took to solve it and the good results that came about from your actions. This method, referred to as the PAR method, will show that not only have you done XYZ job but that you have also made positive contributions in your role.
Education/Professional Development
The final portion of the resume should list education and any other pertinent information about you such as continuing education, seminars and other classes you have attended, professional organizations and affiliations you are a member of, and civic involvement (if related to the position you seek).
When listing education, the last degree completed should go first. There is no need to put the dates you attended. Also, if you have completed a college degree, High School is assumed and is not necessary to list.
Personal information does not belong on a resume and should be omitted. Hobbies, gender and a physical description (except in VERY rare and specific instances when it relates to the job) never belong on a resume.
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