Resumes that get interviews: Working through stacks of resumes, hiring managers and recruiters spend just seconds on deciding whether to save you resume or delete it. Job seekers must know how to write resumes employers will want to read.
I based the following information on feedback I have received from hiring managers, staffing managers, and other recruiters. I have also discussed resumes with hundreds of applicants. These are suggestions only, but the layout is a working format.
Job Application
A resume is a job application. You list the jobs you have had, where you performed those jobs, and when you had those jobs. If you replace the information below with your information, you will have written a resume.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Your name
Street address City, State Zip
Phone
Email address
OBJECTIVE AND SUMMARY
Stating an objective or a giving a summary at the beginning of the resume is common practice. However, stating an objective or providing a summary is optional.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
There is no sentence structure in a resume. The wording in a resume is simply a series of statements of actions and accomplishments.
For example, this is a sentence: I doubled the company’s sales in 6 months.
This is resume wording: Doubled company’s sales in 6 months.
The history in a resume is just a list that includes employment periods, performance, skills, responsibilities, accomplishments, and education.
(Most recent job first)
Company Name Location, From -To
Most recent title, Location, From – To
Use bullet format.
- List things you have accomplished. Do not waste space on your just giving a job description. List things that showed that you made a difference in the positions you held.
- Use facts—for example, exceeded assigned sales goal by 30%, reduced costs, promoted people, saved time, increased productivity, etc.
- Employers and recruiters search their databases for specific words, so list successes with specific industry words or functions. Include the actual name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e.g., Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.
Next list previous titles at this company and again list successes and accomplishments in bullet format.
Then include Previous Companies going back in time from most recent.
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EDUCATION
Normally, education goes at the bottom of the resume. People who have recently received an educational degree or credential that alters their employability might consider putting education at the top of the resume.
Other items that might go at the bottom of the resume are awards, extra skills, volunteer work or perhaps some relevant college employment.
HOW TO SHORTEN YOUR RESUME FOR READABILITY
Hiring managers only spend seconds looking at each resume. They are going through stacks of resumes, often in documents that must be opened one at a time.
Avoiding the following items might make the difference as to whether your resume even gets read.
- Objective Summary Titles
- Hobbies References
- References available on request
- Compensation
- Long paragraph formats
- Long-winded discussions of core responsibilities
- Too many details on jobs with well-known functions
- Details on jobs that date back in time
- Paragraph formatting
- Third person reference
